GTA Update - Nov-Dec 2019 SHARE: Join Our Email List https://myemail.constantcontact.com/GTA-Update----Nov-Dec-2019.htm... 1 of 5 Update newsletter Nov-Dec, 2019 | Vol. 11, Issue 6 State CIO's column Shoring up front-line defenses in the cybersecurity campaign Sometimes the un welcome can have the welcome effect of bringing people together in a cause. That's absolutely true of cybersecurity attacks. They're a constant concern, and they're undeniably uniting us in Georgia government to defend against them. Over the last short three months, Georgia's executive branch agencies have rallied to guard against cybersecurity threats. On an accelerated timeline, we've mobilized to extend cybersecurity awareness training to our employees. That's more than 100 agencies large and small, and around 84,000 staff. It's no small feat to get that many participants marching in the same direction, but it's happening. And it will benefit Georgia. This grows from an executive order issued in August by Governor Kemp to bolster the state's cyber defense. The Governor mandated cybersecurity training for employees in all Georgia executive branch agencies. With oversight from the State Government Systems Cybersecurity Board, GTA is delivering the required semiannual cybersecurity awareness training using the Proofpoint Wombat platform. (There's no charge to executive branch agencies for the training.) As of the end of October, every one of those 100-plus agencies had issued training invitations to its employees. About 65 percent of staff had successfully completed the required training modules addressing ransomware and phishing. The remaining balance will follow suit ahead of the November 13 due date. (I certainly encourage your attention to the training if it's still on your to-do list.) Also in this issue: GTA Direct program brings IT services for government Staying "Future ready" -Tech-age recipe for success Briefly ... NASCIO awards, Ga. CIO Exchange, Georgia.gov upgrade, DR exercise, Charity golf Quick Links Previous newsletters GTA website 3/23/2020, 10:05 AM GTA Update - Nov-Dec 2019 https://myemail.constantcontact.com/GTA-Update----Nov-Dec-2019.htm... This has been achieved through collaboration with training administrators at every agency. They've interacted with the state's Information Security Office (ISO) here at GTA, as well as the GETS program managed security services provider Atos. We've come together as a team, and for good reason. Cybersecurity training hones employees' ability to avoid pitfalls like malicious links and email attachments. Those are commonly used in cyber attacks. Ransomware attacks and other unwelcome cybersecurity threats aren't going away. Increasingly they target state and local government entities, as you've read in the news. Cybersecurity awareness training helps deter the threats. To protect state systems and data, we have to approach it as a responsibility shared across ranks, teams and agencies. The training push shows Georgia taking that to heart. Thank you for your ongoing support. Calvin Rhodes State Chief Information Officer GTA Executive Director Program delivers IT services tailored to government customers 2 of 5 3/23/2020, 10:05 AM GTA Update - Nov-Dec 2019 https://myemail.constantcontact.com/GTA-Update----Nov-Dec-2019.htm... When your government agency needs to step into the complex market of IT services, it'd be nice to have access to a set of pre-qualified providers. Providers you could be confident understand the specific needs of government customers. Providers that have proven themselves ready to deliver top-quality IT services to meet those needs. GTA Direct is built with that in mind. Formerly called GETS Ready, the program provides a quick path to managed IT services for Georgia agencies, local governments, colleges and universities, and boards of education statewide. You can choose from a provider's standard catalog of services, or request a custom quote. Because you're accessing IT services through existing contracts with pre-qualified vendors, you save time, energy and expense. You capitalize on GTA's purchasing power to secure favorable pricing. And you take advantage of GTA's extensive experience with the managed IT services market, gained through its role as the state's central IT agency. GTA Direct services include telecommunications, managed security, virtual desktop, managed servers, managed storage, wireless, managed print, end user computing, disaster recovery, managed mobility, mainframe, and cloud email. More are being added. Services are provided by industry leaders the likes of AT&T, Atos, IBM, NTT DATA, Sprint, T-Mobile, Unisys, Verizon and Xerox. The contracts anticipate your data handling and data protection needs, and the regulatory requirements you face. Those considerations are built in, not tacked on later. See full details on the GTA website's Services page . Thriving in today's environment hinges on being future ready How can government organizations today expect to stay ahead of fast-changing technology? How can they make the most of new opportunities it presents, while minimizing the stress of disruption if often brings? For starters, get used to operating in a continuous "beta" mode, suggests one government technology expert. And raise your emotional intelligence (EQ). You're going to need it, she says, to weather the hubbub accompanying change. The Center for Digital Government's executive director Teri Takai has experienced the challenge from several angles. She served as state CIO in Michigan, then California, and later was CIO at the U.S. Department of Defense. She calls her prescription for success being future ready . And she described what it looks like at the September 2019 Georgia Digital Government Summit in Atlanta. The future ready public sector organization embraces new technology and is broadly adaptive, Teri says. It has adaptive policies for things like data handling and data protection, where change has often raced past capabilities 3 of 5 3/23/2020, 10:05 AM GTA Update - Nov-Dec 2019 https://myemail.constantcontact.com/GTA-Update----Nov-Dec-2019.htm... to manage it in recent years. The organization is humancentered in shaping the way its customers experience its services. It uses innovative means to bridge the skills gap its employees might face as technology changes. And it approaches cybersecurity (now a pervasive consideration) as a community concern -- one to be addressed through partnerships and shared responsibility. Teri's remarks came among many informative presentations at the summit, produced by Government Technology and the Center for Digital Government . Survey results from the event show it was well-received. Every single respondent assigned a positive rating to the summit, with 87 percent rating it excellent or very good. State and local government agencies were also recognized at the event for their IT-related achievements when the 2019 Georgia Technology Innovation Showcase awards were presented. Plus, leading companies in the technology sector exhibited their products and services. Briefly ... Two Georgia government projects earned inclusion among finalists for the 2019 NASCIO State IT Recognition Awards. Both the Georgia Cyber Center and a Georgia Department of Agriculture mobile app were named finalists in the highly regarded annual technology awards from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers. NASCIO announced the awards at its conference in October. The state's Chief Digital Officer Nikhil Deshpande also received a NASCIO State Technology Innovator Award. The awards give new evidence of Georgia's place as a leader among states in use of innovative technology to deliver improved services to citizens. The Georgia Government CIO Exchange will meet next on November 15, 10 a.m. Organized by GTA, the bi-monthly sessions encourage collaboration and partnership among state and local government CIOs from across the state. The group continues to generate thoughtful discussion about improving IT services for the citizens they serve. They have addressed topics ranging from cyber intel briefings, to FirstNet, ISO-as-a-service, cyber insurance, broadband deployment, cybersecurity training, software compliance, statewide contracts and more. Government CIOs are invited to participate online or in person at GTA's Atlanta offices. For details, email GTA's Cameron Fash. 4 of 5 3/23/2020, 10:05 AM GTA Update - Nov-Dec 2019 https://myemail.constantcontact.com/GTA-Update----Nov-Dec-2019.htm... The transition to Drupal 8 and the new GovHub platform continues as GTA's Digital Services Georgia team works with agencies to update their web presence. This includes nearly 85 state websites hosted for agencies on the Georgia.gov web platform. Through this fall, teams have updated 47 of those sites, they've created two brand new sites, and they'll migrate remaining sites by March 2020. The effort brings new branding and consistency to the web presence that greets people looking online for Georgia government services and information. It also ensures compliance with the latest accessibility, security and performance standards. A GETS program disaster recovery exercise completed in October helps ensure the continued vitality of DR capabilities for the state's IT enterprise. It also promotes compliance with the state's DR program standards. Again this year a number of GETS agencies participated, in close coordination with GTA and service providers Unisys, AT&T, Atos and NTT DATA, as well as GETS services integrator Capgemini. The eighth annual GTA Charity Golf Tournament was one for the record books. Held on the Columbus Day holiday at Stone Mountain Golf Club, the event was sold out, with 143 registered golfers. That marked the largest field to date. Among them were players from agencies including DBHDD, DJJ, DNR, DOT, GBI, GDC and SAO, in addition to GTA. Support from them and from 21 sponsoring companies, including title sponsor NTT DATA, produced nearly $35,000 (after expenses) for charities. GTA extends sincere thanks to all participants. The tournament once again benefited the State Charitable Contributions Program, which supports hundreds of charitable organizations across Georgia. Photos of some of this year's golf teams are posted on the tournament website. 5 of 5 3/23/2020, 10:05 AM