Georgia Technology Authority (GTA) update newsletter, 2019 July-August

GTA Update - Jul-Aug 2019
Like 0 Share Share:
Tweet

https://myemail.constantcontact.com/GTA-Update---Jul-Aug-2019.html?...

1 of 6

Update newsletter

Jul-Aug, 2019 | Vol. 11, Issue 4
State CIO's column
IT innovation in rich supply across state and local government
I'm pleased to announce selection of the following eight projects to receive top honors in the 2019 Technology Innovation Showcase :
Mobile Field Data Collection for Food Emergency Response Georgia Department of Agriculture Integrated Justice Information System/Jail Management System DeKalb County Online Road Test Reservation System Georgia Department of Driver Services Retirement Online Application Employees' Retirement System of Georgia College HOPE Eligibility Calculation Service Georgia Student Finance Commission Child Labor/Minors in Entertainment Automated System Georgia Department of Labor Travel Safely City of Marietta Unclaimed Property eClaims Processing Georgia Department of Revenue
These projects demonstrate the kind of innovative use of IT that continues to enable Georgia state and local government to improve services delivered to citizens. The projects will be honored at the Georgia Digital Government Summit on September 23, 2019, in Atlanta. The awards luncheon has become a summit highlight.
For this year's showcase, the eighth annual, 20 projects from 13 state and local government agencies were nominated. Each project was evaluated according to how well it met criteria like level of innovation, process

Also in this issue:
DRIVES project updates state's tag and title system
State's web platform undergoing upgrade
New GETS security services from Atos add to defenses
Briefly ... Java SE licensing, Server services, Cyber Dawg, Golf for charity, CIO of year
Quick Links
Previous newsletters
GTA website

9/18/2019, 1:27 PM

GTA Update - Jul-Aug 2019

https://myemail.constantcontact.com/GTA-Update---Jul-Aug-2019.html?...

improvement, operating efficiency increase, financial advantage, and service delivery enhancement. Have a look at overviews of each project on GTA's website. You can't help but be impressed by the ways teams statewide are capitalizing on technology to enhance services and bolster the way government works here in Georgia. I'm sure you'll join me in congratulating this year's honorees. Thank you for your ongoing support.
Calvin Rhodes State Chief Information Officer GTA Executive Director

DRIVES project updates Georgia's tag and title system
Georgia's Department of Revenue administers titling and registration for millions of vehicles across the state. That's millions of chances to make an impression of efficiency on Georgians. In late May DOR debuted a new tag and title system, aimed at making tag renewals, title updates and related services easier and faster. It brings more online selfservice options, as well as improved data handling. The system is called Georgia Driver Record and Integrated Vehicle Enterprise System, or DRIVES. It's easy to see why Georgians are interested. Anyone who has ever stood in a county tag office to update a car title would be interested. DOR faced extensive computing and network infrastructure needs in the DRIVES project. It required new servers configured and deployed via the state's GETS IT shared services program. It took firewalls, backup, storage, disaster recovery provisions and all the rest that accompanies server implementation. It took upgraded data circuits at the nearly 200 tax commissioner offices across counties statewide. In some cases even digging trenches to lay new fiber. DOR collaborated with GETS service providers AT&T and IBM (and more recently Unisys, NTT DATA and Atos) in an undertaking spanning years and costing multi-millions of dollars. Project integration was provided by GETS multisourcing services provider Capgemini. Through the broad team's collective efforts, DOR improved highly visible services. And they did it under sometimes heavy political and even public scrutiny. "The extended GETS team delivered a high-performance, cost-efficient environment for DRIVES," said DOR CIO Tom McMurry. "They did it on the timeframe requested, and they worked with us to optimize the number of servers needed, trimming infrastructure costs. Then, they rounded things out with excellent support in the critical days when DRIVES went live." The Department of Driver Services is a co-sponsoring agency, with their big DRIVES work upcoming. DDS's

2 of 6

9/18/2019, 1:27 PM

GTA Update - Jul-Aug 2019

https://myemail.constantcontact.com/GTA-Update---Jul-Aug-2019.html?...

emphasis will be on modernizing the state's driver's license system another expansive effort. It brings another opportunity to put the strength of Georgia's IT enterprise to work for positive change in state government services.

Georgia.gov web-publishing platform upgrade in full swing
The rollout of Drupal 8 is here, and it brings an updated version of the state's enterprise web-publishing platform. Now and in the months ahead, GTA's Digital Services Georgia (DSGa) team is working with agencies that have websites hosted on the Georgia.gov web platform to update their web presence. That presence greets people looking online for Georgia government services and information. The transition to Drupal 8 and the new GovHub platform brings significant enhancement to Georgia.gov, currently home to 83 state websites. It ensures continued compliance with the latest accessibility, security and performance standards. Drupal 8 is also integral to introduction of new branding for state agency websites. That branding extends to a design system called Orchard, making Georgia one of only two or three states to implement an official design system for state digital properties. The DSGa team moved the first websites to the new platform in April. Additional sites will launch every few weeks through January 2020. The Digital Services Georgia team described how transition will proceed when they hosted the latest GOVTalks in late May. Seventy-three people from 41 state agencies and a metro Atlanta county attended the conference. They heard how to take full advantage of Drupal 8's impressive new capabilities, steps to prepare for the transition, and even what works and doesn't work when placing content on a webpage. DSGa also presented strategies for connecting with constituents in the age of mobile browsing, social sharing, and multiple engagement tools. Now in its sixth year, GOVTalks is aimed at helping content managers in state agencies create and maintain dynamic, engaging websites that meet the needs of constituents. GOVTalks has expanded to address not just an agency's website, but also presence on various digital platforms, including mobile apps and social media.

Enhanced GETS security services aimed at tightening defenses
New GETS managed security services (MSS) introduced this month will bolster security of the state's IT environment. Delivered by vendor Atos in the state's IT shared services program, several new tools and defenses will build on security provisions already in place to create a fuller picture of the state's security position. And, they'll bring expanded capability to respond to threats.

3 of 6

9/18/2019, 1:27 PM

GTA Update - Jul-Aug 2019

https://myemail.constantcontact.com/GTA-Update---Jul-Aug-2019.html?...

4 of 6

Primary services include: Security Operations Center (SOC) and Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Vulnerability Management System (VMS) Enterprise Governance, Risk and Compliance (eGRC) Security Awareness Training
SOC and SIEM bring centralized, 'round-the-clock security monitoring, with proactive response to any threats, helping to keep them from spreading. VMS involves continuously scanning servers, as well as laptop and desktop computers, to pre-emptively identify any vulnerabilities to be addressed. And eGRC introduces capability to get a single view (dashboard) of the full risk landscape and remediation. All three (SOC/SIEM, VMS and eGRC) combine to build a more rigorous defense for state systems and data. Added to that, security awareness training readies agency staff to be part of the front-line defense against key security threats like phishing.
Additional new specialized GETS security services can be ordered if needed. These include penetration testing, as well as computer security incident response team (CSIRT) and digital forensics. The latter amounts to a security SWAT team, mobilized to address special needs.
Managed security service is the latest service category to be transitioned as part of the broader GETS infrastructure services re-procurement. MSS was preceded by server services, end user computing, print to mail, and mainframe, all bringing new and expanded IT services to agencies served by the GETS program.
Briefly ...
Oracle has announced revised licensing requirements for its Java SE (Standard Edition) computing platform. Agencies using the commercial version of Java SE will want to be aware of these changes and a new pricing model (took effect January 2019) so they can maintain license compliance and Java support. Note that in instances where Java SE is bundled with a third-party application or software product, agencies would need to validate Java support arrangements with that third party. See detailed licensing requirements and pricing for Java SE on GTA's website.
Additional GETS server services continue to be added to the state's IT shared services program, with application monitoring being the most recent. Application monitoring helps point to answers when the servers an application runs on are working fine, but the application itself still isn't performing. Other

9/18/2019, 1:27 PM

GTA Update - Jul-Aug 2019

https://myemail.constantcontact.com/GTA-Update---Jul-Aug-2019.html?...

server services in the works include server rapid provisioning, cloud server options, and single signon capabilities. These new options will be delivered via GETS service provider Unisys.
In May, GTA's Office of Information Security team coordinated Cyber Dawg 2019, a three-day, multiagency security exercise aimed at sharpening technical response to ransomware attacks. Held at the Georgia Cyber Center in Augusta, the exercise brought together information security professionals from the departments of Defense, Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, and Transportation, along with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, GBI, and GTA. Through a special partnership, the group also welcomed participation from representatives from the Republic of Georgia. The exercise, to be conducted annually, highlighted the value of practicing live-action cyber scenarios and building connections across agencies.
Golfers, swing in to the eighth annual GTA Charitable Contributions Golf Tournament scheduled Monday, October 14 (Columbus Day holiday). GTA and the tournament's title sponsor NTT DATA encourage you to register now via the tournament website. It's easy and affordable. You can register a team, or sign up individually and be teamed with some new golfing friends. Join GTA employees and friends for the 2019 tournament at beautiful Stone Mountain Park. The event once again benefits the State Charitable Contributions Program, which supports hundreds of charitable organizations providing services across Georgia.
Georgia's State CIO and GTA Executive Director Calvin Rhodes is one of eight people nationwide to receive a StateScoop GoldenGov: State Executive of the Year award. Winners were announced May 5 at a National Association of State Chief Information Officers conference. Calvin was recognized for his leadership of the state's GETS IT shared services program, as well as for the key role he played in overseeing construction of the $100 million Georgia Cyber Center in Augusta. Susan Miller, Georgia's inaugural State Geospatial Information Officer (GIO), is also a recipient of a StateScoop 50 award in the State Leadership of the Year category.

5 of 6

9/18/2019, 1:27 PM

GTA Update - Jul-Aug 2019

https://myemail.constantcontact.com/GTA-Update---Jul-Aug-2019.html?...

Confirm that you like this.
Click the "Like" button.

6 of 6

9/18/2019, 1:27 PM