GTA Update - Jan-Feb 2022

Update newsletter

Jan-Feb 2022 | Vol. 14, Issue 1

State CIO's column

Successes breed new opportunities for IT to shine

When you’re coming up with answers that work, expect to be called on again. It keeps the pressure on, and all across state government IT organizations, you’re feeling it. That’s where we find ourselves at the start of 2022. It’s “Happy New Year,” and then a quick pivot to the next challenge. We have to take care of ourselves if we’re to stay ready to come through for the agencies we serve.

Part of that self-care means ensuring the good health of the state’s technology enterprise, making it strong, versatile and nimble. That’s central to our focus at GTA. Like you, we want a state IT enterprise that can withstand challenges like cyber attacks or pandemic, and be ever-ready to accommodate newly arising needs. The stakes are high. Citizens, as well as the government agencies that serve them, rely daily on technology systems to make government accessible, responsive, accountable, and secure.

Georgia’s technology enterprise proved resilient in 2021. Even as the COVID-19 public health crisis continued, the state bolstered its networks and cyber defenses. Georgia government found novel ways to meet citizens’ pressing needs for information and services. That’s your work, and the achievements reflect well on you.

Since coming to GTA last July, I have committed to supporting agencies in delivery of the critical services you provide. Be assured, all the GTA teams you interact with share that commitment too. We’re building on a strong foundation. Our state can claim national leadership in use of technology. And to advance the IT enterprise further still, GTA will target four emphases in the year ahead:

Promoting customer service and citizen engagement, using technology as a tool to help agencies improve operational efficiency.
Strengthening the state’s cybersecurity posture, redoubling efforts to stay ahead of cyber threats and equip agencies with tools and information.
Aiding agencies in implementing transformational solutions, with an emphasis on migrating systems to the cloud.
Improving digital solutions required for a modern work environment, with the tools and connectivity to support both at-home and in-office work.

GTA has on our side the strength of valued partnerships with all of you. We'll capitalize on those again in 2022 as we continue to focus on serving Georgians, protecting state systems and data, and supporting state agencies in their use of technology. The pressure doesn’t let up, but neither does our collective commitment to using technology to enable even more effective government for our state. Here’s wishing you a strong start to a bright new year.

Shawnzia Thomas

State Chief Information Officer

GTA Executive Director

Accelerating toward the cloud, with a solid footing

Some trends you expect to continue, and the proliferation of cloud computing services is easily one of those. More and more agencies are using cloud services to replace on-premise computing at the state’s data center. GTA looks to help guide agencies in that work and is developing a cloud computing implementation and migration strategy to promote successful changes in “altitude.”

Moving agency computer systems to cloud environments is an element of Governor Kemp’s initiative of making Georgia a technology leader. It’s not a brand-new notion, but efforts are now accelerating. Last year the state’s Department of Revenue, for instance, successfully migrated its integrated tax system to the cloud and has realized savings of more than 40 percent. DOR and other agencies that will follow suit are attracted to the speed, flexibility and cost management control that cloud services offer.

It’s not all about cost saving, though certainly sometimes cloud services come with prospects of reduced spending. Ongoing operational costs have to be considered along with cloud migration costs, management responsibilities, IT staff skill sets, and application readiness for transformation to a cloud setting. Cloud server environments will vary, just as agency application needs vary.

GTA is putting in place common controls and guardrails across cloud environments (e.g., security, networking, incident response) and then encouraging tailoring to the needs of each application. That facilitates setting up cloud services that agencies can manage directly, while ensuring enterprise standards that benefit all agencies. Initially, cloud options will be concentrated in Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure environments. The state hopes to benefit from volume discounts and more attractive pricing than could be secured by an agency acting alone.

In the weeks ahead, a cloud assessment will begin to evaluate agency readiness. Cloud computing policies and standards are being drafted. And later this month, GTA will convene a CIO Council to collaborate with agency CIOs on cloud implementation/migration, as well as other strategic objectives to advance the state’s IT enterprise. Near-term council meetings, led by state CIO Shawnzia Thomas, will involve the GETS full-service agencies, with intentions of next extending the forum to additional agencies.

GTA is mobilizing the cloud initiative under leadership of its Chief Cloud Officer Dmitry Kagansky who joined the team last fall. In his previous work, Dmitry has collaborated with state agencies across the country (including Georgia) on cloud implementations and migrations. More detailed news will follow.

Connecting more than ever with Georgians, where they are

How do we talk to Georgians? The Digital Services Georgia (DSGa) team within GTA manages one of the most powerful broadcast channels, in partnership with Georgia agencies. GovHub is Georgia’s web publishing platform, and under DSGa’s direction, it continues to refine the way Georgia government interacts with the citizens it serves.

GovHub now hosts more than 80 agency websites, and since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, several key sites in that family have capitalized on chatbots to help deliver information to Georgians in need. Better than two million inquiries have been fielded in the short time since those chatbots were introduced.

The state’s flagship website, Georgia.gov, has accommodated some 400 thousand visitors seeking COVID-19 vaccine information. Upwards of 110 state service information pages include 14 how-to guides on such topics as moving to Georgia and starting a business, among much more. Most-viewed topics include registering for a business license, applying for a firearms license, and applying for SNAP benefits.

Through its education and training programs, DSGa continues to equip state agencies to best manage their digital presence. They continue to expand their on-demand learning offerings. And their 14^th GOVTalks conference in April 2021 for an audience of agency web administrators explored building digital maturity.

DSGA is also continuously studying how users and site editors interact with state websites on the GovHub platform. Why? Because millions of folks use those websites. That’s a lot of talking to Georgians. It pays to choose your words carefully.

Briefly ...

It’s nearly time again to nominate your innovative IT projects for recognition in the GTA-sponsored Technology Innovation Showcase. The 2022 edition of the showcase, now in its 11th year, will soon start accepting new entries from Georgia state and local government entities. Projects receiving top honors in last year's showcase ranged from minimizing fraudulent unemployment insurance claims to intelligent barcodes for mail routing to an electronic platform for agriculture inspections. State agencies ranging from Labor to Driver Services to Transportation were among the honorees. More than just an awards program, the showcase facilitates learning from your Georgia government peers and their technology-enabled projects. It promotes exchange of ideas for innovative uses of technology to deliver the services citizens need today. Watch the GTA website for a call for entries.

The Annual State IT Report highlights the wide-ranging accomplishments of Georgia IT. GTA anticipates publishing the FY 2021 edition soon. Themes will likely include the state's technology response to ongoing pandemic challenges, cyber defense against increasingly aggressive attackers, promotion of broadband service expansion in Georgia’s underserved communities, the state's shared IT services program, Georgia’s digital presence, and national recognition for Georgia’s leadership in state government IT. Watch the GTA website for announcement of the report's availability.

The Office of Information Security within GTA recently announced the Security Awareness Training program’s 2022 schedule, as approved by the state’s Cybersecurity Board. Now in its third year, the program’s format continues to key on quarterly training segments to be completed by state employees at executive branch agencies. Paired with mock phishing campaigns, the training is crucial to effective defense of state systems and data against cyber threats. Training administrators can email questions to the Atos support team via dl-us-gta-sat@atos.net.