Georgia Technology Authority (GTA) update [Vol. 6, Issue 4 (Apr. 4, 2014)]

Georgia Technology Authority (GTA) Update
Volume 6, Issue No. 4 April 4, 2014

RFQC issued to bring services integration into GETS
Work on our GETS services integration initiative took a big step forward this week as GTA issued a request for qualified contractors (RFQC). In doing so, we signal to the vendor community the state is in the market for their input. Specifically, we're looking to qualify vendors for the role of multisourcing services integrator (MSI) as an enhancement to our GETS program. The RFQC is posted on the Georgia Procurement Registry.
As I've shared with you in recent months, we're working closely with our agency partners to plan improvements in GETS service delivery, promote innovation and ensure cost competitiveness and transparency. We envision a model involving multiple service providers. A key tactic in this will be procuring a third-party MSI who will help coordinate service provision across the various providers.
The RFQC is an important procurement step prior to releasing a full request for proposals (RFP). The RFQC allows us to qualify service providers who have the scale and experience to potentially provide integration services to GTA, and who may subsequently respond to the RFP. It also pushes us toward clarifying what we need from an MSI to benefit the state. That's a meaningful clarification as the MSI role is not one-size-fits-all.
Already our agency partners have contributed invaluable insights in the early work of the service integration working committee. We will continue to listen to customer agency voices in that forum, as well as in eventual evaluation of RFQC responses, appraisal of GETS service area needs and more. Thank you in advance for your willingness to devote time and energy to molding services that will best meet your needs.
The MSI emphasis, along with plans to re-procure managed network services, will gain intensity as we move through 2014. I'll keep you posted along the way.
Equally important, we cannot lose momentum with quality day-to-day IT service delivery and transformation completion even as we evolve our service delivery model. All must progress in coordination with one another. This month we expect to share refined timelines for remaining transformation work with affected agencies. There, too, your input will be essential to agreeing new plans to conquer the remaining work and realize the benefits transformation brings. See details in the transformation article below.
Thank you for your ongoing support.

In This Issue
Agency input sought on refined 2014 transformation timelines Agency engagement promotes full appraisal of Office 365 2014 Technology Showcase entry deadline extended State government IT landscape: a national perspective Briefly... (Technology Summit) (SCON) (GOVTalks)
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Calvin Rhodes State Chief Information Officer GTA Executive Director

Agency input sought on refined 2014 transformation timelines
The decision this year to refine the approach to remaining transformation work will mean schedule changes for some agencies. Dates and particulars will soon be coordinated jointly among GTA, IBM, AT&T and the affected GETS customer agencies. The overall goal: substantial completion in 2014 of outstanding server consolidation, file services, Active Directory and email, as well as Windows 7 projects.
At GTA's request, IBM delivered an updated end-to-end transformation plan in late March. Review for any appropriate plan adjustments began right away between GTA and IBM and continues this week. When agreement is reached, review sessions with individual agencies affected will be arranged promptly. During those April sessions, meshing the refined plan timeline with agency considerations (e.g., periods of critical activity) will occur.
To ready GETS agencies for what to expect in those meetings, GTA this week offered a preview / preparation session. Participating agencies heard GTA recommendations on sections of the refined plans that will deserve most scrutiny and how to effectively navigate to plan information of greatest interest to customers.
"What about the refined timeline dates?," customers understandably wanted to know. That gets hammered out with each affected agency individually in transformation plan review sessions this month. An agency's input at the review is critical to finalizing timelines and promoting achievable schedules.
In conjunction with establishing new timelines, several other steps are being taken to ensure success. IBM will add technical and project management personnel to invigorate the work. A "war room" has been added to bolster issue management. Project milestones will be managed even more rigorously. And, coordination among transformation and steady state teams will be tightened.
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Agency engagement promotes full appraisal of Office 365
GTA asked. Customers responded. Opinions and insights have come in buckets from GETS agency leads appraising how Office 365 (email service and more) might benefit the state.
First, a working committee of agency IT leads and GTA leaders evaluated and made a recommendation on Office 365 use. That recommendation went late February to the GETS Agency Management Committee, and CIOs from full-service GETS agencies continued the discussion into March.
Not surprisingly, they haven't agreed on every detail. Their agencies stand at different points in IT transformation progress and face differing demands. A few remain on GroupWise email. A couple have just made the switch to Outlook and wouldn't mind a chance to get familiar with it. A handful of others transformed their e-mail system some time ago and are ready for some of the expanded options Office 365 would allow.
Even with those differing vantage points, the CIOs are focused on what makes best sense for the enterprise and for the state. They've requested that GTA coordinate further development of an Office 365 business case and financial case, from both an enterprise and agency perspective. That work is ongoing. It's an instance where engaging customers early in the discussion, at a stage when questions far outnumber answers, is paying dividends. The collaboration promotes an informed decision (still to come) on Office 365 as a potential part of GETS services future offerings.
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2014 Technology Showcase entry deadline extended
There's still time. You can submit your agency's outstanding IT projects for consideration in the GTA-sponsored 2014 Georgia Technology Innovation Showcase. Entries will be accepted up to the extended deadline of Friday, April 11, 2014.
For the third year, GTA is encouraging state and local agencies to participate. The Showcase recognizes efforts to use technology in more innovative ways to improve operating efficiency, stretch limited tax dollars and provide Georgians with convenient access to services and information.
Entries selected for recognition will be honored at the Georgia Digital Government Summit, September 18-19 in Atlanta.
See full details on the GTA website. Questions can be emailed to gtainfo@gta.ga.gov.
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State government IT landscape: trends nationwide
Ongoing cyber security threats, the shift toward cloud services, and greater focus on project and portfolio management rank high among technology concerns for state IT enterprises nationwide. None of the three has an easy answer and all demand careful attention, according to Doug Robinson, Executive Director of the National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO).
Speaking at GTA's offices March 19 to state agency CIOs, Doug said a 2013 NASCIO survey found the increasing sophistication of threats cited as the biggest barrier to addressing cyber security. Another challenge -- inadequate availability (due to competition with the private sector in recruiting and high rates of retiring government employees) of security personnel.
Cloud services, often a component of enterprise IT consolidation, are increasingly a priority among state IT operations. Cloud-based email offers a prominent example. Security of cloud-based services remains a major concern, and some state budget offices haven't yet made the cultural shift away from older funding models focused on purchasing servers and other tangible IT assets.
Third, project and portfolio management is winning more attention from state CIOs primarily thanks to the size, complexity and visibility of state IT initiatives. Per the NASCIO survey, state CIOs use portfolio management widely to improve IT project success rates, but only about a third rated their efforts as effective.
Doug also spoke of what he called a "mobile explosion," noting that the number of wireless subscriber units in the U.S. exceeds our total population. He said state CIOs in large numbers consider mobile devices and apps a high priority, but many describe their efforts with these as mostly fragmented.
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Briefly...
GTA will host its third annual Technology Summit on May 5, 2014. Titled Digital Remodeling for Better Citizen Access, it will focus on enabling better online access to state agencies' services by re-designing processes to take advantage of technology. The allday event in Atlanta is free of charge for state and local government employees. Use the link above to see summit details and to register. Then, check back for updates.
GETS server consolidation (SCON) teams, in partnership with DCH, scratched out a hard-won victory when they moved 18 DCH servers into production at the North Atlanta Data Center in March. Of course, that means more than just new server hardware for DCH and those it serves. The applications running on the servers and the functions they support gain greater security and reliability with operations now housed in the state's tier IV North Atlanta Data Center.
GOVTalks, the informational series offered by the GeorgiaGov Interactive Team within GTA, returns for a third session April 22 with a look at social media's role in government and related content strategies. The session runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the GTA offices downtown, with lunch provided. Register via the link above.
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We welcome your comments about service delivery, the state's IT transformation and related topics.
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