MULTI-JURISDICTION
In the era of smartphones and tablets, Apple is renewing its drive to capture the lucrative education market by revolutionizing the textbook industry and getting more iPads into classrooms - all at a hefty profit. As the company prepared for a major announcement with educators and publishers last week, Apple was aggressively pushing a strategy that would secure its dominance among a variety of schools, from New York City’s public system to Stanford University. While outfoxing rivals such as Microsoft and Texas Instruments, the move has the potential to lock public money into Apple’s tightly knit universe of products, analysts say. Arlington County in Virginia alone is committing hundreds of thousands of dollars to integrate the firm’s gadgets into its curriculum. Apple expected to delve into textbooks
In 2011, many U.S. states used IT systems to expand and simplify their eligibility, enrollment and renewal procedures for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, according to a report by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, Government Health IT reports. The annual 50-state report found that the number of U.S. residents who had health insurance through Medicaid or CHIP remained stable in 2011, despite a struggling economy. Overall, 11 states took steps to expand coverage, and eight of those states focused on expanding coverage for low-income, uninsured children. Meanwhile, just two states reduced Medicaid enrollment last year, according to the report.
A new type of government cloud services, labeled "regional cloud hubs,” will significantly change the way state and local governments procure online computing services, according to a new report from IDC Government Insights.“Best Practices: Regional Community Cloud Hubs – The New ‘Trickle Down’ Effect That's Boosting State and Local Computing,” says these regional cloud hubs, defined as one government agency (often at the state level) offering computing services to other government agencies, have proven successful in Michigan and Utah and are further examined within the report. In addition, the new research provides a framework for building similar regional cloud solutions. As virtualized servers and efforts toward application standardization have merged many government solutions, less data center space is needed. “In fact, by the end of 2012 close to 40% of federal data centers will be shuttered” with many state governments following suit or combing multiple data centers into one or two large statewide operations, the report said. Remaining data centers often serve as a shared computing resource for multiple departments. Are the clouds breaking up?
MARYLAND
Maryland is trying to give local business owners more incentive to grow the economy with a series of measures. They’ve launched an online database of all financial incentives available for job creation, and economic development. The database will support a variety of other online tools for business owners, designed to help them while also increasing the transparency of the state’s business development offices. Maryland’s business development office has come under criticism recently for its lack of transparency. In response to that, they have released Maryland Finance Tracker which will let business owners see what financial incentives are available to them when they add new jobs or open new facilities. There is also an interactive map – MDbizMap - which shows visitors market data for their area of the state including employers, schools, local tax credits, and other incentives. Maryland pushes online tools to increase transparency
MICHIGAN
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder is turning his focus to infrastructure for 2012. Earlier in the week, the Governor underlined the need to keep his state’s infrastructure in good working condition as a cost saving measure. He also repeated his plan for a New International Trade Crossing bridge connecting Michigan and Canada. Governor Synder is calling for spending now before infrastructure conditions deteriorate further. In 2011, several transportation officials and the Brookings Institution held a one day summit to outline several of these same issues. Shortly after that event, Snyder indicated that he would be working to ensure that rail projects throughout the state keep moving forward. Michigan Governor turns focus to infrastructure
MONTANA
Montana’s public safety agencies can now share criminal justice information in a secure cloud infrastructure. The state's Department of Justice recently reached a memorandum of understanding with the Datamaxx Group, which allows all Montana public safety agencies to use the Datamaxx Secure Cloud. Datamaxx Secure Cloud technology provides direct access to private law enforcement networks and homeland security information sources via a cloud infrastructure compliant with FBI and National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System requirements. Nlets links together and supports every state, local and federal law enforcement; justice; and public safety agency for the purposes of sharing and exchanging critical information. Montana law enforcement shares data via the cloud
WISCONSIN
Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin is sending $37 million back to the federal government. The money was an award for the state’s health care exchange under the early innovator program. The move follows an earlier announcement from the Governor that Wisconsin will not move forward on health care reform requirements until the Supreme Court rules on the constitutionality of the law. Walker said in his announcement that he didn’t think it made sense to take federal dollars and commit the state to a program that would have, “devastating economic impact.” Wisconsin was awarded an Early Innovator Grant by the federal government for its health exchange plan. According to Governor Walker, Wisconsin will continue to innovate without the help of federal funds. Walker rejects $37m federal early innovator grant