Introduction

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) works 24/7 to protect America from health, safety, and security threats, both from foreign sources as well as those within the United States. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, or the result of human error or deliberate attack, CDC fights disease and supports communities and citizens to do the same. For decades, CDC scientists and disease detectives have worked around the world to track diseases, research and end outbreaks, respond to emergencies of all kinds, and use what they learn from this work to strengthen America′s health and resilience. To accomplish this important work for the American people, CDC relies on the dedication and expertise of its skilled staff, a network of public health partners, and access to lifesaving technologies that enable the agency’s response to health threats, no matter where in the world they might first arise.

The ecosystem of data and technology supporting CDC’s public health mission is large and complex.

• Including CDC’s critical partners, over 135,000 customers rely on the ecosystem worldwide to support a global public health response.
• CDC comprises 89 locations worldwide, supporting over 36,000 individual devices.
• Involving around the clock efforts by the agency’s cybersecurity professionals work to protect the integrity of this ecosystem from billions of monthly intrusions attempts per month.

CDC’s network must be mobile enough to support response to public health threats around the world and flexible enough to facilitate collaboration with any partners the mission requires, expected or unexpected.

The Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) is responsible for the agency’s data and technology ecosystem and provides services and oversight of CDC’s IT investments and use of IT to improve public health and administration of the agency. Informed by the extensive collaboration with CDC’s centers, institutes, and offices (C/I/Os) and coordination with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), OCIO, and other HHS Operating Divisions (OPDivs), the CDC IT Strategic Plan (ITSP) for FY 2021 – FY 2023 identifies the agency’s top priorities for using data and technology to improve public health mission outcomes:

• deploying modern, enterprise-level platforms that enable mission-driven capabilities and reduce operational risk
• enhancing the ability to share data and deliver lifesaving insights across the public health ecosystem
• enhancing enterprise cybersecurity and data protection at a time of increasing threat
• developing the skills and capabilities of its workforce so the CDC can continue to provide cutting-edge science and public health leadership

In concert with CDC’s public health partners, the agency uses science and innovation to prevent, detect, and respond. The efforts detailed in CDC’s ITSP will result in an IT foundation that makes CDC stronger, more agile, innovative, and better able to protect and promote the health security of our nation.