Georgia Enterprise Technology Services (GETS) update, Vol. 2, Issue 4 (Feb. 19, 2010)

Georgia Enterprise Technology Services (GETS) Update
Volume 2, Issue No. 4

February 19, 2010

In This Issue
We're listening to you New tool aids in document
management Service Desk survey ratings remain above target levels

Setting the record straight on the state's IT transformation
A couple of recent reports in the media have mischaracterized our IT transformation, missing the point on both the goal we set and the necessary, well-planned steps we must take to achieve it. We have sought to set the record straight with reporters, and I'd like to share that message with you.
We are accomplishing exactly what we set out to do: Move the state's IT operations out of their "horse and buggy days" and into the 21st century by turning to private-sector leaders in technology service delivery. The end result will mean saving money, staying current with modern technology and ensuring that confidential data remain safe and secure from outside threats.

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Our critics mistakenly suggest that our contracts with IBM and AT&T are not delivering expected benefits because some agencies are experiencing cost increases. If they had listened to us for the past three years, they would have heard us clearly state again and again that modernizing and securing the state's IT environment would require upfront investments during the early years of the contracts.
The serious deficiencies of the state's IT enterprise were well documented by the Governor's Commission for a New Georgia as well as an independent assessment. Georgia was carrying too much risk, and the problems were too great for the state to solve on its own. As we have said from the beginning, bringing the state's IT operations up to date requires upfront investments, and we planned for them. Not all agencies are seeing an increase in costs to technology services as a result of the investments; in fact, many agencies are seeing a decrease. But GTA is making up the difference for any agencies experiencing an increase in state funds with money we generated from our own operations.
Our business model projects savings of $203 million over the life of the IBM and AT&T contracts, and during the next two years, we will see the cost efficiencies made possible by modern technology. At the same time, we are already bringing private-sector best practices to the state and improving our ability to secure citizens' sensitive information.

February/March
Roll-out of AT&T audio/ Web conferencing service
Transition to AT&T tollfree phone service
IT asset refresh continues
Deployment of server tools continues
Server and storage consolidation planning
Disaster recovery planning

The path toward IT transformation is as thorny and difficult as we expected, but it is worth the effort. The changes we are beginning to see will benefit Georgia taxpayers well into the future. Thank you for your continuing support.

Patrick Moore State Chief Information Officer GTA Executive Director

We're listening to you
Gathering customer input and addressing your concerns is a top priority. In response to your feedback, we are working with our service providers to resolve issues promptly, clarifying or changing processes when necessary to better serve you.
Here are a few recent examples:
Firewall changes IBM has developed a process to help agencies get firewall changes implemented more efficiently. Requests for firewall changes are usually related to projects and are often initiated when an agency contacts the Consolidated Service Desk and a Service Request is created. The IBM firewall team then gathers technical details and requirements before executing the change. We have increased the level of technical detail required to better understand the impact of changes and prevent failed changes. IBM has added resources and aims to complete low and medium complexity changes in two weeks; those changes currently take two to four weeks. High complexity changes - for example, if an agency has a third-party vendor needing access to the network - require more time.
IMAC backlogs IBM is working to decrease the backlog of IMACs (Install, Move, Add, Change). About 80 IMACs are more than 45 days old, and the team is analyzing them to identify problems. If additional information is needed from agencies, IBM is contacting them. Backlogs are reviewed on a daily basis to ensure progress is being made.
User ID and access deactivation Deactivating a user ID and access as quickly as possible following an employee termination is important to the security of network operations. To ensure prompt deactivation, agency security officers or managers should contact the Consolidated Service Desk. Agents will gather the necessary information and transfer the request to the Command Center, where the user ID and access will be deleted. The agency will receive confirmation when the deactivation has been completed.
Updates about process changes are addressed at Agency Advisory Council

meetings, held twice each month.
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New tool aids in document management
Agency application developers participated earlier this week in Webinar training sessions for Domino Document Manager, which will serve as a new repository for full-service GETS agencies. The purpose of this repository is to organize, manage and store the documentation related to agency applications and provide a single, secure location for application documentation. Along with information about hardware and software, the documentation will help to provide a complete picture of all components in an application environment. This information will be accessible to essential IBM and agency personnel and used in Incident, Change, Release and Problem Management.
Domino Document Manager streamlines each phase of document management to increase employee productivity, from collaborative authoring to storage, management and archiving. The tool manages documents for IBM Lotus Notes, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Outlook and other standard desktop applications and Web browsers.
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Service Desk survey ratings remain above target levels

Customer satisfaction with the Consolidated Service Desk continues to exceed expectations, according to the January point-of-service surveys. For the month, IBM scored 8.30, and AT&T scored 8.55. The Service Level Agreement (SLA) requires a minimum score of 7.5 and sets the expected level at 8.0. Scores are based on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 representing the most positive response. Both service providers have earned scores above the expected level for several consecutive months, IBM since August and AT&T since September. The response rate for the survey remains high at 28.61 percent. Thanks to everyone who takes the time to respond to the survey; your feedback is important. 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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