Fergie's Tech Blog

FBI's Chief Information Officer Resigns

Stephanie Condon writes on C|Net News:

The FBI's chief information officer announced his resignation Wednesday, nearly five years after inheriting an information technology program fraught with disaster and dramatically turning it around.

"In 2004, everyone was asking when the FBI would join the 21st century," said CIO Zalmai Azmi. "Today I can tell you that we are in the 21st century and continue to move forward."

When Azmi joined the FBI as the acting CIO, the bureau was scheduled to roll out Virtual Case File, a software program meant to replace its archaic, paper-based criminal tracking system. Instead, the system was scrapped--and Azmi got to break the news to FBI Director Robert Mueller that the $170 million system, designed by Science Applications International, was unsalvageable.

Officially named the CIO in 2004, Azmi has since been working to build the bureau's IT branch and build confidence both within the agency and on Capitol Hill, where he meets with lawmakers twice a week.

posted by Fergie @ 9/24/2008 02:19:00 PM