Information technology (IT) is among the most vital investments supporting USAID, interwoven into all aspects of Agency operations, and helping us adapt to ever changing opportunities and challenges. For the past several years, the Office of the Chief Information Officer (M/CIO) has focused on transforming how the Agency conducts business with our stakeholders and partners to better help them accomplish USAID’s mission. We have made substantive progress in several key areas. For example, USAID is currently a leader in the Federal Government in data center optimization as a result of our intensive effort to improve operational efficiency. We have also invested in the target capability areas of mobility, collaboration, cloud computing, application modernization, enterprise information management, and information technology security.

This update of the USAID Information Technology Strategic Plan reflects our goals and expected outcomes over the next five years, which include:

• Goal 1: Solution Delivery – Accelerate the timely delivery of secure and integrated business information technology solutions in support of USAID’s mission in international development.
• Goal 2: Information Technology Innovation – Create a culture that supports the Agency in becoming an innovation leader in the federal government and maximizes the impact of information technology in international development.
• Goal 3: Operational Excellence – Streamline Agency operations to align information technology resources and enhance efficiency. These three goals are informed by four cross-cutting themes -- Customer Experience, Information Management, Security & Privacy, and Workforce Development – that represent operational elements at the core of what is valued across the organization.

In today’s complex global environment, M/CIO is constantly challenged to deliver responsive information technology services and products while balancing the important tenets of transparency, accountability, security, data integrity, and privacy. Our aim is to strike this balance in a constrained fiscal environment while improving global information technology operations.