The future is in the East, and the United States must adapt to ensure that it can meet the challenges of the Asia-Pacific region in the 21st century.

This caught my attention and I recommend it to all sales personnel, business developers and managers of same:

The future of computing is being shaped by breakthroughs in many facets of the industry, but no matter the devices or the Internet services they access, all will be influenced by the computer chip. Innovations in this area will help drive advancements in others, and big names in the field are hard at work to enable emerging capabilities.

Government information technology is an area rife with issues for discussion. These include enterprise initiatives, mobile computing, the cloud in all its forms, cybersecurity and many more. However, one activity is the key to making all government information technology useful and secure: the common operating environment.

The tight coupling that currently binds Defense Department architecture—the infrastructure, communications, databases, applications, security and desktops into more than 2,200 unique silos—must be separated. Right now, each silo is the consequence of contracts in which all software is assembled into a one-of-a-kind collection of codes. The resulting software is costly to maintain; applications are not interoperable; and lack of compatibility complicates the exchange of data.

U.S. Army communications is more likely to be software-driven in the future as radios increasingly resemble specialized computers. Apps will be driving advances, and computer-like acquisition policies for radios will help speed cutting-edge technology to the field.

THE CZECH REPUBLIC IS LOOKING TO MODERNIZE its armed forces to address new capabilities, improved information technologies and greater international obligations. However, budgetary pressures and demographics threaten to derail the country’s efforts to field an effective military capable of interoperating with its allies in out-of-area operations.

MOBILE TECHNOLOGIES ARE ADVANCING at a blistering pace, and the old way of communicating is being relegated to the history books. The question many government customers are asking right now is, “When do we get these new mobile platforms?” The answer might be surprising.

Jim Ramsey never dreamed he would become a leader in the satellite communications industry. He just wanted to be a soldier. But his U.S. Army superiors had other ideas. They decided to transfer him from infantry to combat support, specifically as an officer in the Signal Corps. Ramsey was anything but happy about his impending transfer in the late 1980s.

Using both technology solutions and training initiatives, the General Services Administration is assisting other federal agencies in providing easy-to-locate and clearly written information both on the Web and through other data sources.