Georgia Infrastructure Transformation (GAIT) 2010 update, Vol. 1, Issue 22 (Oct. 16, 2009)

Georgia Infrastructure Transformation (GAIT) 2010 Update
Issue No. 22

October 16, 2009

In This Issue
AT&T audio/Web conferencing coming to GTA customers
Providers meet expected levels in September surveys
New standards to aid in managing the state's IT
enterprise
Briefly...

True Up process sets invoice baseline for technology services
The state's IT transformation is marking an important achievement as we complete the counting of IT assets as part of the True Up process for both infrastructure and managed network services. With the completion of asset counts, we can provide each agency with a new baseline for service invoices and begin billing in November at market-competitive rates for actual service consumption.
We started True Up shortly after the transition of services to our new technology providers with the goal of ensuring both an accurate bill and an accurate count of IT assets. GTA and IBM worked closely with agencies throughout the summer to validate service counts and volumes for infrastructure services such as end-user computing, e-mail, application servers

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and server storage. The work was tedious, but agencies did an outstanding job - final counts varied less than six percent from numbers collected previously.
We are currently working with AT&T to collect and verify an accurate inventory of managed network services. These services will appear on your invoice as individual Resource Units (RUs). Each RU represents a specific kind of service, such as basic or premium voice telephone service.
Our invoices going forward will provide a greater level of clarity and detail than ever before. Detailed service usage for Mainframe services can be found in your online invoice beginning in November. Beginning in December, you will be able to "drill down" in your online invoice to find details about usage for all of your technology services.

October
True Up IT asset refresh planning Disaster recovery planning Server and storage consolidation planning

The availability of detailed information about service usage represents more than just the next step in our transformation. It ensures the accurate invoicing and useful data that agencies deserve. Leaders will have facts on which to base decisions about future usage and manage spending on technology services.

I appreciate the work you and your staff have invested in this process. Thank you for your continued support.

Patrick Moore State Chief Information Officer GTA Executive Director

AT&T audio/Web conferencing coming to GTA customers
As part of our technology transformation, we will soon transition audio/Web conferencing services from the state's current provider to AT&T and its AT&T Reservationless TeleConference and AT&T Connect Web conferencing service.
What do you get?
With AT&T's conferencing service, you get audio and Web conferencing in a single package. For your voice conferencing needs, AT&T provides reservationless conferencing, available around the clock. The service includes standard voice features: mute/unmute, participant count, raise hand and usage reports. You can add Web conferencing when you need it, opening up options such as application sharing, whiteboarding, polling and chatting. It also offers integration with mobility devices.
Why the change?
AT&T conferencing provides a flexible, streamlined solution. You won't need separate accounts for audio and Web conferencing, and because it's an enterprise-wide tool, AT&T conferencing comes at attractive rates.
What happens next?
Anyone who has an account with the state's current conferencing service provider will soon have an account set up with AT&T instead. Information from existing conferencing accounts will be confirmed. Subsequent communications will provide a timeline for the transition to AT&T conferencing and more specific details about the new service.
For now, simply be aware that AT&T audio/Web conferencing capabilities will soon be available to you, and be assured your existing conferencing service with the current provider will continue uninterrupted as we prepare for the transition.
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Providers meet expected levels in September surveys
Point-of-service surveys for the Consolidated Service Desk completed last month indicate that both IBM and AT&T are meeting expected customer satisfaction targets.
GTA began the point-of-service surveys in June with the launch of the Service Desk, which consolidated 21 service desks across 12 state agencies. The surveys are e-mailed to 20 percent of service recipients the day after the closing of their service ticket. They contain 19 questions set by the Governor's Office of Customer Service (OCS), and scores are based on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 representing the most positive response. Survey responses last month totaled 578.
The September results indicated an average score of 8.14 for IBM and 8.20 for AT&T for the entire survey. The Service Level Agreement (SLA) requires a minimum score of 7.5 and sets the expected level at 8.0.
The survey also helps to track customer satisfaction based on the five customer service attributes set by OCS - courteous, helpful, accessible, responsive and knowledgeable. The highest-scoring attribute for August for both IBM and AT&T was courtesy; the lowest for both service providers was accessibility.
Information collected through September is being used to develop a customer service improvement plan. Plans will be tracked and revised each quarter.
We value the feedback we receive from customers. If you are randomly selected to receive a survey, please take a few minutes to respond. If you have already completed a survey, thank you for your participation.
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New standards to aid in managing the state's IT enterprise
GAIT 2010 is well on its way to successfully transforming IT operations, and we are continuing to work to establish GAIT infrastructure and managed network services as the enterprise services for the executive branch of state government.
As part of this effort, we recently set 10 new IT standards. Their primary purpose is to ensure the appropriate management of IT system-related expenses, risks and benefits. The two most important are the Enterprise Operating Environment (EOE) and the Enterprise Performance Life Cycle (EPLC) standards.
The EOE standard requires that all new systems or existing systems undergoing significant modification be designed to take advantage of the costeffective, world-class IT services offered by GTA through the state's infrastructure and managed network providers. Our goal is to ensure the state leverages these new services for their maximum value and benefit.
In addition, the EPLC combines GTA's existing standards for IT operations, IT strategic planning, project management and information security into a single 10-stage framework. The framework is designed to ensure IT investments deliver on their projected value and to control risk. Each stage has requirements that must be met before a system is promoted to the following stage. In addition, during the system's operational stage, the business owner must conduct annual reviews to determine if the system continues to deliver on its original commitments, or if remediation, including possible disposal, is appropriate.
The new standards can be downloaded from the GTA Web site.
Agencies can submit comments before the standards become permanently effective in March 2010.
Adopting these industry-based standards is an important step in the state's technology transformation. They play a critical role in establishing sustainable and auditable management of the state's IT enterprise.

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Briefly...
Enhancements to the Service Catalog (OrderNow!) continue on a regular basis. Here are the latest changes to make it easier and more convenient to use.
q Lenovo has been added as a choice for desktop and laptop computers along with Dell. Hardware from these two manufacturers is the standard for GAIT agencies.
q You'll also see new, lower lease rates for desktops and laptops. q A New Hire configuration includes a check list with all of the services
and equipment you are likely to need for a new employee. The list ensures nothing is overlooked.
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We welcome your comments about service delivery, the state's IT transformation and related topics.
You can submit comments online or call our toll-free number to leave a recorded message.

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