ICYMI: Adobe Digital Government Assembly 2016

By Erica Fensom, Director of Public Sector Marketing

The 7th annual Adobe Digital Government Assembly was our best one yet, with a record turnout of 1,500 people in person and online who came to engage with government and industry experts and to discuss exciting innovations in digital government practices.

Following an inspiring welcome from Adobe Public Sector VP Barry Leffew, our EVP and GM of digital media, Bryan Lamkin, kicked off the first keynote of the day with a presentation on Bridging the Experience Gap in Government. Bryan highlighted the key steps for government to take to create powerful, end-to-end digital experiences for citizens, including the importance of mobile engagement.

Hillary Hartley, Deputy Executive Director at 18F, spoke passionately about the bigger picture goals that guide her work at 18F, and what it will take to effect real change and transform digital government delivery processes and services.

Avi Bender, CTO of the Census Bureau, talked open source and the huge potential for innovation that comes from community input and collaboration in building digital tools. Michel Laviolette, Sr. Director of the Renewal & Web Standards Office, CIO Branch, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, discussed the recently modernized Canada.ca site, and how the Canadian government harnessed Adobe technology to deliver digital experiences that matter.

Amongst the fascinating breakout sessions that followed was a panel moderated by Adobe’s Principal Solutions Consultant, Jerry Silverman, who revealed new research commissioned by Adobe that explores the importance of creativity and design-led innovation in the public sector.

Adobe also announced the creation of Digital Design Templates for Government, an open source package that enables public sector website managers to quickly deploy U.S. Digital Service and 18F draft U.S. Web Design Standards using Adobe Experience Manager (AEM). The templates are available to be downloaded on the Adobe Digital Marketing GitHub and Adobe PackageShare.

Following a networking lunch that included a special surprise performance by The Capitol Steps, Mark Kneidinger, Director of the Federal Network Resilience at DHS, presented on the cultural shift necessary for improving federal cybersecurity and why it is necessary to go beyond cyber tools alone to protect federal data.

A panel followed, moderated by Adobe Public Sector CTO John Landwehr, which featured Trevor Rudolph, Chief of the Cyber & National Security Unit in the Office of E-Government & IT at OMB, and Richard Haley, CFO of the FBI, in an in-depth conversation around the importance of identifying and protecting high-value assets.

General Michael Hayden, former Director of the NSA and CIA and current Principal with the Chertoff Group, delivered a closing keynote that more than lived up to expectations. General Hayden kept the audience riveted with his talk on tectonic shifts in national security and what it takes to keep the U.S. safe in this day and age. Attendees left with signed copies of his brand new book, Playing to the Edge: American Intelligence in the Age of Terror, and with key takeaways from the day such as the need for compelling user experiences, content security, mobile engagement, electronic signatures and design-led innovation.