NASCIO Champions National Cyber Security Awareness Month

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AUSTIN, Tex., Wednesday, October 4 – 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 14th consecutive year, the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Cybersecurity and Communications, the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center and the National Cybersecurity 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 advocates that cybersecurity is business risk, not just a technology issue," said Doug Robinson, NASCIO executive director. "NASCIO applauds states for keeping online safety and security in the forefront by hosting events and highlighting their own state programs and resources. NASCIO will continue to support states and state CIOs for their efforts during Cybersecurity Awareness Month."
 
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.

State CIOs Face "New Engine" in Role Transitions, 2017 State CIO Reveals

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AUSTIN, Tex., October 3, 2017 – Shifting business models, emerging technologies that redefine "IT" and the drive to implement digital government lead a long list of challenges facing state CIOs, according to new research released today at the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) Annual Conference.

"The results of our 2017 survey highlights the critical leadership role of the state CIO," said Doug Robinson, executive director of NASCIO. "The need to sustain transformation and innovation will require CIOs to rethink the role and structure of their organization to serve the needs of state government."

A New Engine: Driving Innovation in State Technology, published jointly by NASCIO, Grant Thornton LLP and CompTIA, surveyed state CIOs on a range of issues, from cybersecurity and cloud migration plans to data management and the delivery of digital government services. 

"The nature of the state CIO role continues to evolve, with broker models becoming the norm and CIOs having to address the workforce, vendor and financial management challenges this brings," said Graeme Finley, principal with Grant Thornton's Public Sector practice. "The emergence of technologies such as the Internet of Things, drones and autonomous vehicles are also challenging the very definition of what should be considered 'IT' under the purview of the CIO."

Cybersecurity Remains a Key Priority
Almost all CIOs surveyed report they lead or participate in cybersecurity policy setting. More than 80 percent are responsible for setting overall direction and oversight. In contrast, only 64 percent are directly responsible for program execution. With recent legislation and executive orders expanding and strengthening, the CIO's role in cybersecurity efforts is expected to increase.

Metrics program to collect, analyze and report data on security processes, performance, and outcomes are in place in most states. Approximately one-quarter have a fully operational program, while nearly 70 percent are planning or establishing such a program. A fully operational program with documented outcomes is vital to garnering more political support and increased funding.

Internet of Things Leads Emerging Technology Landscape
There is growing recognition among state CIOs of the need to address emerging technologies by design rather than by default. Over the next three to five years, surveyed CIOs are most interested in the Internet of Things (43 percent) and artificial intelligence/machine learning (29 percent). Ten percent said digital assistants will be most impactful, and nine percent cast their vote for blockchain. 

Workforce Challenges Persist 
States continue to struggle to find and keep qualified IT talent, especially in the area of cybersecurity. Generally, IT job candidates do not perceive state government as an attractive and challenging work environment. When asked about the single personnel change that would be effective in reforming the state IT workforce, "modernizing IT job titles and classifications" ranked highest (31 percent). 

To attract and retain qualified staff, 71 percent of state CIOs are "promoting non-salary benefits like greater stability and diversity of experience." Incentivizing recruits with a call to public service and offering public/private internships were other popular strategies cited. 

Surprisingly, only 17 percent of CIOs indicated their organization had someone with primary responsibility for IT workforce initiatives including talent management, recruitment, and employee development and branding. 

The complete report A New Engine: Driving Innovation in State Technology is available on the NASCIO website at www.nascio.org/2017StateCIOsurvey.

NASCIO Honors Exceptional Contributions in State Government

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AUSTIN, Tex., Tuesday, October 3 — The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) presented the State Technology Innovator Award to three deserving public servants during the 2017 NASCIO Annual Conference in Austin.

The NASCIO State Technology Innovator Award honors outstanding individuals who have made contributions to advance state technology policy through the promotion of best practices, adoption of new technologies and advancements in service delivery. Nominees must be an employee, elected official, appointed official or other appointee representing state government. Nominations were gathered from NASCIO members as well as non-members. The following are the recipients of the 2017 NASCIO State Technology Innovator Award:

Derek Bridges, Program Administrator for the Ohio Administration Knowledge System
Bridges has overseen OAKS, an enterprise-wide data sharing and visualization platform that has vast possibilities for insights into public policy impacts, outcomes and government efficiencies. OAKS is changing the way Ohio does business and Bridges has been instrumental in its success.

Carrie Mayne, Chief Economist for the Utah Department of Workforce Services
In the past year, Mayne has overseen the production of a comprehensive decision support and data-rich economy dashboard. Training her team to effectively leverage vast amounts of cross-agency data has provided unique and valuable insights into the Utah economy. Mayne ensure these important tools are well utilized, sharing her work through social media and contributing to the state’s open data portal, providing a monthly livestream on the state’s economy.

Dr. Steve Nichols, Chief Technology Officer, State of Georgia
As CTO for Georgia, Nichols advises leadership of the Georgia Technology Authority and other state agencies on critical technology issues. He has played a key role in numerous initiatives to modernize the state’s IT infrastructure and has served on national boards responsible for developing and recommending technology policies and practices. Nichols is also responsible for Georgia’s web portal and the state’s enterprise web publishing platform, which has received recognition from NASCIO awards in past years. 

NASCIO Announces New Executive Committee Leadership

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AUSTIN, Tex., Tuesday, October 3 — Top state information technology leaders have been selected to serve as new program year Executive Committee for the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO). The association is now led by James “Bo” Reese, Oklahoma Chief Information Officer and NASCIO president for the 2017-18 program year. Reese succeeds Connecticut Chief Information Officer, Mark Raymond. 
    
NASCIO’s 2017-18 Executive Committee leaders are:

Executive Committee Officers:
President – Bo Reese, Chief Information Officer, Oklahoma
Vice President – James Collins, Chief Information Officer, Delaware
Secretary/Treasurer – Thomas Baden, Commissioner and Chief Information Officer, Minnesota
Past President – Mark Raymond, Chief Information Officer, Connecticut

Executive Committee Directors:
Michael Cockrill, Director and State Chief Information Officer, Washington
Stu Davis, State Chief Information Officer and Assistant Director, Ohio
Todd Kimbriel, Chief Information Officer, Texas
Dewand Neely, Chief Information Officer and Director, Indiana
Shannon Rahming, Administrator and Chief Information Officer, Nevada
Phil Wittmer, Chief Information Technology Officer, Kansas

NASCIO Recognizes Outstanding Achievement in State Government

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AUSTIN, Tex., Monday, October 2 — Eleven exemplary initiatives were chosen as recipients for the National Association of State Chief Information Officers’ (NASCIO) 2017 Recognition Awards for outstanding achievement in information technology in state government.

Recipients were announced this evening during the NASCIO Annual Conference in Austin. This marks the 29th consecutive year NASCIO has honored outstanding information technology achievements in the public sector through the awards program. Recipients were selected by the NASCIO Awards Committee from a field of more than 100 nominees.

“It has been a great privilege to co-chair the NASCIO Awards Committee,” said Delaware Chief Information Officer James Collins. “The recipients honored tonight, as well as all nominated projects, demonstrate the integral and transformative nature information technology can have on state government and the experiences of citizens.”    

The 2017 Award Recipients are:

Cross-Boundary Collaboration and Partnerships
State of California, Virtual Integrated Mobile Office

Cybersecurity    
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Risk-Based Multi-Factor Authentication

Digital Government: Government to Business 
State of Minnesota, Tempo Go Live

Digital Government: Government to Citizen 
State of Georgia, Division of Child Support Services Mobile App

Disaster Recovery/Security & Business Continuity Readiness
State of Michigan, Michigan Cyber Civilian Corps

Emerging and Innovative Technologies
State of Utah, Utah Driver License Appointment Reminder and Public Meeting Notice Reminders

Enterprise IT Management Initiatives
State of Wisconsin, Star Project, The Blueprint for Efficient State Government

Improving State Operations
Commonwealth of Michigan, Michigan Forest Inventory System

Information Communications Technology (ICT) Innovations
State of Minnesota, Minnesota Geospatial Commons

Open Government and Data, Information and Knowledge Management
State of Oregon, MAGI Medicaid System Transfer Project

State CIO Office Special Recognition    
State of Colorado, Strategy of Success: Playbook and Five-Year IT Plans
 

NASCIO Recognizes State Chief Information Security Officers with Jarrett Scholarship

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AUSTIN, Tex., Monday, October 2 — The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has awarded the Thomas M. Jarrett Cybersecurity Scholarship to three exceptional state Chief Information Security Officers (CISO) for the 2017 Annual Conference in Austin. This is the fifth year for the scholarship program, which was created to pay homage to Thomas M. Jarrett, past president of NASCIO (2004 – 2005), for his passion for cybersecurity. The scholarship grants current CISOs the opportunity to attend the NASCIO Annual Conference and contribute to the national dialogue on cybersecurity and related issues. 

The 2017 Thomas M. Jarrett Cybersecurity Scholarship recipients are Erik Avakian, Chief Information Security Officer, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (nominated by John MacMillan, Deputy Secretary of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania); Stan Gatewood, Chief Information Security Officer, State of Georgia (nominated by Calvin Rhodes, Executive Director and State Chief Information Officer, State of Georgia); and Kirk Lonbom, Chief Information Security Officer and Acting Chief Information Officer, State of Illinois (nominated by Hardik Bhatt, former Chief Information Officer, State of Illinois). 

Accenture-NASCIO Releases Agile Development Report: Success Factors for State Government Leaders

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AUSTIN, Tex., October 2, 2017 – A newly released report from Accenture and the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) highlights “Agile delivery” critical success factors for state government technology projects. The final report, Agile IT Delivery: Imperatives for Government Success includes subsequent in-depth interviews of state government technology, management and program experts and builds on survey findings released in April 2017.

Accenture and NASCIO surveyed and interviewed a number of state government leaders to answer some of the key questions facing organizations as they prepare for an agile IT program. They were asked to describe their experiences with agile and then share how, where and to what extent they succeeded.

NASCIO Executive Director Doug Robinson said, “We learned a lot from our state CIOs and agency leaders that have successfully implemented Agile methods.  As an example, Agile will require a different approach and mindset regarding procurement and budgeting. And it is critical to maintain organizational engagement throughout the project.”

Seven key factors emerged and are outlined in the report-all centered-on people and their willingness to embrace this methodology and collaborate at every step.  Most critically, agile initiatives require a clear plan of action.

“Agile delivery is helping early public-sector adopters develop and launch technology initiatives more efficiently and with more focus on citizen needs,” said Keir Buckhurst, Accenture. “Citizens increasingly expect the same type of digital experience in the public sector that businesses are providing, and the Agile approach supports efforts to meet those rising expectations.”

For some of the right questions to ask before you “go agile,” see the full survey results — visit NASCIO Resources – Unleash the New: State Governments Get Agile and the final report is at Agile IT Delivery: Imperatives for Government Success.

State Government Associations Release IT Procurement Recommendations and Roadmap For Reform

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (September 19, 2017) – The National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) and the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) have released a joint roadmap for state information technology (IT) procurement reform and process transformation. The two associations have worked in tandem toward deeper engagement and partnership on this important issue for nearly two years.

In February 2017, NASPO and NASCIO established a joint task force on IT procurement negotiations. This task force is co-chaired by NASPO’s Sarah Hilderbrand, Idaho Chief Procurement Officer (CPO), and NASCIO’s Jim Smith, Maine Chief Information Officer (CIO) and includes CPOs and CIOs from 15 states. Task force members met for a daylong workshop session in Pittsburgh, Pa. in August 2017, and discussed how to best reach their shared goal of reforming and transforming IT procurement. The outcome of the work performed over the past nine months culminated in 18 joint recommendations for IT procurement improvement in the following categories: 

•    Relationship building
•    Procurement processes
•    Centralization
•    Legislation and policy

These recommendations are accompanied by suggested implementation methods for the practical application of the joint task force's guidance.  The recommendations, implementation methods and the publication as a whole are the result of the work of the task force, the in-person workshop, and a survey of CPOs and CIOs across the country on topics related to IT procurement and, specifically, negotiations of IT contracts. Forty states responded to the survey questions and provided invaluable feedback to NASCIO and NASPO.

Mark Raymond, NASCIO President and CIO for the State of Connecticut said, “The business models in state government IT are changing as rapidly as technology itself.  The procurement processes for technology must also adapt. Indeed, it is our hope that this publication and recommendations help CIOs and CPOs start a conversation about what is to come in this arena.”

“Procurement and IT are not going away, they’re going to change. How we adjust to change, how we continue to improve and how we interact to improve is the goal,” said Larry Maxwell, NASPO President and New Mexico State Purchasing Director. “NASPO will continue to be a strategic partner and encourage work groups like this to address that change.” 

A copy of the recommendations of the joint task force is available on both NASPO and NASCIO websites at www.nascio.org/procurement

 

NASCIO Recognizes Outstanding Achievements in State IT: Finalists Announced for 2017 NASCIO State IT Recognition Awards

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LEXINGTON, Ky., Thursday, August 3, 2017 —  The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has selected 32 finalists across 11 categories for the State IT Recognition Awards. This is the 29th consecutive year NASCIO has honored outstanding information technology achievements in state government through the awards.

 

Projects and initiatives from NASCIO member states, territories, and the District of Columbia were eligible for nomination. NASCIO members served as volunteer judges to review the 100+ submissions, narrowing the nominees down to finalists in each category. From these finalists, a recipient will be announced during an awards dinner at the upcoming NASCIO Annual Conference this October in Austin, Texas.

 

"The awards hold a special place in the state IT community," said James Collins, CIO for the state of Delaware and Awards Committee Chair. "The NASCIO awards present an opportunity to recognize the many unsung IT people across the nation delivering innovative solutions for their states. The program also serves an impressive repository of ideas for sharing and collaboration."

 

The award nominations showcase the use of information technology to address critical business problems, more easily connect citizens to their government, improve business processes, and create new opportunities that improve the lives of citizens. To ensure states have access to the innovations and leading practices of their peers, all award submissions will be added to the NASCIO’s awards library by late August.

 

Award finalists for the 2017 State IT Recognition Awards are:

 

Cross-Boundary Collaboration & Partnerships

State of California: Virtual Integrated Mobile Office Project (VIMO)

State of Texas: Texas Veterans Portal

State of Utah: Innovating Cloud Solutions with Cooperative Purchasing

 

Cybersecurity

State of Colorado: Fighting Vulnerabilities with 2-Step Verification

State of Indiana: Indiana Information Sharing & Analysis Center

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: Risk-Based Multi-Factor Authentication

Commonwealth of Virginia: VITA Web Application Vulnerability Scanning Program

 

Digital Government: Government to Business

State of Minnesota: Tempo Go Live: Modernizing Collaboration and Data Sharing

State of Mississippi: Mississippi Secretary of State Business One Stop Shop (BOSS)

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: eInspection: Application Oil and Gas Surface Activities Inspection Report

 

Digital Government: Government to Citizens

State of Georgia: Georgia Division of Child Support Services Mobile App

State of Idaho: Idaho Retirement Information System (IRIS)

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: myCOMPASS Mobile App

 

Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity

State of Michigan: Michigan Cyber Civilian Corps

 

Emerging & Innovative Technologies

State of Colorado: Colorado DRIVES

State of Minnesota: Transforming Enterprise Services to the Cloud

State of Utah: Utah Driver License Appointment and Public Meeting Notice Reminders

 

Enterprise IT Management Initiatives

State of Michigan: MiLogin

State of Rhode Island: Statewide ePermitting Initiative

State of Wisconsin: STAR Project: The Blueprint for Efficient State Government

 

Improving State Operations

State of Georgia: Fraud Management Solution

State of Michigan: Michigan Forest Inventory System

State of Utah: Utah's Watershed Restoration Initiative

 

Information Communications Technology (ICT) Innovations

State of Georgia: Department of Transportation Emergency Operations Center

State of Minnesota: Minnesota Geospatial Commons

State of West Virginia: DMVNow Kiosk Program: Introducing 24/7 Government ATM

 

Open Government & Data Information and Knowledge Management

State of Michigan: Michigan State Police Department Unifies Data, Improves Visibility into Criminal Activity

State of Oregon: MAGI Medicaid System Transfer Project

State of Utah: Discover: Utah's Base Map and Imagery Services

 

State CIO Office Special Recognition

State of Colorado: Strategy of Success: Playbook and 5-Year IT Plans

State of Louisiana: IT Consolidation and Enterprise Architecture

State of Maine: TechNight

NASCIO VP, Okla. CIO James “Bo” Reese Testifies on State Impact of Federal Cybersecurity Regulations before Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee

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WASHINGTON, D.C., Wednesday, June 21 — Today NASCIO Vice President and Oklahoma Chief Information Officer, James “Bo” Reese, testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee at their hearing, “Cybersecurity Regulation Harmonization.” Reese’s testimony focused on the impact that federal cybersecurity regulations have on state IT consolidation/optimization and cybersecurity investments. Reese stressed the need for greater collaboration and partnership with federal regulatory agencies. 

“State CIOs understand and appreciate the responsibility of government to secure citizens’ information and we see this as a shared goal between federal and state partners. We are extremely pleased that the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has dedicated its attention to this important issue. We hope to continue the work they have highlighted and would appreciate the opportunity to work with our federal counterparts to ensure that we protect citizens’ information without undue burden to state governments,” said Reese about the hearing.   

In his testimony, Reese brought attention to several federal cybersecurity regulations that pose obstacles for state IT consolidation/optimization and risk-based cybersecurity investments. Reese also called on federal regulatory agencies to normalize the federal cybersecurity compliance audit process which encourages states to make counterproductive compliance investments instead of ones based on risk.

To read the full testimony of Vice President Reese, click here.

To watch a recording of the full hearing, click here.