The State Department’s Data-Driven Future
Summary
The formation of an enterprise-level analytics center is a significant move for what has traditionally been a highly decentralized organization. Under Chief Information Officer Stuart McGuigan, IT systems at the agency are viewed in terms of business output, especially in how they support operational functions like workflows and onboarding. Public Diplomacy is reviewing its strategy for the next fiscal year to see how it can “be more agile [and] data-driven.” Business intelligence and analytics may come to mind, but also consider innovative tools for data cleanup. With offices and bureaus supporting everything from visa services to nuclear nonproliferation, the need to safely exchange and secure data at the State Department is ever-present. For example, the Bureau of Intelligence and Research included data security and management in its request of $1M in FY21 IT funding.