Georgia Enterprise Technology Services (GETS) update, Vol. 2, Issue 10 (May 14, 2010)

Georgia Enterprise Technology Services (GETS) Update
Volume 2, Issue No. 10

May 14, 2010

In This Issue

Single e-mail system to benefit the enterprise

Application remediation brings us closer to server and storage consolidation

Dell Desktop Manager update being deployed

Hate IT? Business Council will help turn it around
Frustration with IT service delivery is common in all industries and all sectors. Executives and their IT departments are often at odds over expectations, realities and processes. As an IT community, we should acknowledge these tensions between the business and the IT shops and develop strategies to address them.
Since the beginning of our initiative almost three years ago, I have said that fixing the problems with the state's IT enterprise is more about change management than technology. A new book reinforces this message. "The key to solving the IT problem is decidedly un-IT," writes Susan Cramm, a blogger for the Harvard Business Review, in "Eight Things We Hate About IT".

Focus groups yield improvements for Service
Catalog
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Greater engagement from business leaders is one of the strategies Ms. Cramm cites in her book. It is time, she tells executives, to "apply your leadership skills to the work of IT" and assume "accountability for IT just as you've done for management of your financial and human resources." It is up to us in the technology community to help build the bridge between IT and the business.

May/June
Internet migration
Active Directory migration

One of the "decidedly un-IT" steps we are taking is the formation of a Business Council comprised of top-level management from our full-service agencies. It will be similar to the Agency Advisory Council, which is made up of CIOs and works with GTA and the state's service providers on technology issues. However, the Business Council will provide a framework for greater engagement and direction from business leaders to ensure business needs are met.
By further strengthening our governance structure with the Business Council, we will be in an even better position to realize the promise IT holds for supporting the business of your agency and state government.

Preparations for e-mail migration and consolidation
Application remediation
Preparations for server and storage consolidation
IT asset refresh

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Disaster recovery planning

Patrick Moore State Chief Information Officer GTA Executive Director

Single e-mail system to benefit the enterprise
E-mail transformation will have a significant impact on the state's IT enterprise, which includes almost 35,000 users and 47,000 e-mail accounts among fullservice GETS agencies. The project will consolidate separate agency e-mail systems into a single enterprise Microsoft Exchange system. The single system will replace 9 Microsoft Exchange 2003 and 3 Novell GroupWise systems currently operated by agencies.
In addition, the transformation will reduce e-mail servers from more than 400 to an estimated 28. Consolidating servers offers many advantages, including:
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High availability
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Enterprise-wide e-mail and address book
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Increased support and reliability
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A flexible, scalable messaging environment
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Improved security
Here are answers to a few of the most common questions about e-mail transformation.
What limits will be established for mailboxes and attachments?
Mailbox and attachment size limits have been set to manage growth and assist agencies in controlling their budgets. We have found that agencies may be unaware of what they spend on e-mail storage, and establishing limits helps to contain those costs. The size limits also help to ensure that service can be restored more quickly if a failure occurs. Mailbox limits are 500MB for standard users and 1G for agency leaders; attachments are limited to 10MB.
When will we move to an enterprise e-mail system?
Migrations will take place over the next year beginning this summer. Agencies

will receive at least 60 days notice for pre-migration activities, such as mailbox clean-up and size reduction and archiving.
Is there a plan for migrating from one e-mail system to another?
Yes. Each agency will receive detailed instructions for migrating users based on their existing e-mail system.
Will distribution lists be converted to the new system?
Yes. Both GroupWise and Exchange distribution lists will be migrated.
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Application remediation brings us closer to server and storage consolidation
In preparation for server and storage consolidation, application remediation is taking place in agencies throughout the enterprise. The rigorous process documents all the applications that are currently running on agency servers and the dependencies among those applications.
GTA and IBM are working with agency technical teams to develop the necessary documentation. One of the first steps is a review of the project workbook, which includes key information such as a list of in-scope servers, risks, issues, contacts and a remediation checklist. Weekly meetings help to keep the work on track.
Application remediation requires a significant amount of time and effort from agencies. Responsibilities include:
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Performing application validation - review and revise information gathered from application workbooks
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Participating in application remediation facilitation workshops and meetings - identify issues and risks

Performing application remediation - perform and document remediation in preparation for production cutover; apply remediation changes at cutover
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Performing user acceptance testing
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Approving cutover to production
Server and storage consolidation will occur in phases over the next 15 months. For more information, please contact your GTA service delivery consultant.
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Dell Desktop Manager update being deployed
An update of Dell Desktop Manager (DDM) is being deployed on almost 33,000 computers in full-service GETS agencies. The update, which was successfully deployed first at GTA, is completely transparent to end users and does not impact network bandwidth.
The update of the Software License Management service, part of DDM, is necessary to gather the software information required to meet state licensing obligations. The change will also enable automatic updating.
DDM is part of the state's enterprise approach to managing end-user computers. For example, software patches and updates are now deployed in an automated, consistent and timely way across multiple agencies. Since service transition, 31,000 patches have been applied, ensuring greater security and consistent system configurations. DDM also makes it possible to encrypt data on desktop PCs and laptops. In addition, a technician can work on someone's computer from a remote location. That means an end user's problem can be resolved more quickly and without dispatching Field Services, which helps constrain support costs.
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Focus groups yield improvements for Service Catalog
Focus groups held across the state last month to gather input from Service Catalog users are already resulting in improvements. For example, the Request for Solution checklist has been updated to simplify completion. Also, service information forms (VoicePort Basic and Premium - Add) have been modified to clarify the requested information. AT&T is continuing to compile suggestions offered during the focus groups and plans to make additional improvements. We appreciate participants' time and assistance in the focus groups, which are part of AT&T's and GTA's commitment to improving the customer experience. Back to top
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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