State CIOs Lead Digital Services Efforts to Improve Citizen Experience

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New Report Reveals Significant Lessons Learned During COVID-19 Pandemic

Seattle, Wash., October 11, 2021 – The ongoing response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly accelerated digital transformation within state governments on numerous fronts and placed the state Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the center of much of this work, according to the 2021 State CIO Survey, Driving Digital Acceleration. The report examines key issues related to the impact of COVID-19 such as digital government, remote workforce models, cybersecurity and broadband networks.

The state CIO survey, which has been published annually for the last 12 years, includes responses from 49 state and territory CIOs and is the product of a partnership between the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO), Grant Thornton LLC and CompTIA.

“State CIOs are well positioned to effectively shepherd their states toward and through significant digital evolution on several levels,” NASCIO Executive Director Doug Robinson commented. “State leaders will continue to look to state CIOs to leverage and build on the progress made over the past year.”

“For state CIOs, there is no returning to pre-pandemic business models,” said Graeme Finley, principal at Grant Thornton. “The pandemic highlighted the value of technology and how critical it is in the delivery of government services and to the productivity of state employees.”

“While 2021 was still very much dominated by a state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the results of this survey revealed a strong desire for government technology leaders to embrace these challenges and look for opportunities to improve how state agencies interact
with and serve citizens and customers,” added Jordan Kroll, Director of Public Sector at CompTIA. “This ongoing focus on digital government, along with the shift to hybrid and remote work permanently, have fundamentally changed and elevated the role of state CIO.”

The 2021 State CIO Survey also highlights adoption of cloud, emerging technologies and legacy modernization within state government. The complete report, Driving Digital Acceleration, is available here.

NASCIO Contact

Meredith Ward
Director of Policy and Research
National Association of State Chief Information Officers
859.514.9209
[email protected]

NASCIO Observes Electronic Records Day

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Lexington, Ky., Friday, October 8, 2021 — Today, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) is observing Electronic Records Day, sponsored by the Council of State Archivists (CoSA). Electronic Records Day is celebrated every year in October as an opportunity to share what states and organizations are doing to manage digital resources and preserve electronic records.

In recognition of Electronic Records Day, CoSA has worked to raise community awareness of digital records and of the need to manage and preserve them. CoSA reminds us that electronic records need regular attention and care in order to remain accessible. Join NASCIO and CoSA in raising awareness of digital records and the importance of their preservation.

For more information on Electronic Records Day and tips on managing e-records, visit CoSA’s website: www.statearchivists.org.

NASCIO Contact

Meredith Ward
Director of Policy and Research
National Association of State Chief Information Officers
859.514.9209
[email protected]

NASCIO Issues Primer on States’ Use of Low-Code / No-Code Software

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Lexington, Ky., Thursday, September 30, 2021 — The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) today released The Need for Speed: Why State CIOs are Turning to Low-Code and No-Code Software Development. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of low-code / no-code software development by states by providing the business case for how this technology can be used. The publication, based on extensive interviews with both state chief information officers (CIOs) and NASCIO private sector members, outlines some of those use cases, the upsides, the downsides and strategies for success.

Denis Goulet, NASCIO President and Commissioner and CIO for the State of New Hampshire, commented, “State CIOs are constantly looking for ways to innovate and streamline operations in state government. Low-code / no-code platforms have proven themselves as a way to lower costs, fill gaps in the state IT workforce and respond to citizen needs much more quickly.”

To read the publication, visit NASCIO’s Resource Center.

 

NASCIO Contact

Meredith Ward
Director of Policy and Research
National Association of State Chief Information Officers
859.514.9209
[email protected]

NASCIO Makes the Case for Insight Enabling Analytics

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Lexington, Ky., Wednesday, September 8, 2021 — The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) today released Making the Case for Insight Enabling Analytics. As data analytics is playing an increasing role in service delivery for states, state chief information officers (CIOs) are often taking the lead in these efforts. The publication includes considerations for enabling data analytics and creating a data analytics ecosystem.

Denis Goulet, NASCIO President and Commissioner and CIO for the State of New Hampshire, commented, “Data analytics is on the CIO Top 10 for 2021 and has played an increasingly important role during the last few years. We expect it to become even more critical in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The publication also includes recommended actions for states to use when enabling data analytics. To read the publication, visit NASCIO’s Resource Center.

 

NASCIO Contact

Meredith Ward
Director of Policy and Research
National Association of State Chief Information Officers
859.514.9209
[email protected]

NASCIO Announces Finalists for 2021 NASCIO State IT Recognition Awards

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Lexington, Ky., Tuesday, August 31, 2021 —The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has selected 30 finalists across 10 categories for the State IT Recognition Awards. Projects and initiatives from NASCIO member states and territories were eligible for nomination. Over 60 NASCIO members served as volunteer judges to review the over 110 submissions, narrowing the nominees down to three finalists in each category. From these finalists, a recipient from each category will be announced during the NASCIO Annual Conference in October.

The award nominations showcase the use of information technology to address critical business problems, more easily connect citizens to their government, improve business processes and create new opportunities that improve the lives of citizens. To ensure states have access to the innovations and leading practices of their peers, all award submissions have been added to NASCIO’s Awards Library.

Award finalists for the 2021 State IT Recognition Awards are:

Business Process Innovations 
State of California: Less Clicks, More Care: Automating COVID-19 Testing & Results Letters
State of Georgia: Halt! Who goes there? Georgia DOL’s Identity Verification Project
Commonwealth of Virginia: The Virginia IT Agency’s Fast-Tracked Digital Transformation

Cross-Boundary Collaboration & Partnerships 
State of Connecticut: Contact Tracing Innovation – ContaCT
State of Illinois: Illinois Drive-up Wi-Fi Map
State of Nebraska: Bottling Lightning: IT “Happened in Nebraska”

Cybersecurity 
State of Minnesota: Securing State Payment Card Data for Minnesotans
State of North Carolina: NC’s Whole of State Approach to Cybersecurity: Working across the State to  Prepare, Prevent and Support
State of Ohio: Bringing Power to the People: Self-service Tools & Account Transparency

Data Management, Analytics & Visualization 
State of Georgia: From Here to Broadband Access: The Georgia Broadband Map
State of North Carolina: Bridging the Data Divide and Bringing Health Equity
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: Opioid Open Data Dashboard Project

Digital Government: Government to Business 
State of Colorado: Simplifying Colorado’s Sales & Use Tax Filings
State of Michigan: Michigan Liquor Ordering (MILO)
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: Construction Documentation System Version 3

Digital Government: Government to Citizen 
State of Louisiana: Virtualizing Disaster SNAP
State of Ohio: Advancing Ohio Data Transparency and Access
State of Tennessee: MyTN: Digitizing and Transforming the Citizen Experience with Tennessee

Emerging & Innovative Technologies  
State of Colorado: Bolstering Law Enforcement Safety with Colorado Digital ID
State of Minnesota: MNbenefits: Piloting Secure Self-Service for Minnesota’s Benefits
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer Robotic Process Automation

Enterprise IT Management Initiatives 
State of Indiana: Access Indiana: Building & Deploying the Next Generation Citizen & Business Authentication System
State of North Carolina: North Carolina is a Leader in the Nation for Next Gen 911
State of Tennessee: Tennessee’s IT Budget Transformation

Information Communications Technology (ICT) Innovations  
State of Colorado: Transforming Raw Data into Actionable Insight with Location Intelligence
State of Minnesota: Communicating P-EBT Benefits to Families When Schools Closed
State of North Carolina: Solving Claim Status Questions Through Automation: Unemployment Benefit Claim Status Solution

State CIO Office Special Recognition 
State of California: My Turn: California’s Front Door to Vaccine Access
State of Connecticut: Triumph Through Tragedy
State of Minnesota: Innovation Informs Minnesotans about COVID-19 Resources, Risks, and Guidance

NASCIO Contact
Emily Lane
Programs and Brand Director
National Association of State Chief Information Officers
859.514.9167

NASCIO Issues Primer on Business Relationship Management, Call to Action for States

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LEXINGTON, Ky., Wednesday, July 28, 2021 — The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) today released Business Relationship Management and the New CIO Operating Model. The publication explores an emerging initiative that NASCIO President Denis Goulet has focused on during his presidency: business relationship management (BRM). This this work builds on NASCIO’s previous efforts on CIO as Broker and customer relationship management and to emphasize mature vendor relationship management capabilities in state government.

Goulet, who is Commissioner and Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the State of New Hampshire, commented, “the office of the state CIO is a trusted advisor to agencies and is a key member of the strategy team. Now, more than ever, state CIOs have the opportunity and responsibility to build relationships among agencies, private sector partners and other key players.”

As emphasized in the primer, “the [BRM] focus is more on evolving relationships that travel together, learn together, share risks and rewards. Relationships are not abandoned when failure occurs or is anticipated. Instead, course corrections are made to ensure projects, programs and management initiatives don’t fail but rather adjust, pivot, learn and move on.”

The publication also includes five calls to action for states and territories to get started with BRM. To read the publication, visit NASCIO’s Resource Center.

NASCIO Contact
Meredith Ward
Director of Policy and Research
National Association of State Chief Information Officers
859.514.9209

NASCIO Members Give Back to Girls in Tech

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LEXINGTON, Ky., Thursday, June 10, 2021— In conjunction with its 2021 Midyear Conference, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) provided a $14,615 donation to Girls in Technology (GIT). GIT is led by an all-volunteer committee of Women in Technology members who are dedicated to initiating programs designed to excite, inspire, create awareness and educate girls in grades 6 through 12 about the vast array of career opportunities in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

GIT programs reach over 500 girls in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. NASCIO Midyear conferences are usually held in the DC metro area and the NASCIO Programs Committee chose to give back to the city even though the conference was held virtually.

Donations were collected virtually during the 2021 NASCIO Midyear Conference and NASCIO state, corporate and nonprofit members donated through individual contributions. NASCIO corporate members Carahsoft, CGI, Citrix, Docusign and Red Hat sponsored this Give Back program and contributed to the donation total.

To learn more about Girls in Technology, visit https://www.womenintechnology.org/girls-in-technology.

NASCIO Contact
Meredith Ward
Director of Policy and Research
National Association of State Chief Information Officers
859.514.9209

NASCIO Honors Connecticut CIO Mark Raymond for 10 Years of Service

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LEXINGTON, Ky., Wednesday, June 2, 2021 — The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) recognizes Connecticut CIO Mark Raymond with the association’s Decade of Leadership Award. Mark celebrates ten years as the CIO for the State of Connecticut today. Mark is one of only a handful of CIOs who have received this recognition from NASCIO.

NASCIO President and New Hampshire Commissioner and CIO Denis Goulet commended Mark saying, “Mark has served in many leadership roles at NASCIO, including as president, and is a constant source of guidance, thought and leadership for me and the other state CIOs around the country.”

As Connecticut CIO, Mark oversees the Department of Administrative Services’ Bureau of Enterprise Systems and Technology as well as the operational responsibilities for the state’s technology infrastructure. During his tenure, Connecticut has reduced spending on technology, focused on sharing of technology solutions across government and improved the security and availability of state systems. Raymond is currently focused on transformation improvements in digital government and optimization of technology across agencies.

In addition to serving as NASCIO president in 2016, Mark has also been a long-time executive committee member, serving as vice president and secretary/treasurer. Mark has long served as the chair of NASCIO’s Cybersecurity Committee and was honored in 2018 with the association’s Meritorious Service Award.

NASCIO Contact
Meredith Ward
Director of Policy and Research
National Association of State Chief Information Officers
859.514.9209

NASCIO Technology Champion Award Honors Colorado DPS Executive Director Stan Hilkey

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Lexington, Ky, Tuesday, May 11, 2021 — The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has awarded Stan Hilkey, the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Public Safety (CDPS), with the association’s 2021 Technology Champion Award. His nomination reads, “change can be difficult in the best of circumstances and when you are responsible for protecting public safety, it is not uncommon to see resistance when it comes to technology. If not implemented properly, the consequences can be severe. Under Director Hilkey’s leadership, CDPS is re-imagining how they deliver service to customers.” Hilkey is encouraging employees to “explore and adopt a wide range of technological solutions that can better serve customers while maintaining their core mission of protecting public safety.”

Hilkey’s leadership has led to the implementation of many advanced technologies, most notably, in helping develop the Colorado Digital ID in myColorado, the State of Colorado’s official mobile app. Specifically, Hilkey championed the innovative concept from the get-go, immediately recognizing the safety benefits that a secure and convenient digital ID would provide state troopers. Digital ID is now being accepted as proof of identity during traffic stops and paving the way for other law enforcement agencies to follow suit.

“The next generation of digital identity has become more important than ever, especially over the last year,” said Denis Goulet, Commissioner and CIO for the State of New Hampshire and NASCIO President. “I am proud to recognize Stan for his visionary leadership.”

NASCIO created the Technology Champion Award in 2003 to recognize outstanding individual contributions to the field of information technology in the public sector. Recipients further NASCIO’s vision of a government in which the public is fully served through the efficient and effective use of technology policy.

Learn more about the NASCIO Technology Champion award and prior recipients at www.nascio.org/awards.

NASCIO Contact
Meredith Ward
Director of Policy and Research
National Association of State Chief Information Officers
859.514.9209

NASCIO, CIS and NASPO Call for Cyber and Acquisition Integration

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LEXINGTON, Ky., Tuesday, April 27, 2021 — The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO), the Center for Internet Security (CIS) and the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) today released Buyer Be Aware: Integrating Cybersecurity into the Acquisition Process. The publication addresses steps state governments should take to ensure cybersecurity is an integral part of the acquisition process.

NASCIO President and New Hampshire Commissioner and CIO Denis Goulet commented, “too often state chief information security officers aren’t consulted about an IT procurement until the end of the process. State CISOs are charged with reducing cybersecurity risk to state governments and cannot be pressured to simply ‘check a box’ when it comes to cybersecurity. The risks are just too great.”

As the publication notes, cybersecurity functions in state government are increasingly being outsourced, however, confidence in third-party vendors is decreasing. Additionally, major cyber incidents in the past year have called into question the security of commonly used software and the COVID-19 pandemic reinforced the importance of supply chain security.

“Managing cybersecurity risk in your organization requires an enterprise and IT level focus on best practices for your systems as well as everything you bring in to integrate with those systems,” said Mike Garcia, Senior Advisor for Cybersecurity for the Center for Internet Security. “The latter means building security into the procurement process by involving the CISO from the beginning and holding vendors to the same standards that you apply to your own organization. Widely accepted and actionable guidance, like the CIS Controls and CIS Benchmarks, are freely available to help all organizations make wise investments during procurements and beyond.”

The publication also calls for a strong partnership between the CIO office, CISO office, procurement office, state agencies and the private sector. Neither the acquisition process nor cybersecurity are trivial components of state government which makes it all the more important that the two are integrated. Anything less than full integration and acceptance of the importance of the two quite simply puts states at a much higher risk.

“Procuring technology is an essential part of the work of our state procurement officer members. It is important for our members to be able to partner with their CIOs, CISOs and agency customers to successfully conduct IT procurements. Those partnerships allow state procurement to understand the software and security elements needed as well as ensure that all specific purchasing requirements are met throughout the process,” said NASPO Chief Executive Officer, Lindle Hatton.

Finally, the publication includes a list of recommendations aimed at assisting state governments in fully integrating cybersecurity into the acquisition process.

NASCIO Contact
Meredith Ward
Director of Policy and Research
National Association of State Chief Information Officers
859.514.9209