Idaho has made regular progress in its major computer consolidation initiative in the past 12 months, better positioning the Office of Information Technology Services (Son) to advance cybersecurity And artificial intelligence (AI), and allowing support for state agencies and localities.
Sound, under the direction of the IOC and the administrator Alberto Gonzalezhas been Work regularly to consolidate IT services For more than 50 agencies. Recent The staff change in their supported this work.
The consolidation process was launched by the adoption by the state legislature House Bill 607 In 2018, which not only established its within the Governor’s office, but called for the operation of IT services for state agencies.
According to Gonzalez, in the past year, six other agencies have been consolidated. There are only three agencies out of more than 50 left to be consolidated; He said that the state is about two exercises from the absence of finishing this.
“This process – a large part of organizational change management, understanding technical debt, normalization of our practices – was a serious journey,” said Gonzalez.
He explained that although the size of the states differs, their change management process is similar in terms of consolidation. Idaho’s approach, he said, has involved close collaboration with state agencies to understand their unique technology needs in their work.
At the level of the company, it will allow the State to advance technological initiatives in other areas, including cybersecurity. For several years, the National Guard has worked with the State of Idaho for innovative training for preparation. This implies that the National Guard was carrying out a penetration test in which state cybersecurity staff are working to fight threats. Gonzalez said the first two times this test had been carried out, there were major shortcomings that informed the improvement by the state of its cyber posture.
Last year, he said, was the first in which the State was able to repel the vulnerabilities that were exposed in previous years. And in particular, while many states do a similar exercise in a test environment, Gonzalez said that Idaho uses a real – but safe and controlled environment -.
Gonzalez said he would like to see other states implementing a similar cybersecurity test model – and doing it with a real environment, rather than a training environment. He said government agencies in the state and the federal government have expressed their interest in Idaho’s approach. Gonzalez has credited the work of the Idaho Ciso Jerred Edgar for having managed to develop a reproducible cybersecurity program.
“I think my hearts DSI and Ciso should follow this roadmap here,” said Gonzalez. The state, he noted, plans to apply the same formula to support local governments in their cybersecurity assessment and sanitation planning.
Idaho will take advantage of subsidy financing to help its many rural cities and the counties to receive advice, support and services from the Central IT of the State. This work with the localities will not be based solely on subsidies such as the cybersecurity and infrastructure cybersecurity subsidy program, but independently said, officials intend to combat cybersecurity in an innovative way such as the interagence and the cross collaboration of the sector.
“I think there is a reader here so that we are better in the cybersecurity space and in computer space, so that (localities) can be innovative and provide better citizens’ services,” said Gonzalez .
The leaders also progress on the AI. The State has gradually created an AI policy in the past year; And last year, the state legislature created an AI committee.
An investigation revealed that around a quarter of state employees used AI without appropriate control, said Gonzalez, a conclusion that established a feeling of urgency in the state. Meetings in the next two weeks will help the State to move its approach – because, as he said, states that do not already create a policy or an AI or the railing establishment are late.
“I think there is an emergency now because it is used – whether you like it or not,” said Gonzalez.
It is also impatient to see improved data governance due to the advancement of the AI, he said, indicating effective data and the governance of the AI will allow the State to take advantage of the ‘Efficiency that AI technologies could bring.
Gonzalez said he would probably be up to the task of providing an AI temporary framework for agencies, which he hopes will be completed in the coming months. He plans to work with the legislators for a non -partisan approach to the creation of the resource.
Idaho also progressed last year in the commitment of citizens, said Gonzalez. This improvement was made possible thanks to a change to a contract old several decades with Tyler Technologies. The change allowed the State to go from a centralized payment processing service to a state -controlled version.
While Tyler Technologies still supports the State by other means, it is now able to control the management of websites, mobile engagement and the improvement of the commitment of citizens as a whole; Gonzalez said the ability to control these things was a “significant improvement” for the state in the past year. Since the update, several websites have already been converted to a state -controlled citizen commitment.