Georgia Enterprise Technology Services (GETS) update, Vol. 4, Issue 10 (Oct. 1, 2012)

Georgia Enterprise Technology Services (GETS) Update

Volume 4, Issue No. 10

October 1, 2012

GETS panel discussion spans range of topics at GTA Board meeting

In This Issue
DOR and GETS work together on successful
relocation project
New AT&T Wireless Access Point service
Refresh of critical server at GDC delivers
results
GTA to host IT Strategy Summit
Briefly...
Quick Links

GTA's Board of Directors held its quarterly meeting last month, and we took a somewhat different approach to sharing information about our IT transformation and performance.

Previous Newsletters GTA Website

Rather than a PowerPoint presentation, we used a panel discussion format to talk about progress, issues and answer questions. Ed Potts, IBM Director and Senior Delivery Project Executive, and Jeannie Gustafson, AT&T Regional Vice President for Georgia Government, Education and Medical, joined Dean Johnson, GTA Chief Operating Officer, to field questions. Our discussion spanned a broad range of topics, including efforts to improve the relationship between GTA and our service providers, progress and challenges in transformation projects, service level agreement trends, and security improvements.

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

In addition to highlighting progress in areas such as LAN/WAN transformation, voice refresh and remediation at the North Atlanta Data Center, we pointed out trouble spots that remain, including the Request for Solution (RFS) process. Both providers explained measures they are taking to improve the process, such as dedicating additional resources and strengthening coordination between IBM and AT&T. Noting that GTA has hired an RFS and portfolio manager responsible for continuous improvement of the process, Dean summed up our goal: "We want to make it easier to do business with us."

Board members were very engaged and seemed to appreciate the candid exchange of information. We strive to be just as straightforward with our customers, and we remain committed to building and maintaining a state IT enterprise with the quality services you need to serve Georgians. Providing those services in a secure manner is one of our guiding principles, and since October is Cyber Security Awareness month, we have posted a number of resources for both consumers and IT professionals on our website. I hope you will take a few minutes to review and share them.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Calvin Rhodes State Chief Information Officer GTA Executive Director
DOR and GETS work together on successful relocation project
When the GETS program is able to help agencies strengthen operations through IT improvements, it is accomplishing what it was designed to do. A recent example involved an ambitious push to relocate several Department of Revenue teams to the Southmeadow Business Center, near the Atlanta airport.
GETS service provider partners AT&T, IBM and Dell teamed up with DOR and met an aggressive timeline for putting IT infrastructure in place at the new facility. The project included many components, including telephone systems and equipment, more than 546 personal computers, and 37 servers. Shifting some servers to a new virtual environment managed by IBM helped to reduce the total number needed.
Equipment and services were ready for DOR staff as they moved in. DOR's Processing Center Division relocated over Labor Day weekend, and the Motor Vehicles Division shifted a week prior, with other teams moving earlier in the summer.
DOR's CIO Michael Long expressed his appreciation for the work of the DOR and GETS team members: "Without good management, teamwork and dedicated resources, these accomplishments would not have been achieved."
Back to top

AT&T reconfigures Wireless Access Point service, reduces price
Everyone recalls the days when setting up a computer network meant running endless cables through walls and ceilings to deliver network access to computers, printers and other network-enabled devices. Wireless networks now offer a less costly way to connect equipment.
GTA and AT&T have worked together to provide technology and a significant pricing reduction for GETS Wireless Access Point (WAP) service, which supports a standard for sending and receiving data using radio frequencies rather than cabling. Those standards and the frequencies used are defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
The need for wireless network access by GETS agencies has grown rapidly, as many agencies want to attach several WAPs to a wired network and then provide wireless access to the office Local Area Network (LAN). The reconfigured GETS WAP service not only provides for wireless access to agency LAN networks, but also adds new capabilities for GETS agencies to use grant money when available.
The new pricing model delivers improved economy while providing for more convenience and network flexibility. WAP offers additional benefits:
ability to add devices with few or no cables access for guests who might be visiting the office savings on installation time and costs
AT&T's engineering team has designed a secure wireless authentication solution that provides both secure internal agency access and guest Internet access features for users. The target solution requires agencies to have undergone GETS Active Directory migration. For agencies that have not been through Active Directory migration, AT&T can provide assistance to ensure the solution meets GTA security standards for encryption and authentication.
For more information, please contact AT&T's Mark Roberts (Mark.Roberts@att.com) or Judd Wit (Judd.Wit@att.com).
Back to top

Refresh of critical server at GDC delivers results
The Georgia Department of Corrections and the GETS team worked together recently on a successful effort to refresh a critical server at GDC.
The Scribe server, the backbone for inmate status tracking, was at end of life and running at 100% capacity. In addition to refreshing the hardware, the collaborative team, led by Kumaresh Nataraj of GDC and Rick Hunolt of IBM, updated the operating system and added dedicated memory resulting in a significant improvement in performance.
Back to top

GTA to host IT Strategy Summit
GTA is hosting the Georgia Enterprise IT Strategy Summit on November 1. The purpose of the event is to better understand how agencies can leverage existing and emerging technology to achieve Georgia's State Strategic Goals. The summit will also gather insights for an updated Georgia IT Strategic Plan. The event will take place at Georgia Tech Global Learning Center from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Agency business leaders, agency technology leaders and agency strategic planners are invited to attend. The day will feature informative presentations about how IT is enabling business solutions and what the current and future state of Georgia looks like, including economic and demographic data. Participants should come away with a better understanding of the changing business and technical landscape and of how IT-enabled business innovation can help.
Lunch is included, and there is no cost to attend. Register online.
Questions? Please contact Joe Coberly at joe.coberly@gta.ga.gov or Lavell Rice at lavell.rice@gta.ga.gov.
Back to top

Briefly...
State's web portal earns national honor
Georgia is receiving the 2012 Special Innovation Award from the Center for Digital Government for our redesigned state web portal, www.georgia.gov. The award is part of the Center's Best of the Web and Digital Government Achievement Awards, which recognize outstanding government portals and websites based on innovation, functionality and efficiency.
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.