GTA Update - Nov-Dec 2020

Update newsletter

Nov-Dec, 2020 | Vol. 12, Issue 6

State CIO's column

Georgia again earns national honors for its state government IT

If you hear dogs barking this fall, the loudest and proudest just might be the Cyber Dawg. That’s the state’s live-action cybersecurity training exercise, and recently it earned a prestigious NASCIO State IT Recognition Award. Cyber Dawg and other award winners were announced at the virtual annual conference of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers in mid-October.

NASCIO honored Cyber Dawg in the cybersecurity award category. The multi-agency security exercise debuted in May 2019 and was hosted at the Georgia Cyber Center in Augusta. It brought together information security professionals from six state agencies and, through a special partnership, the far-away Republic of Georgia. GTA led the event and collaborated closely with the Georgia National Guard in conducting the exercise. It provided invaluable practice for state cybersecurity team members in live-action scenarios, in this case, defending against mock ransomware attacks. And, it fostered connections across agencies in the campaign to safeguard state systems and information.

We’re onto something good with Cyber Dawg and plan to hold it annually. We hope to expand to serve Georgia local government and their cybersecurity team members. The 2020 virtual edition (see details in article below) involved more education sessions and individual practice, with security professionals participating remotely.

Recent national recognition for Georgia’s state government IT doesn’t end there. Our new digital platform, GovHub, as well as Chief Information Security Officer David Allen have won 2020 StateScoop 50 Awards. GovHub, overseen by GTA’s Digital Services Georgia team, earned a State IT Innovation of the Year award, while David was honored with a State Cybersecurity Leader of the Year award. Members of the state and local government IT community nationwide cast more than one million votes on StateScoop's website to select the winners. Hundreds of nominees were in the running across six award categories.

And, just last week we learned Georgia earned an A, the highest grade possible, in the 2020 Digital States Survey. That reflects the high caliber of work being performed by technology professionals throughout our state government. These A grades are given sparingly by the Center for Digital Government – it’s a tough standard to meet. (See article below.) Your IT contributions across state and local government have helped put Georgia at the top of the class.

We’re not in this for awards. But it’s still satisfying any time others take notice of our collective commitment to Georgia and to supporting it with technology. Congratulations to all those whose work has been recognized. These achievements are shared across teams and organizations, and we can all be proud of our state IT community.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Calvin Rhodes

State Chief Information Officer

GTA Executive Director

This is no easy A: State shines on Digital States Survey 2020

Good news from our latest report card: The state of Georgia earned a grade of A, the highest score possible, in the 2020 Digital States Survey. Not only that, Georgia also ranked among the top three states in the Leadership category.

What does it take to get this A? Digital States criteria say it indicates a state that is demonstrating "strong innovation, high performing solutions with verifiable impacts across all categories. Excellent practices have been applied in all aspects of operations, governance and administration."

States are judged every two years by the Center for Digital Government, a national research and advisory institute focused on information technology policies and best practices in state and local governments. Over the last nearly 25 years, the center has evaluated states' use of technology to improve service delivery, increase capacity, streamline operations, and reach policy goals. Each state is then assigned a letter grade based on quantifiable results.

Georgia's A marks its second consecutive top score going back to the 2018 survey. (The state earned an A- in 2016). Georgia shares the A status this year with only four other states: Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Utah. That’s select company to be in. It reinforces Georgia's status as one of the nation's leading states in the use of technology to serve its citizens and improve government efficiency.

The category of Leadership gauges a state's technology strategy on consistency and support of the governor’s priorities, as well as effectiveness of collaboration with agencies on programs, planning and policies.

Cybersecurity events help keep defense tuned and ready

This year’s version of Cyber Dawg was a slightly different breed. As with so many events in 2020, it went virtual. Participants connected remotely in late September and built important new skills for protecting state systems and data. Hosted by the GTA Office of Information Security (OIS), the three-day training session capitalized on the Cyber Range at the Georgia Cyber Center for hands-on practice and education. Sixty-five participants representing 21 organizations gained skills for pursuing the next step in cyber certification and improving operations at the organizational level.

Plus, with October marking National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, CISO David Allen and GTA’s OIS team organized a virtual Georgia Cyber Summit October 2. This first annual event, hosted in cooperation with the Cyber Center and Augusta University, brought together partners in federal and state government as well as private industry to build cyber knowledge among state and local government professionals. The agenda featured speakers and panelists representing U.S. Army Cyber Command, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the GBI Cyber Crime Center, among other agencies and organizations.

A Digital Government Summit

for these pandemic times

When you’re not going to sit together for presentations, talk together during breaks, or be immersed together in the occasion, it’s going to be a different kind of summit. It was. But the 2020 Georgia Digital Government Summit in early October demonstrated it could adjust successfully to be both effective and reflective of these unique times.

The summit's virtual sessions highlighted themes in state and local government that have emerged in a year marked by pandemic response:

Renewing our commitment to serving the citizens who count on us.
Leading with innovative ideas and concern for one another.
Recognizing the value of individual strengths and the potential of our collective efforts.
Navigating uncertainty with confidence grounded in experience.
Challenging ourselves to cultivate new skills.
Building partnerships spanning all levels of government as well as the private sector.
Focusing on the “why” of our mission.

Topics reflected the kinds of considerations that matter most today: succeeding in the face of disruption, cloud computing options, heightened cybersecurity risks, remote work vs. in-office, and crucial IT modernization. There was even a timely session on improving how you come across in video conferences. The summit closed with presentation of the annual GTA-sponsored Technology Innovation Showcase awards.

Briefly ...

The Georgia Broadband Deployment Initiative (GBDI) and its July release of data-rich statewide broadband maps have generated broad interest. No more guessing about where broadband service gaps are in Georgia. It’s invaluable information to Georgia cities, counties and broadband service providers as they work together to better serve communities. Plus, the mapping exercise has other government entities asking how we did it and how they could learn from Georgia. The GBDI team, led by the Department of Community Affairs and GTA, has been asked to present to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, NASCIO, the National Association of Counties, and the Georgia Department of Economic Development, among other organizations.

The list of IT challenges entangled in COVID-19 response includes how to sustain what were previously routine, automated computer system updates to software, security tools, operating systems and more. The kind of update your agency’s IT team might’ve set up to run overnight in the office, leaving your PC ready for action the following morning when you returned to your desk. In a period of widespread remote work, tactics have had to change. In the GETS community, GTA and service provider NTT DATA have adopted more creative approaches to delivering computer updates like the Windows 10, version 1909 upgrade going on now. In that instance, as well the introduction of multi-factor authentication for Office 365 access, agency staff may find they’re taking on a more active role. It’s a sign of the times, and it’s crucial that staff make the effort as the updates so often have cybersecurity implications if left undone.

GTA has published a technology guideline for the remote worker that details essential steps all should take to protect state equipment, assets, data and systems while teleworking. These range from simple actions like enabling a password-protected screensaver and maintaining up-to-date anti-virus software, to secure use of removable USB storage and web conferencing tools like Zoom. Intended as a complement to the state’s updated telecommuting policy from DOAS, the guideline also provides recommendations on patch management for the state’s remote workers, use of personal devices for conducting state business, acceptable use of state-issued equipment, and more. The technology guideline is accessible on the policies, standards and guidelines section of GTA’s website. (Search term: Technology Guideline for the Remote Worker).

You don’t wait for a convenient time to perform a DR exercise if you hope to get it done. So, even with all the pressing business this year has brought, GETS teams resolved to proceed with preparations for an annual disaster recovery exercise in 2020. And in early October they completed a week-long exercise, ensuring that DR continues to be a GETS priority. A half-dozen agencies participated. GETS server services provider Unisys played a central role, in collaboration with AT&T, Atos, Capgemini and GTA. Technology enhancements allowed growth in GETS DR capabilities, including quicker recovery times and broader testing. In a year where so many activities have shifted to virtual, the 2020 exercise provided opportunity to gauge remote recovery abilities, as well as needs for improvements.

Fall usually brings the GTA Charity Golf Tournament and a chance for state agency staff to join with GETS service provider staff on the golf course, raising funds for the State Charitable Contributions Program (SCCP). Organizers were disappointed to have to cancel the 2020 event given COVID-19 considerations, but all look forward to a not-too-distant time when the tournament can resume. SCCP carries on in 2020 with a theme of Compassion in Difficult Times.