State CIO Priorities for 2019 – Security and Cloud Services remain a key focus for State Technology Leaders

LEXINGTON, Ky., Thursday, December 6 — In its annual message to the marketplace, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has released the state technology leaders’ top priorities for the coming year. Security remains the top priority for the sixth year running with no change in the top four priorities from 2018.  The prioritized rankings of strategies and technologies reflect voting by forty-nine state CIOs and are available for download at www.NASCIO.org/topten.

Digital government remains as a high priority and is receiving more attention from state CIOs and agencies.  This is reflective of the increase in citizen expectations for how they want to do business with state government.

“In addition to the duty to safeguard state systems and citizen information, increasing efficiency and fostering innovation are clearly indicated as key objectives for state CIOs in 2019”, said James Collins, NASCIO president and chief information officer for the state of Delaware.  “It is promising to see that states also plan to focus on expanding partnerships and leveraging the power of data analytics for public good. Partnerships with state agencies and private IT companies are key ingredients for transitioning to NASCIO’s ‘CIO as Broker’ operating model.”

 “Identity and access management (IAM) appears on the top ten list for the first time,” remarked NASCIO Executive Director Doug Robinson. “Enterprise IAM approaches and solutions are gaining more traction in the states and are essential for managing secure employee access and supporting digital government platforms for citizens.”

NASCIO utilizes the annual list of priorities to develop strategic areas of focus for the coming year, formulate new committees and working groups and plan NASCIO conference sessions and publications.