Georgia Enterprise Technology Services (GETS) update, Vol. 3, Issue 8 (Aug. 5, 2011)

Georgia Enterprise Technology Services (GETS) Update
Volume 3, Issue No. 8
Agency meetings foster exchange of information and insight
Maintaining communication with our agency customers is integral to the success of our IT transformation. That's why I am meeting individually with the executive leadership of each full-service GETS agency. The meetings, the first in a series, began in mid-July and will likely conclude this month.

August 5, 2011 In This Issue
AT&T voice systems refresh on track
Deployment of Asset Collection Tool
Fixed pricing model adopted for GETS voice services
Service Desk continues to earn positive ratings
Semi-annual business manager survey results are in IBM Centennial promotes local
volunteerism
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These meetings are not formal presentations where GTA does all the talking. Instead, we are engaging in discussions about strategic focus areas for agencies and for GETS. We are spending time talking about each agency's upcoming projects and how we can provide the IT support they need. Bev Saskowski of IBM and Jeannie Gustafson of AT&T are joining me at the meetings to answer questions and reiterate their

commitment to being a business partner and providing solutions.
I appreciate the time agency leaders are giving us and their willingness to share their plans and goals. I am equally grateful for our frank discussions about operational issues and other agency-specific concerns. Another important topic in our meetings is the KPMG assessment of the GETS program. We are now reviewing the findings and recommendations and determining the steps we will take in response. I look forward to sharing that information with you in the coming weeks.
Thank you for your ongoing support.

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

Calvin Rhodes State Chief Information Officer GTA Executive Director

AT&T voice systems refresh on track
The first wave of voice systems refresh is taking place in agencies throughout the GETS program. Old, outdated equipment is being replaced with new, current technology, equipment and capabilities, typically beginning with the most critical sites within each agency.
A Georgia Department of Natural Resources site in Fitzgerald was one of the critical sites refreshed in the first wave. When AT&T performed a survey of the site, technicians discovered burn marks and fried wires in the telecom closet, raising concern immediately. The key system had endured multiple lightning strikes, and phone service often went out during rain or wind. It appeared the system could completely fail at any time, and AT&T took action to install a new system right away.
DNR's Marty Snowden was pleased with the implementation of the new Avaya key system: "The AT&T team bent over backwards to ensure there was minimal impact to our office. They performed all the programming of the systems and the phones before they arrived at our office. The installation could not have gone better."
The new system was a vast improvement, she added. "One doesn't need a workbook to use it; the system is user-friendly and provides step-by-step instructions."

Voice refresh is bringing many benefits to agencies, including better voice system performance, fewer maintenance issues, improved management capability, updated configurations, and additional features. The latest totals on voice equipment slated for refresh include 25 PBX systems, 450 key systems and 45,000 Centrex phone sets. Progress in the first wave is continuing:
q Three PBX systems have been refreshed and another four are under way, meeting 100% of the wave 1 goal for systems completed or in progress and 28% of the overall goal.
q Forty-two key systems have been refreshed with another 67 in progress, meeting 94% of the wave 1 goal and 28% of the overall goal.
q With 2,081 Centrex phone sets now refreshed and 3,246 more under way, 42% of the wave 1 goal has been met along with 12% of the overall goal.
The four implementation waves span three years. Sites are grouped based on factors including age of the system, number of maintenance problems, and type of equipment. Ahead of each site refresh, AT&T design engineers and GTA Service Delivery Consultants contact affected agencies to arrange a kickoff meeting and plan the refresh from start to finish.
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Deployment of Asset Collection Tool in progress

Installation of the Asset Collection Tool (ACT) is continuing in GETS full-service agencies and a small number of partial-service agencies. The tool, which will be installed on all GETS program computers through Dell Desktop Manager, collects data from each computer to update the asset inventory. The result: More efficient handling of Consolidated Service Desk calls and service requests, more accurate billing and improved audit capability.
Deploying the tool requires end users to submit basic information - name, e-mail address, asset tag number, etc. - when a pop-up screen appears. The pop-up screen will only reappear if the information is not submitted. Please encourage your agency's end users to supply the needed information as soon as it is requested so the inventory will be as up-to-date as possible. Another feature of the tool, near final development, is a desktop asset icon that will provide each user with their computer's asset information.
Over 80 percent of agencies have installed the Asset Collection Tool, and response has been very positive. These agencies represent 60 percent of the end user computing devices covered by GETS. Currently, 17 of 22 agencies are working with IBM to review and approve agency asset information.
GETS agency asset managers gathered on July 21 to discuss the status of the Asset Collection Tool rollout. Having a clear picture of their organization's assets will support agency leaders in managing their IT environments.
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Fixed pricing model adopted for GETS voice services

A fixed pricing model for voice services took effect in July 2011 and will be reflected in bills customers receive this month.
The change eliminates the monthly variation in spending on voice services and makes long-term budgeting easier for Voice Port Basic, Voice Port Premium and Voice Mailbox services. Pricing for these services previously was variable; it fell when order volumes at the enterprise level increased and rose when volumes decreased. While monthly variations were small, they did occur. Pricing will now be fixed for 12 months at a time, from the July service month to the following June service month of the same fiscal year.
GTA and AT&T adopted the new pricing model in response to requests from agencies.
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Service Desk continues to earn positive ratings
Customers indicated their satisfaction with the Consolidated Service Desk on surveys in the second quarter of 2011. Both IBM and AT&T scored between Satisfied and Very Satisfied during April, May and June, just as they had during the first three months of the year.
The survey, revamped for 2011, asks respondents to answer questions by choosing from a range of answers:
q Very Satisfied q Satisfied q Somewhat Satisfied q Somewhat Dissatisfied q Dissatisfied q Very Dissatisfied
Numbers 6 (Very Satisfied) through 1 (Very Dissatisfied) are assigned to each response and used to calculate the score. Service level agreement (SLA) targets will be set using data collected from January through September of this year.
The response rate for the quarter is almost 28%, with a total of 1,283 surveys returned.

The input is valuable in ensuring that the Service Desk meets customers' needs.
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Semi-annual business manager survey results are in
In May, 274 business managers from GETS full-service agencies were asked to complete the first of two customer satisfaction surveys for 2011. The second survey will be conducted in November.
With a response rate of just over 50 percent, results indicated a decline from the second half of 2010. In the coming weeks, GTA will further assess the feedback and plan next steps for engaging business leadership.
View business manager survey scores for IBM and AT&T.
Scores from the 2011 business manager surveys will be used along with results from other surveys to calculate the annual service level agreement (SLA) for overall GETS customer satisfaction. The annual executive survey, which goes to agency heads, was distributed this week. Surveys are conducted by a third party, the University of Georgia's Carl Vinson Institute of Government.
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IBM Centennial promotes local volunteerism

IBM and Dell team members supporting the state of Georgia were part of a global day of service in June marking IBM's 100 years of technology innovation. Sixty-five IBM GETS team members were actively involved in Atlanta projects at Price Middle School, Carver Technology High School, and Dream Power Therapy, an organization providing equestrian therapy for physically challenged children. Another 400 IBM employees were involved in service activities in Georgia, joining more than 300,000 IBM employees who have logged more than 2.8 million hours of volunteer service in over 120 countries so far this year. Learn more about the IBM Celebration of Service. Back to top
Georgia Digital Government Summit
q October 31 and November 1 q InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta q Only $25 for public-sector employees q Planned specifically for managers, executives and policy makers q For conference topics and registration information, visit the Summit website
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