Summer 2004 
 
A Publication of the Georgia Technology Authority 
 
MPLS upgrade set to begin this fall 
 
The Georgia Technology Authority (GTA) has awarded a contract to BellSouth Business Systems, Inc. to upgrade the state's wide area network from frame relay to multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) technology. 
More than 1,800 existing circuits throughout Georgia will be converted to MPLS over 12 months beginning this fall, and all new circuits will be based on MPLS. BellSouth will also manage major network components. 
"The contract marks a major milestone in providing state agencies with a faster, more reliable network," said Tom Wade, GTA executive director and Georgia's chief information officer. "It also means we will be able to take advantage of the 
 
New agency council 
Linking business needs and technology 
A new interagency council has taken on the task of improving the management of state government. 
The governance council will help design policies and strategies that lead to more effective and efficient delivery of services. It will oversee the development of an enterprise architecture (EA) for the state. EA ensures that the state's IT infrastructure supports the business needs of agencies. The council will identify opportunities to collaborate and share resources. 
Composed of senior staff from 10 agencies, the council complements the work of the Commission for a New Georgia. The council's work is central to the Governor's goal of making Georgia one of the best managed states by 2007. 
The council will set priorities for online services and contribute to guidelines for business continuity. 
"Each member brings a unique business perspective to the table," said GTA's Cigdem Delano, 
 
Georgia Technology Authority 
 
See Governance Council, page 6 
 
latest advances in telecom services and obtain better value for our telecom expenditures." 
The contract with BellSouth replaces the state's frame relay and DSL contracts. It sets high performance standards that BellSouth is contractually obligated to meet. 
MPLS offers many advantages besides greater reliability and speed. 
 The upgrade is an important step in being able to transmit voice, data and video together over a single network. Data transmissions can be assigned a different priority on a case-by-case basis. Certain transmissions--such as video conferencing or those related to law enforcement--could take precedence over other transmissions. 
 MPLS will make it easier to meet demands for better security, and it will provide greater technical support for teleworking and wireless services. 
 As the state's demand for network capacity grows, MPLS promises to limit future growth in the cost of services because it can be expanded more easily and has more options than frame relay. 
See MPLS, page 5 
Volume 3, No. 3 
Inside this issue 
Revised statewide telecom policy . . . . . . . Page 2 GTA offers dial-up Internet access. . . . . . . . Page 2 GTA and agencies provide support for 
G8 Summit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3 Project management symposium 
draws hundreds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4 Security pros train at boot camp. . . . . . . . . Page 4 Statewide contracts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5 Portal searches powered by Google . . . . . . Page 6 
Bringing the benefits of technology to Georgia government 
 
 Revised policy sets statewide requirements for monitoring, controlling telecom costs 
 
A revised policy on the use of telecom services would provide additional protection in potentially 
 
and equipment, including cell phones and other 
 
hazardous working conditions. 
 
wireless devices, took effect August 1, 2004. The 
 
It calls for agencies to maintain wireless and 
 
policy establishes minimum requirements for 
 
other mobile devices in a pool for shared use 
 
monitoring and controlling telecom costs, and it 
 
among employees whenever possible. 
 
applies to all state departments, 
 
Employees who qualify for cell 
 
institutions, boards, bureaus, agencies, authorities, colleges and universities. 
GTA and the Office of Planning and Budget (OPB) jointly 
 
GTA and OPB jointly developed the policy, which is available on www.gta.georgia.gov 
 
phones and other wireless devices must use state-issued equipment. These employees should not use their personal wireless equipment, then apply 
 
developed the policy, which is 
 
under Policies & 
 
for reimbursement for business- 
 
available on GTA's Web site, 
 
Standards. 
 
related use. 
 
www.gta.georgia.gov, under 
 
However, employees who 
 
Policies & Standards. 
 
don't qualify for state-issued cell phones may be 
 
Among the requirements are 
 
reimbursed for occasional business-related calls 
 
 maintaining inventories of wireless devices, 
 
placed from their personal cell phones under 
 
including cell phones and personal digital 
 
certain circumstances. The policy authorizes such 
 
assistants (PDAs), 
 
reimbursements only when the calls exceed the 
 
 assigning wireless devices to employees 
 
minutes included with the employee's service plan. 
 
based on their job responsibilities, 
 
Employees must provide a copy of their cell phone 
 
 limiting long-distance and other calls with 
 
invoice to document charges, including those for 
 
charges based on usage, and 
 
roaming and long distance. 
 
 obtaining itemized invoices for telecom 
 
See Revised policy, page 4 
 
services with charges based on usage. 
 
Criteria for determining who gets a cell phone 
Agencies must establish written criteria for determining which jobs may be assigned wireless and other mobile devices, including cell phones. The policy provides examples, such as employees who 
 work in public safety and homeland security,  travel more than 25 percent of their work time,  work at multiple buildings or sites, such as 
desktop support technicians or delivery personnel,  must be on call more than two weekends each month,  must conduct business while commuting or traveling from one appointment to another,  depend on two-way, real-time communication where stationary telephones are not readily available, including construction sites, highways and college or university campuses. The policy also permits the use of wireless devices by employees when responding to environmental emergencies or when such devices 
 
GTA offers dial-up 
Internet access 
GTA now offers a convenient new service for agency employees whose jobs involve travel within the state. Dial-up access to the Internet is available through a toll-free number for a flat fee of $11.25 per month per user. 
GTA chose LecStar Telecom, Inc. of Atlanta to provide the service after conducting a competitive bid. The company has been in business for more than 30 years, and its customers include wellknown U.S. corporations. 
The service uses a "point-to-point protocol" to ensure a fast and reliable Internet connection. LecStar guarantees a minimum data-transmission rate of 56K. Problems can be reported directly to LecStar's customer service through a toll-free number 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week. 
To order the service, simply contact your GTA regional telecom office. The charges will appear on the monthly bill your agency receives from GTA.  
 
Fast Forward 
 
Georgia 
 
Page 2 
 
 "A unique perspective" 
GTA and state agencies provide support for G8 summit 
 
Security, telecommunications and multimedia 
 
According to Mr. Hall, the number of entities 
 
staff from GTA were on hand to assist with the G8 involved meant that the possibility of radio 
 
Summit on Sea Island in June. GTA provided 
 
interference was high. "We were able to identify 
 
support for essential services and communication and clear channels that could be used by G8 
 
as the state played host to leaders from the world's participants and obtain approval from the Federal 
 
major industrial 
 
Communications 
 
democracies. 
 
Commission for 
 
Long before the 
 
temporary use of 
 
world leaders arrived, 
 
additional channels," 
 
GTA Information 
 
he said. "As a 
 
Security Manager 
 
result, we actually 
 
Walter Tong and staff 
 
experienced very 
 
from the Georgia 
 
little interference." 
 
Bureau of 
 
In addition to 
 
Investigation (GBI) 
 
distributing 
 
were involved in 
 
approximately 500 
 
security planning. 
 
pagers, GTA staff 
 
"The GBI played a 
 
also made sure that 
 
critical role," Mr. Tong 
 
the area had 
 
said. "We couldn't have done it without them." 
Beginning in November 2003, the 
 
GTA media producer, Steve Carey (second from left) led a production crew composed of Wayne Petty, Amy Cooper, Kevin Williams, all from GTA, and Roger McLeod from the Georgia Public Safety Training Center. 
 
necessary coverage. A new paging transmitter was installed on a leased tower nearby. 
 
team worked closely with local, state and federal 
 
"It was remarkable to see so many state, local 
 
agencies, local law enforcement and private sector and federal law enforcement officers coming 
 
partners to ensure that plans for restoring essential together to perform public safety functions in such 
 
services (in the event of an inadvertent or deliberate an efficient manner," Mr. Hall said. 
 
disruption) were developed and submitted ahead 
 
At the request of the GBI, GTA media producer 
 
of schedule. During the summit, they coordinated security-related responses and maintenance activities. 
"Cooperation among representatives of the 
 
Steve Carey led a production crew of three GTA staff and another employee on loan from the Georgia Public Safety Training Center to document 
 
public and private sectors was outstanding," Mr. 
 
Tong said. "Everyone pitched in to make sure the summit ran smoothly." 
 
See G8 Summit, page 6 
 
Planning also began several months in advance 
 
for Jim Mollohan, Wray Hall and Naomi Richardson 
 
from GTA's telecom division. They supplied pagers 
 
to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency 
 
and coordinated radio frequency use to ensure 
 
communication across participating local, state 
 
and federal law enforcement agencies. Workers 
 
from GTA's regional telecom office in Savannah 
 
provided logistical support. 
 
GTA assisted the Georgia State Patrol and 
 
Homeland Security in assembling and configuring 
 
about 1,000 portable radios to be issued to law 
 
enforcement officers who would make up the 
 
Mobile Task Force for the summit. 
 
Jim Mollohan, Wray Hall, Naomi Richardson, (seated) all from GTA; Jerry "Jay" Sexton, Georgia Tech Research Institute; and Yowanda Kendricks, Department of Corrections, assisted with telecommunications during the G8 Summit. 
 
Fast Forward 
 
Georgia 
 
Page 3 
 
 Project management symposium draws hundreds 
 
More than 350 
 
aligning projects 
 
people gathered to 
 
with strategic 
 
expand their project 
 
objectives, 
 
management skills at 
 
gettingteam 
 
a recent GTA-sponsored 
 
members to 
 
symposium. Most of 
 
contribute, and 
 
the participants 
 
overcoming 
 
represented agencies 
 
particular 
 
in state government. 
 
challenges in 
 
The theme of the 
 
government and 
 
day-long program was 
 
higher 
 
"Improving Execution through Project Management in 
 
Participants applaud during GTA's project management symposium on June 25, 2004. 
 
education. This year's symposium 
 
Government and Higher Education." Other 
 
offered a more extensive curriculum and attracted 
 
sponsors included the University System of 
 
twice as many participants as the program held 
 
Georgia, Georgia State University, the City of 
 
last year. 
 
Atlanta and the Atlanta Chapter of the Project 
 
"Response has been extremely positive," said 
 
Management Institute. 
 
Chalanda Tucker of GTA's project management 
 
Project management experts from the public 
 
office. "We're already planning a symposium for 
 
and private sectors talked to participants about 
 
2005."  
 
Revised policy, from page 2 
The policy encourages the issuance of calling cards to employees who are frequently away from their office but often need to make long distance calls. 
Budgeting for "usage sensitive" telecom services 
Expenditures for wireless devices and telecom services with charges based on usage must be reported separately from other telecom services in each agency's annual budget request to OPB. 
The budget request must include an inventory of the agency's wireless devices, and the agency is required to list all wireless devices it plans to acquire in the next fiscal year. The agency must also include total expenditures for each category of wireless devices in previous fiscal years and a budget for current and future fiscal years. 
Mandatory use of statewide telecom contracts 
The policy requires all state entities to use statewide contracts for telecom services and equipment whenever such contracts exist. GTA recently awarded new statewide contracts for telecom equipment. In addition, a statewide contract for wireless services and devices is scheduled to be awarded this fall.  
 
Security pros train at boot camps 
GTA and the Department of Technical and Adult Education are teaming up again this summer to sponsor boot camps for IT professionals responsible for operating and securing agency computer networks. 
A boot camp in July covered intrusion detection and virtual private network configuration. Another session scheduled for early August is focusing on the fundamentals of wireless networking, including deploying and troubleshooting wireless networks. 
The weeklong sessions offer participants valuable hands-on training. "We've been sponsoring boot camps for the past couple of years, and response has been great," said Walter Tong, GTA information security manager. "Participants tell us that they like getting concentrated information they can take back to their agencies and use immediately." 
For more information about boot camps, contact Mr. Tong at 404-463-2182 or wtong@gta.ga.gov.  
 
Fast Forward 
 
Georgia 
 
Page 4 
 
 MPLS, from page 1 
 
 MPLS lays a solid foundation for eventually offering telecom services not previously 
 
government's purchasing power, GTA obtains more competitive pricing and enhanced services. This 
 
available to state agencies, such as Voice over IP (VoIP), a potentially more economical alternative to traditional telephone service. 
 
year, GTA assisted state agencies in identifying unused circuits as they prepared for the MPLS 
upgrade, thereby reducing annual 
 
The contract is valued at about $10 million annually for six years. 
A schedule for the initial circuit migrations is being developed. 
Consolidated purchasing power saves agencies money 
 
The contract marks a major milestone in providing state agencies with a faster, more reliable network. 
 
telecom expenses by $1.2 million. GTA saved another $2.7 million in state and federal funds by renegotiating telecom contracts, reconciling billing errors and disconnecting unnecessary telephone lines. 
 
In 2003, GTA identified savings 
 
of more than $5.5 million by dismantling the state- 
 
GTA negotiates technology contracts on behalf 
 
operated long distance network and renegotiating 
 
of all state agencies. By consolidating state 
 
long distance rates.  
 
Update on statewide contracts 
 
New two-way radio contract offers more choice 
 
Enterprise contracts now easier to find online 
 
GTA has issued a new two-way radio equipment contract that gives agencies a wider selection of two-way radio products for the VHF and UHF frequency bands. 
Previously, the contract was awarded to the lowest compliant bidder in each category of equipment. The new contract includes all the vendors that met the mandatory specifications within each category. This allows agencies to compare features and pricing among several vendors and choose the one that best meets their needs. 
The contract also includes digital models for each category, which allows agencies to improve both coverage and audio quality for their systems. The digital models are backward compatible to the current analog models, which means that agencies can move to the digital technology as funds become available. 
The procedure for purchasing radio equipment from the new contract remains the same as outlined in the Enterprise Standard ENT-09-0011STD. For more information on this contract, contact Wray Hall at whall@gta.ga.gov.  
 
Agencies looking for enterprise contracts now have an easier way to find them, thanks to an improved interface on the GTA Web site. 
From the Procurement page, users can now view contracts within three simple categories: hardware, software and services. Another link lists all contracts alphabetically. 
Information is also closer to the top level. Instead of having to download a PDF to receive general information, users can now see it instantly online. This information is only two clicks away from the Procurement main page, instead of three or sometimes four clicks on the old site. Accompanying information such as price lists can be downloaded from the contract's main page. 
To access the site, go to www.gta.georgia.gov and click on "Procurement" in the left-hand menu. 
Future improvements to the site will include a contract administration handbook, checklists and templates to help procurement officers with their daily activities.  
 
Fast Forward 
 
Georgia 
 
Page 5 
 
 Searches on www.georgia.gov powered by Google 
 
Visitors to www.georgia.gov can now quickly and accurately locate the information they need on the state portal using technology already familiar to many Web users. 
GTA recently launched the Google search appliance on the state portal. The index is updated daily, providing the most comprehensive search collection of State of Georgia documents of all types, including PDF, Word, Excel and even PowerPoint presentations. The index collection includes 225,000 documents, about 50 percent more than were previously available. 
The software used by Google's search technology conducts a series of simultaneous calculations in less than a second. "What that means for portal users is more relevant matches when they're searching for information," said Bill 
 
Overall, creative director for www.georgia.gov. "They'll find more information, and they'll find it much faster than before." 
Google also helps users get the information they want--sometimes even anticipating what they may want. For example, someone who enters "jobs" as a keyword in a search will receive links to sites for job openings across the state (through the Georgia Department of Labor) and careers in state government (through the Georgia Merit System). 
According to Mr. Overall, the Google search appliance is a good value for the state. "Because the technology is self-contained in the form of an appliance, it does not require a programmer or system reconfiguration," he said. "It costs less to operate than the previous search engine used on the state portal."  
 
Governance Council, from page 1 
who chairs the council. "This approach will help ensure that we make the important connection between agencies' business needs and technology solutions."  
Governance Council Members 
Chris Ash, Georgia Bureau of Investigation Paul Burkhalter, Natural Resources Debbie Dlugolenski, Technical & Adult Education Robert Giacomini, Office of Planning & Budget Gina Simpson, Human Resources Mike Hall, Education Marty Horne, Motor Vehicle Safety Brad Hudson, Revenue Laura Meadows, Office of the Secretary of State Arnold Smith, Corrections Joy Hawkins, Office of the Governor Celeste Osborn, Office of the Governor Cigdem Delano, Chair, GTA 
 
G8 Summit, from page 3 
on video the participation of federal, state and local agencies and law enforcement. They will produce an afteraction report as well as a documentary. 
Their days began at 7:30 a.m. and stretched toward midnight. Because they would be in the middle of the action, Mr. Carey and his crew were fitted for riot gear and trained to use gas masks. Fortunately, neither was necessary. 
"Our work gave us a unique perspective," Mr. Carey said. "We were interacting with everyone from the Coast Guard to the Secret Service. We videotaped Instant Response Teams and motorcades of dignitaries and worked amid protesters." 
He added that he was glad to be part of the extensive support GTA provided the summit. "This event had the world's attention, and it went extremely well. GTA really has something to be proud of."  
 
Fast Forward Georgia 
Published bi-monthly and available online at www.gta.georgia.gov 100 Peachtree Street, Suite 2300, Atlanta, Georgia 30303 404-463-2300, FAX 404-463-2370 
Paula Calhoun and Michael Clark, Editors; Hettie Smith, Designer 
 
Tom Wade Cigdem Delano 
Steve Nichols Chris Tomlinson 
 
GTA Executive Director & State CIO , twade@gta.ga.gov Chief Operating Officer, cdelano@gta.ga.gov Deputy Director & Chief Technology Officer, snichols@gta.ga.gov General Counsel, ctomlinson@gta.ga.gov 
 
James D. Lester III, Chairman, GTA Board of Directors 
 
Fast Forward 
 
Georgia 
 
Page 6