Georgia Technology Authority (GTA) update newsletter, 2020 May-June

GTA Update - May-Jun 2020

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May-Jun, 2020 | Vol. 12, Issue 3
State CIO's column
It's a new day, and we're serving in new ways
After a while you're less surprised by surprises. I bet you've experienced that since March. Unexpected challenges have come one after another. Sometimes in twos or threes. Georgia's state and local governments have mobilized to respond to novel needs. Not just health services, public safety, emergency management, or labor. It runs the gamut.
In so many ways, we've seen agencies and entities innovate and collaborate and re-situate to fulfill their missions missions expanded and made more urgent by unprecedented circumstances. And the common thread to responses is a commitment from Georgia public employees to serve, now in new ways.
At GTA we've been privileged to contribute (and yes, sometimes stretched). A batch of new needs came almost immediately upon Gov. Kemp's March 12 guidance to state agencies to telework wherever feasible. A jump in number of teleworkers called for dramatically increased capacity for SSL VPN secure remote access to the state network. With prompt action from AT&T, we were able to bring that capacity online quickly. It was ready for use at the start of the first week the state's telework model took flight.
New telework routines contributed to high call volumes to the GETS Service Desk serving the state's IT enterprise. At times in those first several telework weeks, volumes doubled the norm. Our service desk provider Capgemini mobilized additional agents to take calls. They refined guidance to address common concerns (e.g., SSL VPN and password resets) and used varied paths to get that instruction circulated. That ambitious work continues.

Also in this issue:
State responds to pandemic, and often with dose of IT
Briefly ... GOVTalks, Technology Showcase, Technology Summit
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GTA Update - May-Jun 2020
We worked with NTT DATA to manage spiked demand for laptop computers (hardly unique to state government). We identified all readily available GETS inventory and then coordinated with the Governor's Office to prioritize requests for those PCs. Supply of laptops has since been hard to come by, for everybody, but we continue to explore ways to ensure Georgia government has a good a spot in the queue when supply lines open up again.
Through our GETS service provider Atos, we connected executive branch agencies with new online security awareness training at the start of April addressing a raft of new cyber threats that arose on the heels of COVID-19. Our print and mail services provider Xerox has safely met state agencies' needs, even while making contingency plans were access to state offices to have been interrupted.
This sampling hints that GTA service provider partners have been critical to meeting fast-evolving IT needs. They have, and we owe them thanks. Many of you at state agencies have witnessed their contributions directly. Maybe it's Unisys helping bring a needed server into service fast. Maybe it's benefit from one of the efforts mentioned above. Those providers know, and we at GTA know, state agencies have faced extraordinary needs. Agencies have answered in extraordinary ways (see some examples below). We've been pleased to partner with you.
Surprises have become commonplace. And more lie ahead. One thing hasn't surprised me the way Georgia government teams (and partners) have rallied to tackle each new need. It reflects well on you. At GTA, I often thank our teams for their public service. I'd like to express appreciation to you for yours as well. I say so as a fellow public servant myself and as a Georgian.
Thank you for your ongoing support.
Calvin Rhodes State Chief Information Officer GTA Executive Director


Responding to a pandemic, and often with a good dose of IT
These days, whether in front-page headlines or deeper in media coverage, so many Georgia agencies and entities are referenced for their parts in the extensive COVID-19 response seen in our state. It makes sense. In a pandemic, ensuring Georgians receive the state government services they rely on takes on new urgency. Georgia government has responded in new ways. Many of those efforts capitalize on technology. Here's a sampling:
COVID-19 hotline (844-442-2681) A new state call center is answering Georgians' questions about services (both new and existing) needed during the pandemic. Stood up in a matter of days, the center is staffed by The Governor's Office of Constituent Services. Questions poured in, growing at one point to a high of 6,000 daily.
Agency website enhancements Website traffic is up. Way up. In the pandemic period,
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GTA Update - May-Jun 2020
Georgia's official web platform has seen an 11,000 percent increase in traffic. Georgia's Department of Public Health expanded its website with a new COVID-19 site
, and flexed to handle enormous volumes of site visitors. Georgia's Department of Labor also saw a flood of new traffic to its site
and expanded capacity to support those loads.
C
hatbots reinforce info providers To help manage a deluge of inquiries from Georgians, chatbots have been implemented on multiple state websites. For efficiency, the bots capitalize on a shared behind-the-scenes machinery and shared content. On DPH's site
, it appears as "COVID-19 questions." On DOL's site
, it's "Ask GDOL." Constituent Services' page
on the Governor's site presents it as "COVID-19 FAQs." And on Georgia.gov, it's accessible on the COVID-19 page. T
he combined chatbots responded to more than 1.1M inquiries by the end of April.
DCA public WiFi maps The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) website now includes a mapping of locations of free WiFi options all across Georgia. This has only grown in importance to communities facing the pressures of COVID-19 (e.g., online instruction by schools, colleges and universities).
Georgia.gov COVID-19 page A section of the newly re-designed Georgia.gov, the state's official website, is now dedicated to temporary changes to state services affected by the pandemic
. As service availability changes and agencies update their respective sites, the Digital Services Georgia team within GTA consolidates these updates promptly on this page
.
New servers brought online Using the GETS program's rapid server provisioning capability, DPH and DCA have had new servers set up (with same-day delivery) to support pressing new needs.


Briefly ...
If you knew which parts of what you're saying truly mattered to your listeners, wouldn't you say those words first, loudest and clearest? That's the fundamental motivation behind using digital metrics to guide effective choices for digital content, placement and formatting. The spring 2020 edition of GOVTalks, presented virtually on April 28, encouraged Georgia agencies to capitalize on new measurement tools and tactics to say it right the first time to Georgia citizens. Event speakers described how to use data to better manage digital presence. Data like metrics on broken links on websites, misspellings, and accessibility compliance, as well as search engine optimization and web analytics. The payoff: Agencies advance their missions by speaking plainly through digital channels to Georgians about state services and information citizens need most. See GOVTalks summary information on event host Digital Services Georgia's website.
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GTA Update - May-Jun 2020
Nearly two dozen entries for the 2020 Technology Innovation Showcase sponsored by GTA have been received. The Showcase honors exemplary IT efforts by Georgia's state agencies and local governments. Projects selected for the 2020 showcase will be honored at the Georgia Digital Government Summit. Projects earning showcase honors will also be highlighted in Georgia's Annual State IT Report and considered for submission to the National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO) State IT Recognition Awards, Technology Association of Georgia's Excalibur Awards, and others.
The GTA-sponsored Technology Summit usually conducted in May each year will not be held in 2020 due to COVID-19 considerations. We appreciate your interest and look forward to your participation at a future summit.




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