SAN DIEGO, Calif,. Tuesday, October 23 — As internal and external pressures continue to mount, state technology leaders say they are confident that by building strong teams and embracing new products and development processes, state IT departments will be able to improve how they serve government agencies and residents. Those and other factors contributed heavily to the 2018 State CIO Survey, State CIO as Communicator: The Evolving Nature of Technology Leadership, which was jointly released today by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO), Grant Thornton LLP and CompTIA. The survey includes responses from all 50 state CIOs on a range of issues, from evolving business models to workforce and budget to access to innovation and facing the future. Respondents to this year’s survey represent more than 150 years of collective service as a state’s top technology official.

“The results of our 2018 survey highlight how state CIOs are addressing and planning for more transition in state government,” said Doug Robinson, executive director of NASCIO. “CIOs are building strong relationships with key stakeholders and focusing on enterprise vision and strategy, security and risk management, agency customer service and relationship management.”

“The era of IT infrastructure as a state CIO’s primary focus is squarely in the rearview mirror,” said Graeme Finley, principal with Grant Thornton Public Sector. “Technology is enabling government to operate and deliver services to constituents more efficiently, but at the same time, a CIO’s mastery of communication and negotiation skills is becoming increasingly essential to the top technology role in state government.”

“The insights provided in this year’s survey will help the private technology sector better tailor offerings to state governments,” said Jennifer Saha, Director of Public Sector Councils for CompTIA. “Knowing where CIOs are heading, and what obstacles stand in their way, allows the technology industry to better anticipate the often unique needs of each state. With that understanding, tech companies are able to provide better solutions and partner with states to accomplish their business goals.”

The 2018 State CIO Survey also highlights critical success factors for CIOs, legacy modernization funding and procurement, digital transformation and emerging technologies. The complete report State CIO as a Communicator: The Evolving Nature of Technology Leadership is available on the NASCIO website: www.nascio.org/2018StateCIOSurvey.

SAN DIEGO, Calif., Sunday, October 21 — The Corporate Leadership Council (CLC) is comprised of dedicated National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) corporate members committed to utilizing private sector intellectual and financial resources to serve NASCIO and its members. CLC members promote information sharing among public and private-sector members, providing expertise to NASCIO issue focus areas and developing publications and projects.

The NASCIO corporate members have elected a new CLC chair and vice chair for the 2018-2019 program year. The CLC will be led by Dan Lohrmann, Security Mentor, as chair and Rick Webb, Accenture, as vice chair. The CLC chair and vice chair hold an advisory seat on NASCIO's Executive Committee.

Corporations holding memberships in NASCIO for five years (and at 5-year intervals thereafter) are recognized during the Annual Conference. Recognition of corporate longevity is automatic, and nomination is not required.

NASCIO’s Corporate Longevity Award recipients for 2018 are:

20-years – Conduent, Verizon

15-years – CA Technologies

10-years – BerryDunn, Strategy Execution

5-years – Acquia, C Spire, Capgemini Government Solutions, Centrify, First Data, ISAM, Palo Alto Networks, ServiceNow

LEXINGTON, Ky., Wednesday, October 17 — Today, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) and the Council of State Archivists (CoSA) announced the release of “State Archiving in the Digital Era: A Playbook for the Preservation of Electronic Records.” The release comes just one week after NASCIO recognized Electronic Records Day, which is celebrated every year on October 10.

States uniquely hold important records on their citizens from birth, to marriage, to property, to death, as well as records that hold general historical significance. For the last several years the number of digital records created by state governments has been rapidly increasing. Many states are finding that they are unprepared to deal with the unique management and preservation issues that are related to digital archives. NASCIO, along with CoSA created this playbook for the preservation of state electronic records. This document includes eleven plays that state officials should consider when working together toward the preservation of digital archives.

See the playbook at: https://www.nascio.org/publications

LEXINGTON, Ky., Thursday, September 27 — The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) is once again observing National Cyber Security Awareness Month by being an official cybersecurity champion. For the 15th consecutive year, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Cybersecurity and Communications, the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center and the National Cyber Security Alliance are promoting cyber security awareness, safety and security online. Once again, NASCIO is partnering with these organizations to officially show support and promote a safer, more secure and trusted Internet.

NASCIO kicked off a webinar series leading up to National Cybersecurity Awareness Month by highlighting some of the most important cybersecurity issues impacting states today. Future and past recordings can be found at www.nascio.org/cyberseries.

To further support cybersecurity awareness, NASCIO will release the 2018 Deloitte-NASCIO Cybersecurity Study, the fifth of its kind, at the NASCIO Annual Conference in San Diego this October. This bi-annual study reports findings and analysis of a comprehensive survey of State Chief Information Security Officers. Past cyber studies can be found at www.nascio.org/stateofcyber.

‘’With cybersecurity remaining as the top state CIO priority for the past five years, it’s important for NASCIO to continue to convey the significance of online safety and security as a champion of National Cyber Security Awareness Month,’’ said Doug Robinson, NASCIO executive director. ‘’NASCIO applauds states for their continued effort in making cybersecurity awareness top of mind by hosting events and highlighting their own state programs and resources throughout the month of October. NASCIO will continue to support states and state CIOs for their continued efforts in cybersecurity not only during National Cyber Security Awareness Month, but all year long.’’

Cybersecurity resources and advocacy efforts can be found on NASCIO’s Cybersecurity Awareness resource page at www.nascio.org/cybersecurity.

To learn more about participating in National Cyber Security Awareness Month, please visit www.staysafeonline.org. Consider joining NASCIO and becoming a cybersecurity awareness champion today.

LEXINGTON, Ky., Wednesday, September 12 — The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has released its strategic plan for 2018-2020. Every two years, the association’s executive committee hold a strategic planning session to review and update the organization’s vision for the coming years.

“The executive committee came together in June to discuss the role we envision for CIOs in the world of state IT and how NASCIO can help advance that vision,” NASCIO President and Chief Information Officer for the state of Oklahoma, Bo Reese, noted. “I’m pleased to say that after two days of robust discussion, we believe the strategic vision as we’ve laid out for the next two years will have NASCIO and its members prepared to thrive in this ever-changing IT landscape.”

Doug Robinson, NASCIO executive director, shared, “It’s always enlightening to bring this group of state IT leaders together to share their vision for the future. It is that kind of thoughtful insight that has made NASCIO a leader for our CIOs in state IT policy and will keep NASCIO relevant for our members for years to come.”

To read NASCIO’s strategic plan for 2018-2020, visit our website.