Why are we always Reactive?

After September 11, NYC rushed to create a wireless public safety network. In 2006, the NYC government finally signed a $500 million contract with Northrop Grumman to provide this service. It is an example of how this country is prone to taking reactive, rather than proactive measures, in response to terrorism and natural disasters. Here are a few other examples of reactive behavior:

• In 2006, TSA banned airline passengers from carrying on board liquids over 3 ounces
• Immediately after 9/11, airline security required the cockpit door to always be secured--did we really need a hijacker to prove that this was necessary?
• The country is just now trying to secure our ports
• Formation of the Department of Homeland Security

Although I think it is extremely important to set up a wireless public safety network that allows the NYPD, NYFD, Transportation Department, and Office of Emergency Management high speed network capabilities to improve communication, why didn't anyone think of this before? All of these departments are interrelated and share common duties. Did the country need a wake up call of this size to implement such a communication system? We can conduct video conferences with ten executives from ten different countries, but we couldn't communicate between a few departments residing in the same city until we realized it might be necessary?

IT Consulting firms are now taking a proactive approach in emergency preparedness. They offer services that leave businesses better prepared in case of an emergency--this means anywhere from remote backups to complete internal architecture blueprint restructuring. NYC needs to follow this lead and take a proactive step towards securing its city. Finish the implementation of the wireless public safety network and then utilize resources to look for creative solutions to problems that have not already happened. The discovery phase of this proactive approach will not only improve the security of the city, but it will further advance technology and lead way to new technology that can be used in other applications.

In my next few blog postings, I will illustrate fictional scenarios and possible solutions that employ advanced technology.