Mar-Apr 2021 | Vol. 13, Issue 2
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The time is now for innovation
in technology and its use
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The pandemic has brought heavy doses of a difficult reality. One of those heaping spoonfuls has been new pressure on technologists and technology organizations to innovate to meet unprecedented needs. Over the last year, public-sector entities have gasped and gulped to address novel demands.
Close to home, we've witnessed remarkably innovative responses to COVID-19 challenges. Georgia state and local governments have often led such work, devising new ways to serve constituents very much in need. This year, with a keen appreciation for the value of innovative technology, it's prime time to recognize just that brand of extraordinary effort taking place across Georgia government.
For the 10th consecutive year, the Georgia Technology Authority is pleased to sponsor the Technology Innovation Showcase, recognizing those standout Georgia government entities. We’re accepting your project submissions through March 26, and I hope we’ll hear from you about projects brought to a close in 2020.
As in year’s past, projects selected for the showcase will be honored at this year’s Georgia Digital Government Summit in the fall. Showcase honorees will also be included in Georgia’s annual state IT report. Find complete details and a link to the online submission form on the showcase webpage. Past showcase honorees are described there too.
I know great work has been accomplished in the past year. Innovative work. Let us hear about yours. We look forward to receiving your submissions. Email any showcase questions to gtainfo@gta.ga.gov.
Thank you for your ongoing support.
Calvin Rhodes
State Chief Information Officer
GTA Executive Director
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GTA-hosted Technology Summit goes virtual for 2021
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GTA Direct program adds
in-demand network services
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State Annual IT Report FY'20 published
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DDS debuts updated driver's license system for Georgia
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Briefly … Skype-to-Teams, ServiceNow
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Technology Summit will expose the core of digital government
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Digital government isn't for next year, or the next. It’s for right now. To make it work, certain capabilities are simply indispensable. What does your agency need to do to optimize services in today's digital world? That's the focus of this year's GTA-hosted Technology Summit, a virtual event planned for May 4 and 5.
Put a placeholder on your calendar, and make plans to join us as we share insights on digital themes including:
- Cybersecurity enables digital
- Digital trends and futures
- Government done digitally
- Remote work is working
- Gotta have broadband
Gartner distinguished analyst and fellow Daryl Plummer will be one of the summit’s keynote speakers. He researches cloud computing strategies and digital disruption, and has a knack for predicting how digital business cycles will evolve. Other speakers will be announced soon.
Who should attend? Technology types are encouraged to participate, but the relevance is broader than IT. As in years past (and this marks the ninth annual), the summit is directed toward business leaders too from Georgia agencies and local government. Opportunities to network with colleagues will be sprinkled throughout, giving you valuable chances to learn from your counterparts across Georgia government facing challenges similar to your own.
Stay tuned to the GTA website for additional details to be provided soon, including a registration link. Virtual makes participation that much easier. No special trip necessary. And you'll find plenty of reasons not to miss a minute of this year’s summit.
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GTA Direct IT services program adds network service offerings
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They're staples of today's way of doing the business of government. Network services like broadband, dedicated internet, managed Wi-Fi, and telecommunications, among others. How would a state entity serve its customers without them?
Through its GTA Direct IT services program, GTA now provides access to top-quality network services via new state contracts with industry-leading IT service providers. GTA pre-qualifies the providers and negotiates the agreements. Georgia’s state agencies and local governments, as well as colleges and universities and boards of education, can then capitalize on the contracts. It slingshots them into the express lane toward securing these essential services.
Newly available network services include:
- Broadband
- Dedicated internet
- Voice (PSTN)
- WAN
- Managed Wi-Fi
- Unified communications
- Cable and wiring
The network service providers comprise a who’s who list of respected names in the field. Among them, AT&T, Comcast, Hughes, Kinetic by Windstream, Lumen (CenturyLink), and Verizon, to name a few. See a complete listing of providers and network services on GTA’s website.
Also available through GTA Direct are wireless communications devices and services. Oracle products and services, conferencing services, hosted contact center services, managed security services, and more. Email GTA’s Jeff Strane or Rita Figaro for more information.
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Annual State IT Report illustrates degree of achievement in FY'20
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Taking a look back reminds you how far you've come, along which path, and against which obstacles. For Georgia state government IT, the newly published State Annual IT Report for FY 2020 provides just that sort of reminder of IT work not stalled by the onset of COVID-19, but accelerated.
The GTA-produced report emphasizes how the state capitalized on established IT capabilities to tackle previously unseen demands. Those demands fueled new focus on four enduring objectives: 1) effective delivery of state services to citizens, 2) more precise mapping of broadband service across Georgia, 3) strong public-private partnerships providing top-quality technology services to state agencies, and 4) reliable, sound state government information systems.
Coupling all that with a continued focus on cybersecurity defense, Georgia's state government IT operations progressed on firm footing through FY 2020, and contributed widely to the Georgia's pandemic response efforts in the year's second half. The annual report tells the fuller story.
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DDS debuts updated driver's license system for Georgia
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In January, the Department of Driver Services replaced a driver’s licensing system in use in Georgia since the 1990s. It was time. And with such a high-visibility system, pressure was on to limit disruption. That’s not altogether unique for an IT project, but when all of Georgia is watching, the tension dial gets twisted to “high.”
This is a system, after all, that processes licenses for 8.3 million drivers, and an additional 800,000 ID cards. If you consider how important your own license is to you and then multiply that by 8.3 million, well, you’ve got a mountain of vested interest. DDS capably climbed that mountain and planted a flag marking high achievement for state government IT projects.
This ambitious undertaking – called DRIVES for Driver Record and Integrated Vehicle Enterprise System – enabled DDS to serve Georgians in new and expanded ways. The new license system facilitates more self-service options, better customer service, and improved data integrity. It also allows new levels of security in handling of that data.
The DRIVES modernization effort spanned years, first with the replacement of the state’s vehicle title registration system by the state’s Department of Revenue, and then the driver’s license system replacement more recently by DDS. Both prongs of the DRIVES work build on computing capabilities established through the GETS program. They showcase delivery of the very kinds of technology-enabled services that characterize digital government.
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- Across the GETS community, agencies are switching from dual use of Skype for Business and Teams to use of Teams only. The change is being made in advance of Microsoft retiring its Skype application this summer. Those who use these tools for web meetings (and that's most of us) will find an easy transition from Skype to Teams, with meeting and contact information and more flowing smoothly into Teams. Plus, Teams-only users can continue to participate in Skype-initiated meetings where needed. Those sessions would simply open in Teams.
- ServiceNow will soon replace a number of administrative tools used in managing the operation of the GETS program. GETS administrators, service providers and agencies use these tools for functions such as incident management, project management, asset management, ordering services, and more. The upgrade to ServiceNow (targeted for early summer) will bring expanded tool capabilities, greater automation and improved user experience. Beginning in March, monthly sessions with agency IT focals will convene to ensure agencies know what to anticipate from the tool changes. Tool user training and testing will follow in May and into June.
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