Gerencia financiera de ti

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STATE OFTHEAHT
Hiow and Why to Strategically Finan
IT Projects
i stantial1 resources that can be utilized for other c6bjectives. For examnple, the City of though the existing technologyis stillfunctional, it becomes cost effective to replace I 'Iacorna's poxver utilitv generated addi:eventues by selling excess electricity the existing techniology with the newer, tional I fornia. The city utilized those addimore efficient technology. This results in a f tional Funds to build a fiber-optic commushort life span for most information technology.Because it is generally advisable to I nications infrastructure (providing finance capital projects past the end of I Iinterne ,t and cable connective) that it was their life spans, some financial options, then a][,le to resell to residents. Similarly, such as the 30-vear long bond, may not be the Stovte of Georgia utilized ftunds from appropriate. the sta te lotterv to supply IT for all K Q12

resoturces. In such ani enIvironm-ent, evenEditorns

note.Tbis article is adapted wit permHission from; the November i!001 mes, the mo ithly neu issue of IA Ti' per of the American"Society for P.ublic Adm-inistration, www. aspanet.org.

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of Par t1cEpation, and Leases. F-,or large, In today's technological environmeni , the hig h-c )st technology projects wvith componizastrengths and weaknesses of an orga nents tthat have both longand similar life tion are, to a large extent, dependent uppon spans, the traditional bond provides an nizathe technological capacity of the orga econlom -n1cal means of project financing. tion. Organizations that are able to build The m;,jor problem with fliancing IT with will and maintain- technological capacity bonds is that the financing m-nay last longer have new and exciting opportunitiesopen than tIahetechnology. Often this problem those thr it fail to them. By the saml-e token, can be resolved by breaking a large techlikely to develop technological capacity are I niology project into com}pon-ents with simifrom to face substantial threats stemming lar life spans and using multiple types of organizational inefficiencies and ob' ;olescapital financing. For inistance, cence.techinology infrastructure with a UnfortuLnately, the desire of the long life span, such as wiring and to a high The desire of the administrator acbheye a high administrator to achieve computer room constrtuction, state of technological capacity is state of technologicalcapacity is offset by the might be financed through a offset by the ability to fund probond. Equipment that is deemed jects at the desiredlevel. In such an it abil to fund Projectsat tie desired level. to have a shorter life span coUld it becomes imperaenvironment, In such an environment, it becomes imperative be financed through certificates of tive for the adiministrator to careparticipation or leases. In either fully orchestrate a strategic plan to the administrator carefully orchestrate case, this type of financing has the fortechniology financing. While impact of spreading the capital a strateg:cplan for technoloyfinancing. financial strategies for technology expenditures over the life of the are often similar to other financing technology. there are some unique strategies, Out sourcing. While outsourcing is nlot to inc'rease. For a large government, it is uind. considerations that must be kept in I techni cally am-eans of financing, it is a niot unreasonable to seek genieral fund Before embarking on specific finia ncing much- used means of restructuring inforfinancing or smLaller systems with limited id the strategies, it is important to understar matio n technology financing and thus users. Ihese systems are often utillized bv basic cost profile of information tech no]odeserv es comment here. First,...