A CEO of IT: Applying Business Transformation Frameworks in Government Marian Cook, Senior Strategist, State Of Illinois Marian Cook, Senior Strategist, State Of Illinois Those of us in the private sector often wonder how a business management approach would work in the public sector. As it turns out, done right, they can work well. Hardik Bhatt, the new State of Illinois CIO, is doing exactly that using a CEO of IT approach to address long term, belligerent problems in government. "There has not been an enterprise approach to services, policies, standards, security, purchasing power, or other basic business practices" Illinois is not for cowards. Serious challenges beckon. Cost structures and national surveys put the State at the back of the pack. A cantankerous legislature / executive branch relationship stopped budget passage. A diverse and distributed technology base is over 40 years old and in 86 different technology silos. The workforce is unionized and a retirement wave is picking up speed. There has not been a consistent enterprise approach to services, policies, standards, security, purchasing power, or other basic business practices. In some cases, the status quo and bureaucracy is self-optimized, sentient and defensive. Change is hard and there is considerable push-back.