IT a top Priority for the current presidential administration

The Obama administration is making a point to capitalize on information technology. This article makes several interesting points, mainly that the "information technology sector has been underutilized by public and social sectors". The article makes the following points that non-profits should consider in this connected world:
(taken from: Information Technology and Social Progress)

What problem are we trying to use IT to solve, and is it plausible that IT can make a real difference?

· What metrics should be used to evaluate the effectiveness of an IT-enabled solution?

· What are the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders in the design, development, evaluation, and scale-up of IT applications with social benefits?

· If some applications of IT have high social returns and modest or uncertain private returns, can companies attract financing from "impact investors" who are generally willing to accept a lower financial return if the social return is sufficiently compelling?

· How can the public sector be a better customer for IT applications that help address societal challenges? How might different public sector users (e.g. large school districts, state employment agencies) pool their demand?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thomas-kalil/information-technology-an_b_860582.html?ref=email_share