SBA: Lawrence Barrett
LAWRENCE BARRETT
Small Business Administration
409 Third St. S.W. - 4th Fl.
Washington, D.C. 20416
Phone: 202-205-6708
Fax: 202-205-7064
E-mail: lawrence.barrett@sba.gov
Career Highlights:
1990-96: SBA assistant administrator for information resources management
1979-90: Various information technology positions at the Small Business Administration
1973-79: Army computer specialist
IT Budget (fiscal years):
1996: $28.2 million
1997: $25.9 million (est.)
1998: $28.5 million (est.)
Priority Projects:
- Office 96 - continuing to upgrade or replace more than 3,000 computers and 100 file servers, plus replacing DOS-based systems with Windows.
- Project Access - moving systems into a client-server environment.
- Financial Systems Modernization - implementing new accounting system.
Biggest Challenges:
"Making sure we stay focused on solutions rather than just delivering technology. Technology changes so quickly that it is easy to be caught up in the technology chase and not solve the problem in a way that returns the maximum productivity gains."
Management Approach:
"We are finalizing the establishment of an information technology advisory board, chaired by the CIO and composed of senior program managers and field management representatives.The board will establish project funding priorities based on projected benefits and other criteria. Additionally, the board will conduct regular reviews of ongoing projects."
On CIOs:
"If the program managers that senior management relies upon to deliver the organization's products believe the CIO and IT are important, then senior management also will realize and appreciate the role the CIO plays in helping to achieve the agency mission."
Hottest Technologies:
"We are rapidly developing applications that use the Internet to exchange data and information with our resources partners, such as banks and other lenders. In the past, this was impossible."
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