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Homeland Security: Progress Continues, but Challenges Remain on Department's Management of Information Technology

GAO-06-598T Published: Mar 29, 2006. Publicly Released: Mar 29, 2006.
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Highlights

Information technology (IT) is a critical tool for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), not only in performing its mission today, but also in transforming how it will do so in the future. In light of the importance of this transformation and the magnitude of the associated challenges, GAO has designated the implementation of the department and its transformation as high risk. GAO has reported that in order to effectively leverage IT as a transformation tool, DHS needs to establish certain institutional management controls and capabilities, such as having an enterprise architecture and making informed portfolio-based decisions across competing IT investments. GAO has also reported that it is critical for the department to implement these controls and associated best practices on its many IT investments. In its past work, GAO has made numerous recommendations on DHS institutional controls and on individual IT investment projects. The testimony is based on GAO's body of work in these areas, covering the state of DHS IT management both on the institutional level and the individual program level.

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Decision makingEnterprise architectureHomeland securityInformation resources managementInformation securityInformation technologyInternal controlsIT human capitalIT investment managementManagement information systemsRisk managementStrategic planning