Taking Public Diplomacy to the Web: Open Source in the Department of State International Information Programs

The Bureau of International Information Programs at the Department of State manages several websites with a very geographically diverse stakeholder base and target audiences worldwide. Examples include America.gov and over 300 websites for U.S. embassies, consulates, and missions.
This session will review the history of the program, challenges faced, and benefits gained. Some topics will include the thought processes behind choosing open source, the challenges with regulatory compliance, the need to get buy-in, and the reasoning behind choosing many of the open source products utilized, such as operating systems, web servers, directory servers, content management systems, wiki platforms, blogging software, trouble ticket management, and others. Also reviewed will be examples of open source changing the traditional 'build versus buy' decision from an either-or to a continuum of options. Finally, some lessons learned for successfully implementing an open source based solution in government are discussed.