Georgia Enterprise Technology Services (GETS) update, Vol. 2, Issue 25 (Dec. 17, 2010)

Georgia Enterprise Technology Services (GETS) Update

Volume 2, Issue No. 25

December 17, 2010

In This Issue

Service Desk wait times begin to improve

RFS enhancements ongoing
AT&T to manage Avaya Contact Center

Quick Links

A year of progress, more work ahead
The state's IT transformation covered a lot of ground in 2010. We have a lot more ground to cover, but we are doing what the state would never have been able to do on its own. For example:
Server currency and consolidation - Ninety-four servers have been refreshed as part of the currency program, and 52 servers with applications have been migrated to the new hosting environment at the State Data Center. The currency program is reducing risk in the state's legacy IT environment, while consolidation is resulting in greater operating efficiency and reliability.
Active Directory - More than 4,300 e-mail accounts have been migrated to the new enterprise Active Directory, an essential first step in building the state's consolidated e-mail environment, and two agencies have completed their

Previous Newsletters
GTA Website
GETS Customer Resource Center
GETS Financial and Billing Resource Center
GETS FAQs

migration to the new e-mail system.
End User Computing (EUC) refresh - Some 4,486 desktops and laptops have been refreshed, or about 13 percent of the approximately 33,000 end user computers within scope of the GETS Program. Another 4,454 refreshes are planned for the first half of next year. These refreshes, many of which would not be possible without GETS, are replacing out-of-date and often unreliable computers. For the first time, laptop computers run encryption software to protect sensitive data in case they are lost or stolen.
LAN/WAN network upgrade - Agencies are experiencing close to a 100 percent increase in network capacity. Re-engineering the network is providing greater security, and the state's entire network can now fail over to AT&T facilities, ensuring full Internet and network redundancy for the first time.
Voice system refresh - Agency kickoff meetings are taking place, and some projects are already under way. The refresh encompasses about 450 current key systems, 24 PBX systems and more than 115,000 Centrex/single line/Pphone/ISDN lines. Agencies will not incur upfront costs for new consoles, handsets, system design and installation.
Disaster recovery - We completed two comprehensive DR exercises, the first ever conducted in Georgia state government. A third exercise is planned for February 2011.
Improving the customer experience - In early 2010, we committed to improving the customer experience. The number of calls to the Consolidated Service Desk totaled more than 179,000 from January through November 2010. These calls resulted in almost 78,000 service tickets, and slightly more than 35,000 were resolved on the first call. Although we need to do better, these numbers are an example of the data we are tracking, and they confirm that a significant volume of service issues are being successfully addressed at the Service Desk on the first call. As we continue to make improvements, let's keep our eyes on the progress we are making.
Meanwhile, our most recent service levels also confirm that 95 percent of managed network projects are completed on time and 100 percent are completed on budget. In addition, input from several focus groups held during the year by IBM and AT&T led to process changes and enhancements in areas

including Service Catalog and Request For Solution.
While our progress has been solid, an IT transformation of this magnitude faces unavoidable difficulties. We have worked closely with our service providers to eliminate roadblocks that stand between you and the service you expect to receive, and we expect many of our transformation activities to gain greater momentum during the upcoming year. Our commitment to customer service is ongoing, and we will carry it with us into 2011.
I am grateful for your partnership and for the work we have accomplished. I look forward to what we will achieve together in the New Year. As a state, we need to use technology to connect Georgians with their government. We look forward to making that vision a reality.
Thank you for your support.
Patrick Moore State Chief Information Officer GTA Executive Director
Service Desk wait times begin to improve
In the November issue of GETS Update, we told you about steps we were taking with IBM to shorten wait times with the Consolidated Service Desk.
Those steps included adding more staff to answer calls during peak times (six part-time and six full-time staff), using recorded messages to give estimated wait times and alert callers to widespread outages or problems, and keeping agents informed about projects and transformation activities.
Over the past couple of weeks, the changes have begun to show a positive impact. The call abandon rate has decreased, along with the time it takes for calls to be answered. We will continue to closely monitor Service Desk performance to improve the service you receive.
Back to top

RFS enhancements ongoing
We are implementing enhancements to make the Request for Solution (RFS) process more effective and convenient, from strengthening communications to establishing a service level agreement (SLA) for proposal delivery time.
IBM now prepares a weekly RFS status report to keep agency RFS focals up to date and identify any issues. In addition, IBM has scheduled a January meeting with agency RFS focals.
A new SLA, effective January 1, 2011, sets 41 business days as the service level for delivering a best and final offer proposal. The SLA is based on performance metrics for a nine-month period from November 2009 through July 2010.
Other RFS process enhancements include:
q Weekly RFS cadence meeting with GTA q Bi-weekly meeting with agency RFS focals q RFS architects aligned by agency to build agency-specific knowledge q Templates to expedite EUC requests for 10 or more devices and non-
proposal, in-scope requests q Additions to the Service Catalog that eliminate the need for RFS
submissions (storage requests, developer's laptops/desktops)
Several other improvements are in process, including an RFS management tool to be implemented during the first quarter of 2011.
Back to top
AT&T to manage Avaya Contact Center

AT&T will assume management of services associated with the Avaya Contact Center on February 1, 2011.
Service to customers will remain the same, and operation and maintenance of the customer service center will not change.
Customers will see differences in two areas: the way service changes are requested and billing.
q Beginning February 1, 2011, customers will order seats/customer relationship management (CRM) through the GETS Request for Solution (RFS) process.
q Beginning March 1, 2011, the bill will come from GTA instead of Avaya.
GTA Service Delivery Consultants will be in contact as they gather billing information, such as bill to/ship to addresses. GTA and AT&T are working to ensure a smooth transition, and customers will receive more detailed information in the coming weeks.
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.

Email Marketing by