This white paper provides guidance for government organizations when choosing an information technology platform. It examines some of the challenges those organizations face, followed by a framework for evaluating platforms in the areas of costs, reliability, security, access to needed skills and applications, and integration, using both analyst research and the experiences of government organizations as supporting evidence.

Leaders at all levels of government have come to recognize that technology is key to solving some of the most pressing issues they face today, such as increasing accountability and operational efficiency, controlling costs, and improving citizen service and satisfaction. Within this domain of new IT investment, some key areas of focus include: