“Think about our big data projects. We know that in the same way that the National Weather Service or the development of GPS and satellites created entire new ways that people organized their lives, that in healthcare, for example, there are going to be transformations taking place because of the ability to collect and analyze data and then transmit it in a very individualized fashion …”
– President Barack Obama to Fast Company
In a recent article in Fast Company magazine, President Obama’s talks about the importance of thinking differently about the role of technology in transforming the way citizens engage with government. The article, that addresses What ‘We the People’ Means in the 21st Century, had me thinking about the recent Department of Defense (DoD) visit to the Silicon Valley to explore and advance ideas for bringing about such transformation. We were thrilled and inspired that MarkLogic was one of the few stops on this DoD tour and it wasn’t long before I was asked why our company made the shortlist?
I could list 101 ways MarkLogic’s technological capabilities make it the database platform of the future, but I want to stay focused on the reason new technology is important to the government’s aspirations. In my opinion, the reason we made the shortlist can be found within the premise not only of the Fast Company article but also in a couple of other relevant pieces recently published by Tech Crunch and FCW – change has come to the government. The shared theme of these articles is clear: The U.S. government (federal and local) is embracing the spirit – and necessity – of new technologies to align government processes and operations more closely to the needs of consumers. Why? Ultimately, the objective is to empower citizens to take more ownership of (and responsibility for) our democracy.
Change is Good
To me, this makes Marklogic an ideal company to brainstorm with on the need for new innovations in big data. After all, every day we put into action our culture of “Be the Change.” And for us, this isn’t just the latest catchy marketing motto – this drive is in our DNA. It was only a few years back that the White House dared to conceive of a nationwide Health Insurance Marketplace that would extend access to healthcare to millions of Americans. It was the agile, powerful and secure capabilities of our Enterprise NoSQL database that enabled us to play a key role in bringing that once revolutionary concept into a game changing reality with Healthcare.gov. Today, millions of citizen-consumers have used this website – an interstate data services hub – to shop for health insurance and check eligibility requirements against dozens of federal and commercial data sources.
Enterprise NoSQL technology is an agent for change. So, we are excited to have been recognized by a visit from the DoD and will continue to work towards bringing about true transformation to the work of government agencies – change that advances process efficiencies and enhances service to local and national communities.
MarkLogic has proven solutions for the government sector … do you know what we did for Fairfax County? For more information on how we can help, visit our website.