NASCIO Endorses National Cyber Security Awareness Month

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LEXINGTON, Ky., Wednesday, September 25 — Recognizing the importance of protecting citizen data and raising awareness of security threats, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) supports October 2013 as National Cyber Security Awareness Month. This October marks the 10th Anniversary of National Cyber Security Awareness Month and for this observance, NASCIO has updated its Resource Guide for State Cybersecurity Awareness, Education, and Training Initiatives. Visit NASCIO’s Cybersecurity Awareness resource page to learn more www.nascio.org/advocacy/cybersecurity/.

“It is only fitting that this year’s theme for the 10th Anniversary of National Cyber Security Awareness Month is Our Shared Responsibility. NASCIO and the state CIOs understand that the Internet is the responsibility of everyone and each of us must do our part in securing a safer digital world,” said Brenda Decker, NASCIO president and Nebraska chief information officer. “This year states are increasing cybersecurity education through contests, exercises, events, trainings, boot camps, and promotions for audiences ranging from state government employees to citizens to children.”

NASCIO has again joined forces with the Department of Homeland Security’s National Cybersecurity Division, the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center and the National Cyber Security Alliance in supporting National Cyber Security Awareness Month, which is designed to increase the public’s awareness of cybersecurity and crime issues so citizens can take precautions to avoid those threats on the Internet. Public relations activities, educational programs, events and initiatives that target home users, small businesses, education audiences (K-12 and higher education), and child safety online will be featured throughout October. To find out more about participating in National Cyber Security Awareness Month, please visit www.staysafeonline.org.  

NASCIO is a Proud Partner in National Health IT Week 2013

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LEXINGTON, Ky., Monday, September 16 — This September, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) — a partner in the advancement of health information technology to help improve healthcare — is joining approximately 200 public and private sector organizations to participate in the 8th Annual National Health IT Week (September 16-20, 2013).  National Health IT Week 2013 is the premier event offering all healthcare stakeholders an opportunity to unite under one banner, expressing the benefits that health information technology (IT) brings to U.S. healthcare. “One Voice, One Vision.”

Comprehensive health care reform is not possible without system-wide adoption of health information technology, which improves the quality of healthcare delivery, increases patient safety, decreases medical errors, and strengthens the interaction between patients and healthcare providers.

Initiated in 2006 by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), National Health IT Week has emerged as a landmark occasion for using health IT as part of the overall solution to improve America’s healthcare as a bipartisan, federally led, market driven initiative.

The Week consists of events in Washington DC and across the country, including National Health IT Week 2013 participants —vendors, provider organizations, payers, pharmaceutical/biotech companies, government agencies, industry/professional associations, research foundations, and consumer protection groups— all working together to elevate national attention to the advantages of advancing health IT.

Visit www.HealthITWeek.org for a full list of partners and updates on the Week’s activities. Working together with our growing coalition of stakeholders, NASCIO is helping to transform healthcare for all.

NASCIO Addresses IT Procurement Risk in States

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LEXINGTON, Ky., Wednesday, September 4 — The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) released an issue brief focusing on state information technology (IT) procurement risk. The NASCIO Procurement Modernization Committee, in partnership with TechAmerica and the National Association of State Procurement Officials, continues to focus on state IT procurement reforms and highlight best practices at the state level. This brief is the third in a series of recommendations set forth by this collaborative.

In the 2012 State CIO Survey: Advancing the C4 Agenda, 46 percent of state chief information officers (CIOs) expressed some form of dissatisfaction with the current form of IT procurement in their states. Taking these frustrations to heart, NASCIO has sought ways to encourage collaboration between CIOs, chief procurement officials and private information technology sector vendors.

Alex Pettit, co-chair of the NASCIO Procurement Modernization Committee and chief information officer for the state of Oklahoma said, “Procurement risk is something that all CIOs deal with and something we wanted to examine closely. The goal of this publication is to present information and options to CIOs to help them to get the conversation started in their states.”

The purpose of the brief is to highlight some of the strategies used to first identify, then to avoid, transfer, mitigate, and ultimately accept the risks associated with the procurement of IT products or services. Although not all risks can be identified, the goal should be to understand how much risk is associated with a specific IT procurement and what tools, processes, benchmarks, and methodologies are available to uniquely address IT procurement risks.

For more information and to view the issue brief, please visit www.NASCIO.org.

NASCIO Honors Exceptional State Initiatives

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Finalists Announced for 2013 NASCIO Recognition Awards

LEXINGTON, Ky., Thursday, August 15 — Successful information technology initiatives continue to be vital to the success of state government, according to the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO). NASCIO has selected 35 state IT initiatives in 11 categories as finalists for its 2013 Recognition Awards for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Information Technology in State Government. These initiatives deserve to be highlighted and shared in order to promote innovation, foster better government, and engage citizens.

Finalists in NASCIO’s prestigious awards program, which is celebrating its 25th consecutive year, were recently announced, and one initiative in each category will be recognized at NASCIO’s upcoming Annual Conference. Projects and initiatives from NASCIO member states, territories, and the District of Columbia were eligible for nomination, and finalists were selected by NASCIO’s Awards Committee from a field of more than 120 nominees.

“The state recognition award nominations for 2013 demonstrate that states continue to support the public policy goals of state leaders, provide cost-effective service to citizens, and make available solutions that are transferable to other agencies or units of government,” said Claire Bailey, Arkansas director and chief technology officer and co-chair for the NASCIO Awards Committee. “Congratulations to this year’s award finalists, who represent top state IT initiatives across the nation.”

Stu Davis, chief information officer and assistant director and co-chair for the NASCIO Awards Committee said, “More than ever, state information technology best practices should be promoted and shared and the NASCIO Recognition Awards program provides the platform for highlighting leadership, innovation and collaboration. We can all benefit from this year’s compelling collection of nominations.”

To ensure states can access the innovations and best practices of their peers, details about all the nominated projects are posted on NASCIO’s website at www.nascio.org/awards/sit/

Awards finalists in the 2013 program are as follows:

Cross Boundary Collaboration and Partnerships
California: Online Voter Registration
Virginia: Customer Relationship Management
Kansas: KLER Justice Solution
Nebraska: Network Nebraska-Education

Data, Information and Knowledge Management
California: Enhanced Call Tracking System (ECaTS)
Pennsylvania: JNET and PennDOT Facial Recognition Integration
Georgia: The Point Implementation
Michigan: Unemployment Insurance Agency Overpayment Recovery

Digital Government: Government to Business
Utah: Avenue H: Health Insurance Marketplace
California: Electronic Services Expansion Project
Massachusetts: iCORI (Internet- Accessible Criminal Offender Record Information)

Digital Government: Government to Citizen
Nebraska: Handicap Parking Permit Application and Management System
Massachusetts: mTicketing for Commuter Rail and Ferry Services
Utah: myCase: Self-service Account Management for Recipients of Public Assistance

Enterprise IT Management Initiatives
Michigan: Candid Assessment Delivers ICT Roadmap to Drive Improvements
District of Columbia: Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO), Enterprise Contracts Management Services
Minnesota: Managing State IT through Service Level Agreements: An Unprecedented Journey

Fast Track Solutions
Delaware: State Police Mobile Crime Tip Line App (iOS and Android)
Nebraska: Capitol Live Mobile App
Utah: Legislative Bill Watch

Improving State Operations
California: Business Information Systems Project
Massachusetts: Juvenile Justice Enterprise Management System
Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Employee Onboarding

Information Communications Technology
Hawai’i: Mobile Emergency Command Interfaced (MERCI)
New Mexico: Wildfire Watch
California: The Enhanced 9-1-1 Grant Project

Open Government Initiatives
California: Election Results Website
Massachusetts: Open Checkbook
Utah: Open Transportation Data in the Cloud with uGATE and UPlan

Cyber Security
Michigan: Cyber Training 3.0: New Solutions Addressing Escalating Security Risks
Pennsylvania: Managed Enterprise Internet and Security Services
Hawai’i: Single Sign On (SSO) for the Hawai’i State Department of Education

State CIO Office Special Recognition
Virginia: eGov Business Process Re-Engineering
Oregon: Federal Tax Information (FTI) Joint Agency Committee
California: The State of California GeoPortal

Effective Cross-Jurisdictional Collaboration – Governance is Critical!

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LEXINGTON, Ky., Tuesday, July 16 — States and local government are joining up in a myriad of ways to save money and leverage economies of scale in operations to deliver better government services. The recipe for successful cross-jurisdictional collaborations has been explored by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) in its report “What Makes Collaborative Initiatives Work?” One of the key ingredients, if not the key ingredient, is governance. NASCIO has followed up that report with a new release focusing on governance. Several successful collaboratives are presented along with general guidance on governance for cross-jurisdictional collaboration. These reports are available at www.nascio.org/publications.

“With this report, we’re highlighting a key factor to the success of any collaborative,” said Sonny Bhagowalia, co-chair of the NASCIO Cross-Jurisdictional Collaboration working group and chief information officer for the state of Hawaii. “We’re developing a growing library of resources that can assist states and local governments in the evaluation of opportunities for collaboration and the successful implementation of formal arrangements. Our observations and advice on business practices present examples of highly successful collaboratives. Stay tuned to NASCIO for future publications and conference sessions on this very broad scope of cross-jurisdictional collaboration.”

“Governance is the first best or emerging practice we’ve highlighted,” said David Behen, co-chair for the NASCIO Cross-Jurisdictional Collaboration working group and chief information officer for Michigan. “We’re finding opportunities to not only form collaboratives with local government, but also with other countries. As these collaboratives become more inclusive, they also become more complex. That’s where best or emerging practices will become critical. We want to form collaboratives that will be successful right from the start – and be able to sustain that success.”

Collaboration Issues Call-to-Action on Government Guidance

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NASCIO Contributes to three practical decision tools to help government officials
write laws, regulations or guidance

LEXINGTON, Ky., Thursday, June 13 — Six national associations of government officials released a call-to-action guide designed to help promote trust in government by limiting government requirements to those that are essential. The call-to-action was issued jointly by the Association of Government Accountants (AGA), the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO), the Association of Educational Federal Finance Administrators (AEFFA), the National Association of Federal Education Program Administrators (NAFEPA), the National Association of State Auditors Comptrollers & Treasurers (NASACT), and the National Grants Management Association (NGMA).

According to AGA Executive Director Relmond P. Van Daniker, DBA, CPA, “The call-to-action is based on the premise that trust in any government erodes when it places unnecessary burdens on its people.” He said the call-to-action is comprised of three decision tools to help government officials in adopting requirements that are essential, that are expressed in plain writing and that underscore the importance of only collecting data that is needed and that will actually be used.

The tools provide a common way to evaluate the appropriateness and clarity of requirements, and the nature of data needed to assess programs. They include:

Tool 1: Determining Whether a Requirement Should be Included in a Law, Regulation or Guidance

Tool 2: Promoting Clarity through Plain Writing

Tool 3: Obtaining and Protecting Good Data

View the call-to-action guide at www.agacgfm.org/AGA/ToolsResources/documents/CollaborationSeries_Decision-Tree.pdf  

“In an era of tight budgets, this call-to-action offers a concrete tool to help government officials leverage resources, increase program effectiveness and enhance accountability,” according to Van Daniker. “Rather than examine specific statutory or regulatory content, we provide tools to help government officials make decisions that will increase program effectiveness.”

The call-to-action was prepared by the Work Group on Leveraging Resources in Challenging Financial Times (Work Group), operating under the auspices of AGA’s Partnership for Intergovernmental Management and Accountability (Intergovernmental Partnership). The Partnership was established by AGA in September 2007 to open the lines of communication among governments. In developing the call-to-action AGA sought the involvement of associations and individuals who play a key role in developing and implementing a broad cross section of government requirements. Learn more about the Partnership at www.agacgfm.org/Tools—Resources/Intergovernmental-Partnership.aspx.  

About NASCIO
The National Association of State Chief Information Officers is the premier network and resource for state CIOs and a leading advocate for technology policy at all levels of government. NASCIO represents state chief information officers and information technology executives from the states, territories, and the District of Columbia. The primary state government members are senior officials who have executive level and statewide responsibility for information technology leadership. State officials who are involved in agency level information technology management may participate as state members. Representatives from other public sector and non-profit organizations may also participate as associate members. Private sector firms may join as corporate members and participate in the Corporate Leadership Council. For more information about NASCIO visit www.nascio.org.

AMR Management Services provides NASCIO’s executive staff. For more information about AMR visit www.AMRms.com/.

About AGA: AGA is the member organization for financial professionals in government. We lead and encourage change that benefits our field and all citizens. Our networking events, professional certification, publications and ongoing education help members build their skills and advance their careers.www.agacgfm.org  

About AEFFA: AEFFA is a not-for-profit organization for state-level educational finance administrators working primarily with federal funds issues.

About NAFEPA: NAFEPA has been a key organization for educators working with federal programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act since 1974. The organization’s major functions of support, education, training and technical assistance are achieved through publications, an annual conference and a strong state represented board of directors. NAFEPA serves nearly 4,000 members across the nation.

About NASACT: NASACT is the professional organization for officials who have been elected or appointed to the offices of state auditor, state comptroller or state treasurer. www.nasact.org.

About NGMA: NGMA is a thought leader in grants management with members representing all types of grantees and federal agency grantors. NGMA offers a Certified Grants Management Specialist credential and a variety of training events including the Grants Management Body of Knowledge and other current grant topics. www.ngma.org

NASCIO and HIMSS Release Survey on State CIO Views of Health IT Initiatives State CIOs

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LEXINGTON, Ky., Tuesday, June 11 — State CIOs continue to serve as a vital link in health IT transformation, according to a new survey, “The Health IT Landscape in the States: Through the Lens of the State CIO,” released today by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). The publication is available for download on NASCIO’s website atwww.nascio.org/publications and on the HIMSS website in the HIMSS HIE Toolkit.

It is increasingly imperative that states implement an enterprise-wide architecture for the exchange of health information, especially as state CIOs continue to take on varying roles in areas, such as:

• Medicaid Management Information Systems (MMIS);
• Medicaid eligibility systems;
• Data governance;
• Identity management (IdM);
• State health insurance marketplaces;
• State Level Health Information Exchange (SLHIE); and
• Shared services and collaboration.

NASCIO and HIMSS have collaborated to provide a snapshot of how states are responding to the challenge. The survey provides a better depiction of what role, if any, the state CIO is playing in these various efforts.

“State CIOs are wearing many hats when it comes to state health IT projects,” said Doug Robinson, NASCIO executive director. “The focus remains to find ways to collaborate and coordinate IT initiatives from a global or enterprise view.”

This survey, the first in-depth industry study of this nature, includes the findings, detailed analysis, and call to action for states and state CIOs to successfully navigate IT implementation.

“Improving health and healthcare demands a collaborative effort, including the efforts of CIOs at the state level,” says Carla Smith, MA, CNM, FHIMSS, HIMSS Executive Vice President. “This research introduces valuable findings on the current contributions of, and future opportunities for, these state CIOs who are healthcare leaders in their respective locations.”

Visit www.nascio.org to download this new survey.

Visit the HIMSS website to download the paper and learn more about state health IT initiatives. Contact Pam Matthews, RN, MBA, CPHIMS, LFHIMSS, HIMSS senior director, Informatics, at [email protected] for more information on HIEs; contact Tom Keefe, MA, FHIMSS, HIMSS senior director, State Government Affairs, Technology Solutions, at [email protected] for more information on state government initiatives at HIMSS.

About HIMSS
HIMSS is a cause-based, not-for-profit organization focused on better health through information technology (IT). HIMSS leads global efforts to optimize health engagements and care outcomes using information technology. Visit www.himss.org.

HIMSS is a part of HIMSS WorldWide, a cause-based, global enterprise producing health IT thought leadership, education, events, market research and media services around the world. Founded in 1961, HIMSS WorldWide encompasses more than 52,000 individuals, of which more than two-thirds work in healthcare provider, governmental and not-for-profit organizations across the globe, plus over 600 corporations and 250 not-for-profit partner organizations, that share this cause. HIMSS WorldWide, headquartered in Chicago, serves the global health IT community with additional offices in the United States, Europe, and Asia.

NASCIO Reviews Gaps, Risk in State Social Media Brief

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LEXINGTON, Ky., Wednesday, June 5 – the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) today released an issue brief focusing on state use of social media, specifically on state social media participation policies (“SMPP’s”). NASCIO’s Legal Advisory Working Group took a look at 31 SMPPs, which focus specifically on guidance/policy given to state employees regarding their participation in social media.

States have come a long way in the past few years, with the majority implementing social media policies or working towards one. However, some of the gaps found have the potential to open up states to some severe heartburn: including employee discontent, management concerns, public perception and liability.

Doug Robinson, executive director of NASCIO, stated, “80 percent of CIOs rate the future value of social media as high or essential and the majority believes that social media are working to promote innovative state services. It is our goal that the issue brief, and the sample documents included, serves as a tool for CIOs to be able to continue to take the necessary steps to protect their state’s use of social media.”

The issue brief also addresses the inclusion of clauses on confidentiality, ethical conduct, security and privacy, and transparency in SMPP’s. For more information and to view the issue brief, please visit www.nascio.org/publications/.

NASCIO Launches State Mobile Apps Catalog

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LEXINGTON, Ky., Monday, May 13 — The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) developed a new State Mobile Apps Catalog, a collection of over 160 state and territory native mobile apps that users can browse and download for smart phones and tablets. The apps are searchable by state/territory, by category and through an overall browse function.

“This tool offers a convenient way to see what other states are producing in terms of mobile apps, and allowing states to generate ideas for their own state or territory,” said Brenda Decker, NASCIO president and Nebraska CIO. “Some states lead the way in mobile app development and can pose as models for those growing their mobile app capabilities.”

The catalog includes a vast range of topics including; public safety, health and wellness, public assistance, employee assistance, state portal, traffic/road conditions, parks and recreation, plus much more. Visit www.nascio.org/apps to browse through the topics or upload your states native apps.

NASCIO Fly-In Brings State CIOs Priorities to Washington

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WASHINGTON, D.C.—On Wednesday, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) D.C. Fly-In brought together a delegation of state IT leaders with key federal decision makers. Over 50 State CIOs and state technology policy officials engaged in high-level briefings and roundtable discussions with congressional staff, federal agency officials, and NASCIO strategic partners on significant issues impacting state government technology.

NASCIO members discussed pressing intergovernmental technology policy concerns, including the cybersecurity threat to state governments, grant guidance reform, and the FirstNet Public Safety Broadband Network. “The Fly-In is not just an opportunity for us to learn from our partners at the federal level, but also to provide them with the information they need to harness the power of information technology to modernize government at every level—making it more efficient, effective, and transparent for our citizens,” said Brenda Decker, NASCIO president and CIO for the state of Nebraska.