State governments are turning to unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for a variety of applications. This brief lays out important public policy issues when it comes to state CIO governance of UAS.
The predicted shortage in the state information technology (IT) workforce has been discussed and debated for over a decade and states have been confronted with numerous challenges when it comes to identifying gaps in a changing IT workforce. A major concern for state CIOs continues to be the significant number of state IT employees who are eligible for retirement or have been eligible, but have postponed retirement due to the economic downturn. In spite of this, there is evidence that the economy is recovering and some states are experiencing record numbers of retirement. This report outlines the current data on the state IT workforce and focuses on innovation, best practices and recommendations.
NASCIO partnered with NASPO (National Association of State Procurement Officials) on a case study on California’s Cloud Infrastructure Initiative. The publication includes information and advice from the trenches from California officials. It is the first in a series of planned publications to be released by NASPO and NASCIO that will examine information technology procurement projects in states.
Given today’s fiscal environment, states are turning to their IT partners to provide cost-effective delivery of citizen services. This brief focuses on the best strategies for IT partners to engage with state CIOs while building successful business relationships.
In many cases, funding a specific initiative can entail more than one funding source working together as a basket of funding streams to provide both initial seed funding and ongoing sustained funding. Seeking funding is necessary, coupled with the vision, goals and objectives of a collaborative. When evaluating grants, loans and direct payments, the intent of the funding stream must match the intent of the collaborative initiative. In considering the full portfolio of funding models, the funding options pursued must be appropriately matched to a long term sustainment strategy for the collaborative. Further, evaluating funding approaches essentially involves clear understanding of the total cost of ownership that includes transactional cost economics (TCE). Securing funding starts with an understanding the full costing.
Each year NASCIO conducts a survey of the state CIOs to identify and prioritize the top policy and technology issues facing state government. The CIOs top ten priorities are identified and used as input to NASCIO’s programs, planning for conference sessions, and publications.
Priority Strategies, Management Processes and Solutions
Top 10 Final Ranking
This study reports findings and analysis of a comprehensive survey of State Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) conducted by NASCIO in partnership with Deloitte. The results of the 2014 Deloitte-NASCIO Cybersecurity Study confirm the growing importance of cybersecurity for states. The following key themes emerged from our analysis:
Maturing role of the CISO: State CISO role continues to gain legitimacy in authority and reporting relationships. The responsibilities of the position are becoming more consistent across states, yet expanding.
Continuing budget-strategy disconnect: The improving economy and states’ growing commitment to cybersecurity have led to an increase – albeit small, in budgets. CISOs have also been successful at tapping supplemental resources, whether from other state agencies, federal funding, or various agency and business leaders. Nevertheless, budgets are still not sufficient to fully implement effective cybersecurity programs – it continues to be the top barrier for CISOs according to the survey results.
Cyber complexity challenge: State information systems house a wide range of sensitive citizen data, making them especially attractive targets for cyber-attacks. CISOs are concerned about the intensity, volume and complexity of cyber threats that run the gamut from malicious code to zero-day attacks.
Talent crisis: The skill sets needed for effective cybersecurity protection and monitoring are in heavy demand across all sectors. State CISOs are struggling to recruit and retain people with the right skills, and they will need to establish career growth paths and find creative ways to build their cybersecurity teams.
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For the 2014 observance of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, NASCIO has updated its Resource Guide for State Cybersecurity Awareness, Education, and Training Initiatives. The guide includes new information from our state members, who provided examples of state awareness programs and initiatives. This is an additional resource of best-practice information, together with an interactive state map to allow users to drilldown to the actual resources that states have developed or are using to promote cyber awareness. It includes contact information for the CISO, hyperlinks to state security and security awareness pages, and information describing cybersecurity awareness, training, and education initiatives.
The Resource Guide is a modifiable work that should provide a valuable reference resource for Cyber Security Awareness Month, as well as the ongoing planning of security awareness and training efforts state programs may undertake thereafter.
NASCIO, TechAmerica, and Grant Thornton LLP have collaborated for a fifth consecutive year to survey state government IT leaders on current issues, trends and perspectives. The continuing economic situation creates problems for states when citizen demands for services continue or grow. The survey sponsors seek to provide these state government IT leaders with an opportunity to voice their thoughts and opinions on matters of high importance. Governors, legislatures and business leaders can benefit from these knowledgeable insights about essential state IT services. As major changes continue to sweep through the state IT landscape, we asked state CIOs to share their perspective on the status and future direction of the state CIO organization and the overall enterprise. While the survey covered a wide variety of topics, we asked CIOs to focus particularly on three main topics – the planning and oversight of critical projects, sourcing and the use of data as a strategic asset. These topics share a common theme in that they all require the CIO to establish priorities, collaborate with stakeholders and integrate with multiple external organizations.
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As states begin to plan for FirstNet, a nationwide high-speed wireless broadband network dedicated to public safety, they are developing divergent approaches to planning and varied strategies for engaging with local and federal partners. This research report is based on the results of a survey of State CIOs. It provides a first look at the approaches being employed for engagement with local stakeholders, the federal FirstNet Authority, and even other states. The data also shows a significant distribution in the maturity of state planning, ongoing outreach, and governance strategies.
