Secret CIOs: Top Intel, Military Execs Talk TechSecret CIOs: Top Intel, Military Execs Talk Tech

An extraordinary group of CIOs from the CIA, NSA, FBI, DoD, and other intelligence and defense agencies convened for lunch Monday and these seldom-seen CIOs shared some plans for 2009: cloud computing, upgraded desktops and network apps, and lots of integration and collaboration. Check out our photo gallery for a look at these generally publicity-shy CIOs whose work defines "mission-critical."

Among the areas of interest for these powerhouse CIOs, as noted by BisNow:

Department of Defense Deputy CIO Dave Wennergren says Defense is making a commitment to cloud computing so it can eliminate redundant infrastructures across the various branches of the military. "We all work together now, so we need services that work seamlessly. It's really the way you buy now." Central Intelligence Agency CIO Al Tarasiuk said the CIA now has 1,000 virtualized servers and is investigating more-effective strategies for bandwidth, for which there's almost unlimited demand. Plus, Tarasiuk said, he's always looking for creative and flexible solutions for problems associated with legacy data. Federal Bureau of Investigation CIO Dean Hall said the FBI, which has suffered through some long-lasting problems with case-management systems, is upgrading its desktops and network applications. National Security Agency CIO Kelly Miller emphasized the sea change that's coming as the agencies represented at the luncheon, as well as other parts of the federal government, collaborate in ways that will require both systems and processes to achieve some level of integration. Miller emphasized the "new way of thinking" that such efforts will require. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Deputy CIO Paul Muench echoed that theme, saying, "We're looking more than ever to leverage one another's intel."
Photos courtesy of Bisnow.