Georgia Enterprise Technology Services (GETS) update, Vol. 3, Issue 1 (Jan. 7, 2011)

Georgia Enterprise Technology Services (GETS) Update

Volume 3, Issue No. 1

January 7, 2011

In This Issue

Third disaster recovery exercise to take place next
month

New FAQs provide quick answers to common questions

Quick Links

GETS prepared for continued success
We don't have to look far to find ample confirmation that Georgia's IT transformation is the right solution at the right time. What we are achieving together is impressive by any standard - upgrading our wide area network, consolidating servers, refreshing end user computers and voice systems, and continually improving the customer experience. We have built a partnership with service providers who share our commitment to transformation and without whom we could not reach this level of success.
It would be difficult to overestimate the magnitude of the change we have undergone. Georgia was lagging far behind when we began this initiative. This change has required leadership at all levels, and our progress going forward will require continued leadership. Agency leads, CIOs and division directors will continue to play a leading role in bringing Georgia to a more managed and

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

efficient state. That level of involvement and participation has been key to our achievement to this point, and it will keep the state moving forward.
We are seeing the need for commitment to large-scale efforts like ours everywhere we look. Last month, U. S. CIO Vivek Kundra released a plan for reforming IT management in the federal government. Both the problems he notes and the solutions he suggests sound remarkably familiar. Mr. Kundra also emphasizes the vital role agencies play: "Active involvement from agency leadership is critical to the success of these reforms." (If you'd like to know a little more about the federal plan and its similarities to our transformation, please see my blog on the GTA website.)
As most of you know, I will be leaving Georgia's state government on January 10, 2011 for an opportunity in the private sector. While this decision has been a difficult one, I believe it is the right next step for me. I also believe that the state's IT enterprise is well-positioned to continue its progress and serve as a model for other states, and perhaps even the federal government.
Thank you for the support you have given GTA and me, and thank you for all that you do.
Patrick Moore State Chief Information Officer GTA Executive Director
Third disaster recovery exercise to take place next month

GTA and IBM are working with agencies to prepare for a disaster recovery exercise scheduled for early February. The exercise will make use of lessons learned from exercises conducted in August and October of last year, with a focus on improving the ability to recover IT systems, infrastructure and applications supporting critical state agency functions.
Eleven GETS full-service agencies will participate in the exercise, which will last 120 hours, beginning on February 8 and concluding on February 13. It will test approximately 50 applications and more than 100 UNIX and Windows servers, as well as the IBM mainframe and the AS/400, a mid-range server.
The exercises are part of the state's first enterprise approach to disaster recovery. Building a comprehensive disaster recovery program that can help to ensure the operation of the state's critical business functions is a cornerstone of the IT transformation.
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New FAQs provide quick answers to common questions
New Frequently Asked Questions posted on the GTA website offer easy-to-use information to help GETS customers access IT and telecom services.
The FAQs are designed to help you decide which tool best suits your needs:
q Consolidated Service Desk q Service Catalog (OrderNow!) q Request for Solution (RFS) q Service Requests q Maximo
Here are a few examples of kind of the information you'll find:
For which services should you use the online Service Catalog?

Use the Service Catalog to request standard products or services such as:
q Ordering new equipment and services - computers, monitors, printers, telephones, audio conferencing, remote VPN, LAN port, WAN. Use an RFS for special projects and services.
q Changing existing equipment and services - install and/or move computer hardware and peripherals, local printer, network printer and access, telephone, and computer software; single employee move; computer settings/configurations; computer component upgrades; access to applications and accounts; an office move or closure, within the same building or campus, for two to nine people that does not require new phone jack service or movement of a server
In which instances do you need to create an RFS?
Create an RFS when you want to request a service that will require development of a comprehensive technical solution, including:
q New sites with no previous service q Non-enterprise voice and network installation q Services requiring custom pricing or growth of existing applications q Hosting new enterprise applications q New hosting environments such as new images/instances q End user computing procurement with counts of 10 or greater q Office move or closure for 10 or more people q Office move for between two and nine people when the move is not
within one building or campus q Office move or closure that involves the movement and/or decommission
of a server q Office move for between two and nine people when phone jack service is
needed
How and in which instances do you create a Service Request?
A Service Request is created the same way as a Request for Solution, using the RFS option in the Service Catalog. A Service Request may be warranted when the service you are requesting is not in the Service Catalog but can be provided

without having to create a custom solution proposal (as determined by the RFS team). 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.