FY 2011 Statewide Strategic IT Plan

2

From the Desk of the State CIO

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Executive Summery

4

Arizona's IT Vision

7

Ongoing and Successfully Completed Projects of FY2010.

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Arizona Statewide IT Goals

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State Trends—Moving Forward

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Making IT Real

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FY 2011 Statewide Strategic IT Plan

CHADKIRKPATRICK
From the Desk of the State CIO
GITA is committed to a brighter future for all Arizonans.
As the state agency for Arizona’s government information
technology, we see many areas where new and improved
use of technology can provide better government services
to Arizona’s taxpayers - and at lower a cost.
Since becoming Governor of Arizona, Jan Brewer has
shown leadership, vision and determination in solving our
state’s budget crisis. It is under her direction that the
Statewide Strategic Information Technology Plan has
become more focused on using technology to provide
better government services at a lower cost, while
protecting taxpayers’ dollars.
This year’s top five priorities are Efficiency & Cost Savings, Enabling the Private Sector, Citizen
Engagement, Government Effectiveness and Security & Privacy. By focusing on these five goals, we
can create a government that is even more cost-effective, transparent and accountable.
Many state agencies, boards and commissions collaborated to identify the technologies and best
practices that are in this report. GITA is appreciative of their ideas and input. By coming together as
“One Arizona Government,” we will successfully implement these recommendations.
I am very excited about this plan. By adhering closely to the goals and recommendations described in
the FY 2011 Statewide Strategic IT Plan, Arizona is set to confront the challenges facing us. This plan
will help us make wise use of our technology resources and create a government for all of Arizona’s
citizens.

Chad Kirkpatrick
State CIO & Director of Government Information Technology Agency (GITA)

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FY 2011 Statewide Strategic IT Plan
Executive Summary
The Government Information Technology Agency (GITA) is chartered to create the Statewide
Strategic Information Technology Plan under A.R.S. 41-3504A(1). This plan is reviewed and updated
annually.
In FY2010, GITA dedicated serious efforts to engage agencies in formulating a plan that is relevant to
the prevailing conditions of the state and focused on providing short-term and long-term directions
that are clear, measurable and achievable. Engagement has resulted in better stakeholder buy-in,
creating a collaborative environment and a collective ownership of the plan. It identifies enterprise
drivers, articulates a vision, sets statewide goals, describes progress made, and analyzes trends.

In the face of a deep recession,
governments the world over are
faced with tough choices. Leadership
is challenged with providing
direction under limited budgets.
Government needs to be responsive
and adopt new methods and tools to
meet citizens’ needs.
Many state agency CIOs came
together to form the Statewide Strategic IT Committee. Meetings were
held and a formal process was used
and guided by professionals in order
to produce the five goals that have
been identified as priorities for FY2011. They are:

Efficiency & Cost Savings
Enabling the Private Sector
Citizen Engagement
Government Effectiveness
Security & Privacy

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FY 2011 Statewide Strategic IT Plan
Efficiency & Cost Savings is the top priority this year and was the top priority last year. Savings to the
taxpayer are already being achieved. As we move forward, several new areas for cost savings are
becoming evident including virtualization, power management, and cellular & wired communications.

Enabling the Private Sector is the key to the economic revival in Arizona. The state is developing a
friendlier business environment. At GITA, we are assisting by providing broadband enhancements,
increased use of e-commerce through the State Web Portal and by streamlining the new business
registration process. The state is also actively engaging the private sector to identify areas for further
collaboration that ultimately benefits the citizens of Arizona.

Citizen Engagement is increasing dramatically due to the emergence of Web 2.0 technologies. Social
media and networking sites can help define and influence the state. Government 2.0 includes
leveraging stakeholder developed tools through exciting projects that bring government to the
fingertips of the citizens. One such project, Apps for AZ, brings together talented software developers
and creative designers across Arizona, to lend their expertise in the creation of new and interactive
applications. This process strives to bring the citizens of Arizona closer to the processes of government
by providing information they can use.

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FY 2011 Statewide Strategic IT Plan
Government Effectiveness is a critical requirement in meeting increased
demands for service delivery from an information rich society. The Commission
on Privatization and Efficiency (COPE), which was established in January of
2010, is moving forward with its efforts to streamline state government
operations, improve Public Safety Interoperable Communications, and
Geographical Information System (GIS) enabled partnerships with different arms
of government. IT Project Management and process optimization help to
enhance citizens’ experience with government. There has been an emphasis on
professional training and certifications to keep pace with the rapidly changing
world of technology.

Security & Privacy bears an
importance that cannot be
understated. As the custodians of
citizens information, along with
overall responsibility for state
security, the state government is
continuously working to solve
issues surrounding IT security,
privacy, cyber incidents, terrorism and threats with improved detection and response systems. Policies
and Standards are reviewed and developed in this sensitive area relating to governance, business
alignment, risk assessment, data protection, incident response, disaster recovery, compliance
monitoring, awareness and training. In order to accomplish these goals, GITA will continue to work
closely with state agencies.

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FY 2011 Statewide Strategic IT Plan
Arizona’s IT Vision

Core Values and Best Practices
GITA has established a strong set of Values and Best Practices. We have revised our Best Practices
going forward to focus on objectives while revising cost decisions based on the necessity of our core
values.

Strengthen and Broaden Stakeholder Engagement
We understand that the goal of increasing
technological viability in the state does not
happen in a vacuum. It is the product of the
goals of many concerned stakeholders.
It
comprises the issues we have faced and
encourages solutions that we endeavor to
achieve together.

Streamlining Processes
Through the refinement of processes we have
discovered the balance between seeking new
technology and utilizing the infrastructure now
in place. This can be achieved while still
constructing the tenets of a stronger centralized
system in the future.

Grow Our Influence Based on Strategic Priorities
The process of building collaboration has been central to our past successes and will be instrumental in
overcoming the challenges of the future as GITA assists other state agencies in the many areas of IT
and Project Management.

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FY 2011 Statewide Strategic IT Plan
Maintain a Knowledgeable, Experienced and Accountable Team
While other state agencies’ customers consist mainly of the citizens and businesses of the state of
Arizona, the primary customer base of GITA and ADOA are the several other departments, agencies,
boards, and commissions of the state of Arizona. Throughout all departments there can be found IT
teams with strong understanding of the processes of the state, with a passion for creating and
maintaining systems that allow the business of the state to be performed everyday.

Promote Transparency and Integrity
From the planning phase forward the focus on development in new paradigms starts with
transparency. Each program is built to have transparent features that allow citizens to more clearly
understand the workings of government.

MARKMASTERSON
“ G I TA

I S M O V I N G S T R O N G LY I N A D I R E C T I O N T O

M A X I M I Z E T H E R E S O U R C E S O F T H E S TAT E A N D
R E C O N F I G U R E I T S T E C H N O L O G Y PA R A D I G M A S PA R T O F
T H E S O L U T I O N T O T H E S TAT E ’ S C O N S T R A I N E D B U D G E T
RESOURCES.

ARIZONA

S TAT E A G E N C I E S .

H A S A F E D E R AT E D S Y S T E M O F

HOWEVER,

T H E R E A L I T Y I S T H AT AT

LEAST IN THE AREA OF TECHNOLOGY THE MOST
E F F I C I E N T A L L O C AT I O N O F R E S O U R C E S A N D M O N E Y
S AV I N G S C O M E S F R O M C O N S O L I D AT I O N , B U N D L I N G
PURCHASES AND SPREADING A CONSISTENT
A R C H I T E C T U R E O V E R T H E E N T I R E S TAT E ’ S

IT

S T R U C T U R E S U C H A S I N T H E A R E A O F E M A I L A N D D ATA
MANAGEMENT.
S TAT E ’ S

IT

THIS

I S T H E D I R E C T I O N T H AT T H E

N E E D S T O P U R S U E , A S O T H E R S TAT E

GOVERNMENTS ARE DOING NOW. ”

G I TA D E P U T Y D I R E C T O R & D E P U T Y S TAT E C I O
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FY 2011 Statewide Strategic IT Plan
Ongoing and Successfully Completed Projects of FY2010.
There are a wide range of IT projects around the state, each with a specific issue being
addressed. Each team commits itself to the successful completion of each project within
a timely manner and with an efficient use of resources.

Creation of ARRA Website – Saving Taxpayers Money and Providing Citizens and
Businesses Important Information
Using transparency as the key factor in achieving success in this plan, the State of Arizona delivered on
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) website project. This website tracks the
taxpayers’ funds that are moved through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and are coming to Arizona. This website tracks the dispersal
and use of those funds. The ARRA website,
which is managed by the Arizona
Department of Administration (ADOA) and hosted in
A Z . G O V I S E X PA N D I N G C O N S TA N T LY
the ADOA data center, has been
completed
AND ADDING MORE TO ITS PORTFOLIO
and is operational. This project saved taxpayers
OF SERVICES SUCH AS THE RECENT
money when GITA recognized that the techABILITY TO PURCHASE

ARIZONA

HUNTING AND FISHING LICENSES
ONLINE.

nology contract language with the
selected
vendor allowed the state of Arizona to utilize
software already created by the same
company, for the same purpose. By seeking
resourceful ideas in efficiency, the starting
point for the software creation was much further down the line and resulting in software
cost savings for taxpayers. The time savings of
eight weeks helped to meet the deadline providing cost-effective service to citizens sooner than
anticipated.

BY

MAKING GOVERNMENT

S E R V I C E S AVA I L A B L E T H R O U G H T H E
CONVENIENCE OF THE

AZ.GOV

I NTERNET,

S T R E A M L I N E S S TAT E

AGENCY PROCESSES, MAKES GOVERNMENT MORE EFFICIENT AND REDUCES
THE COST OF GOVERNMENT TO THE

ARIZONA

TA X PAY E R .

ANDY MILLER
D IGITAL G OVERNMENT S ERVICES
MANAGER/W EB P ORTAL MANAGER

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FY 2011 Statewide Strategic IT Plan
ARRA Website – Creative Use of Mapping Technology
to Assist Citizens and Helping Arizona’s
Economic Recovery
In an update to its ARRA reporting site,
the state of Arizona introduced a Google
Maps visual interactive tool so that
citizens could see from a visual
perspective where the ARRA dollars were
going that impacted Arizona.
The January 2010 Good Jobs First report
specifically noted: “Among the states with
the most extensive project details are
Arizona, Illinois, Maryland and Minnesota.
Arizona has a nice arrangement in which
the project details appear in a separate
panel alongside the map rather than being
superimposed, which on some state maps
impairs readability.”
The specific link to Arizona’s ARRA mapping page is:
http://az.gov/app/trans360/start.xhtml?conversationPropagation=join
As a result, the innovative use of Arizona’s mapping tool display helps citizens understand what is
happening with and provides insight into their tax dollars and what economic opportunities may be
available to them through federal ARRA grants. This includes job opportunities such as
transportation, construction, educational, and job training grants for citizens.
Producing a website that is as user friendly as possible allows Arizona citizens to make the most of
their time on state library websites while seeking economic solutions that meet their needs. The
Office of Economic Recovery’s website (http://az.gov/recovery/) can often be the place where
citizens begin their search and where Arizona librarians direct citizens to start.

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FY 2011 Statewide Strategic IT Plan
Arizona Redesigning All State Agency Websites - for Easier Use by Arizona Citizens
Website design is a major vehicle for citizen interaction with government, and will become
increasingly more important as the place where citizens meet their government. The state of
Arizona has undertaken a major initiative to redesign all the state’s websites to give them a similar
look and feel. This makes it easier for citizens to find available resources. Ninety state websites have
already been redesigned, giving them a modern focus with a “branded” theme. An additional 42 state
websites are remaining in the project to be redesigned. Websites for most of the largest state agencies
have already been completed. These Arizona website redesigns can be seen at http://www.azgita.gov/
digital_gov/redesigns/.

E-Rate Program – Providing more money for Arizona’s Schools and Libraries by Assisting in the EE-Rate Application Process
Legislation was passed during the most recent legislative session creating the Statewide E-Rate
Program that will assist Arizona schools and libraries in applying for E-Rate reimbursement dollars.
This program is funded under the federal Universal Service Administrative Company, that
administers the Universal Service Fund. The Schools and Libraries Program of the Universal Service
Fund makes discounts available to eligible schools and libraries for telecommunication services,
Internet access, and internal connections. This program is intended to ensure that schools and
libraries have access to affordable telecommunications and information services. The program
reimburses telecommunications, Internet access, and internal connection providers for discounts on
eligible services provided to schools and libraries. While schools and libraries apply for these
discounts, USAC works in conjunction with service providers to make sure these discounts are passed
on to program participants. The process to apply for E-Rate can be difficult and the E-Rate program
ill assist schools and libraries. It is estimated that Arizona schools and libraries could receive an extra
$25 - $60 million each year in E-Rate reimbursements from USAC.
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FY 2011 Statewide Strategic IT Plan
CopperList Launched to Maximize Use of State Owned Computer Equipment
and Save Taxpayers’ Dollars
Arizona's challenging economy has put greater pressure on Agency CIOs to make the most of
technology funding. Over the past several months, many agencies have voiced a desire to establish a
simple process that allows efficient transfer of excess IT hardware between state agencies. While some
agencies have hardware assets sitting idle, other agencies have hardware needs but lack the resources to
make new purchases. In order to meet this need, GITA has recently launched a pilot online web
application that is designed to provide just that.
CopperList will help state agencies list and discover IT hardware that is available for transfer to other
state agencies. The CopperList site is similar in concept to other online classified ad sites, such as
craigslist. CopperList is available to employees of the State of Arizona who have been authorized by
their Agency CIO. Agencies desiring to purchase IT products should check the CopperList site prior to
moving forward with a new purchase. Similarly, it is recommended that agencies make available to
other agencies their excess equipment that has not reached the end of useful life. The result is a
reduction in overall State cost for hardware purchases.

Renegotiating Software Contracts to Save Taxpayers Money
GITA has begun renegotiating existing IT contracts in light of severe budget constraints and reduced
numbers of employees. The state’s largest software vendor, recently completed renegotiating its contract by reducing the number of unused licenses to the state saving approximately $1,500,000 over
three years.

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FY 2011 Statewide Strategic IT Plan
IT Project Management Improved
Based on agency comments the Project Investment Justification (PIJ) process and monitoring has
been completely revamped. The PIJ process is used to approve all IT projects budgeted over $25,000

for the state of Arizona. Previously it
was a one-size fits all approval form.
The new process is risk based: low
risk projects are fast-tracked with a
simplified form while higher risk
projects go through a more relevant
process.
The new monitoring process is
modeled after the PMI (Project
Management Institute) lifecycle
management, including project
phases, check points, metrics and risk
mitigation strategies. A new
standardized project management
software tool has been instituted
across all agencies that grades and tracks progress on projects so that senior management can more
fully understand project progress and manage accordingly.

Expanding the Use of the State Web Portal – Fish and Game Joins Portal Improving
Arizona’s Tourism Industry
Many agencies are taking advantage of the state’s web portal. Many government transactions such as
licensing, fees and permits can now be done online saving taxpayers’ time and expense. Game and
Fish’s hunting and fishing licenses are now available through the internet. This is a huge benefit to
Arizona’s tourism industry as more out of state hunters and fishermen choose to visit the state.

Improving Arizona’s Broadband – Helping Arizona’s Economy, Healthcare, Education
and Quality of Life
The State of Arizona received a $2.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce in 2010
to map the state’s broadband capabilities and for planning the state’s future broadband needs. This
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FY 2011 Statewide Strategic IT Plan
map will be updated on a semi-annual basis. Citizens, businesses, local governments, research organizations and other interested parties will have access to this data to help understand broadband options
available to them and in determining future broadband needs of the state.
GITA’s Director and State CIO Chad Kirkpatrick chaired the Arizona Broadband Advisory Committee
(ABAC) which reviewed and gave insights to the Governor on over 100 broadband grant applications
made to the federal government. Governors were asked to give comment to the U.S. Department of
Commerce on federal grant applications impacting their states.

So far, over $56 million in
broadband grants have been
awarded impacting the state of
Arizona. The Arizona State Library
received a $1.3 million grant for
1,000 computers in 84 libraries
throughout the state of Arizona.
This grant allows libraries to extend
their reach to more than 450,000
underserved citizens of Arizona.
The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) has been awarded an approximately $32.2 million federal
grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 by the U.S. Department
of Commerce’s National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) Broadband
Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). This grant, along with partial matching funds, will
provide “middle mile” and “last mile” broadband infrastructure access to the Navajo Nation. NTUA
expects this new telecommunications infrastructure will spur more affordable Internet service for as
many as 30,000 households, 1,000 businesses, and an additional 1,100 community institutions, including
public safety, health, social services, and emergency care facilities
The Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) received a multi-state grant that includes
providing 75 computers to three community centers in Phoenix operated by Chicanos por la Causa.
This project is designed to address Latino unemployment through microenterprise development
leading to job creation. The use of these computers will be multi-functional. Entrepreneurs who wish
to start businesses will be provided with the information, advice and technological access to the
internet to start their enterprises.

The Tohono O’Odham Reservation received a $3.6 million grant and a $3.6 million loan from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture to construct a digital network to
replace dial-up services. The Tohono
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FY 2011 Statewide Strategic IT Plan
O’Odham Reservation is the second largest reservation in the U.S. in land size after the Navajo Nation.
Additional broadband grant awards benefitting Arizona are expected to be announced in 2010.
The State of Arizona has been awarded a $1,646,936 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce to
fund 200 Virtual Workforce Workstations and 28 Arizona Job Help Hubs for education and career
training in public library locations throughout the state.
The San Carlos Apache Telecommunications Utility, Inc. (SCATUI) has been awarded a $10.5 million
grant/loan that will provide fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) service to the San Carlos Apache Reservation
in Arizona. Over 6,000 people, 20 businesses, and 50 community institutions including emergency
service personnel, a hospital and facilities that are currently unserved stand to benefit.
Hopi Telecommunications Inc. (HTI) has been awarded a $3.6 million grant/loan that will connect
Jeddito, Arizona with existing broadband infrastructure more than 60 miles away. In addition, HTI will
connect currently unserved residents of Jeddito and Spider Mound. Over 7,000 individuals stand to
benefit, as do dozens of businesses and more than 20 community institutions.

State’s Security Monitoring System Enhanced
An MOU was drafted which allows the AZNet staff who monitor the cyber health of the state’s
network infrastructure, to automatically shutdown impacted services of an infected agency for
specific “critical” incidents in order to prevent data breaches from spreading to other agencies. This
“disconnect” methodology has resulted in the creation of uniform risk and escalation ratings.
The Statewide Information Security and Privacy Office (SISPO), part of GITA, has also created and
implemented a new standard risk reporting structure to streamline the security reporting process. A
recent partnership with the Arizona Department of Administration created and now maintains a
central statewide incident management system.

Public Safety Interoperable Communications –
Communications Assets Mapping Tool and Outreach Program
Public Safety Interoperable Communications has been advanced to better protect the public and
coordinate disaster preparedness among the many public safety agencies in Arizona. A recent grant to
Phoenix was placed by MOU with GITA that allows the entire state to create a Communication Assets
Survey and Mapping tool. PSIC has created a new outreach program. As a result more cooperative
results are occurring in state interoperability planning. This outreach program was highlighted in a
Homeland Security newsletter as a national model.

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FY 2011 Statewide Strategic IT Plan
Arizona Statewide IT Goals

IT Goal #1: Efficiency and Cost Savings
The commitment to improve efficiency and reduce costs continues to be the major priority for all
agencies. This will be accomplished by focusing on the following areas:

1.1

Resource Optimization – Evaluate and implement virtual technologies, power
management, and service consolidation with vendor and agency partnership.

1.2

Data Center Consolidation – Continue the process of migrating agencies to a common
data center to reduce IT footprint, thereby reducing costs and improve manageability
of the IT infrastructure of the State.

1.3

Hardware / Software Recycling – Share hardware and software surpluses among state
agencies instead of making new purchases, utilizing the new Statewide IT Asset
Management System to determine opportunities for such collaboration and prevent
wasteful expenditure. Simplify the exchange process by making information available to
all agencies in a timely manner.

1.4

Cloud Technologies – The state is actively evaluating Software as a Service (SaaS) and
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) business models to support the consolidation initiatives.
Low upfront costs and relatively lower infrastructure maintenance challenges are the
compelling drivers for this effort.

1.5

Process and Standards Analysis - Processes and functions that are either duplicated or
repeatable are being streamlined for improved efficiencies and ease of interaction within
government. This is being pursued in the areas of Document Management, Geographical
Information System (GIS), and Public Safety and Interoperable Communications (PSIC).

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FY 2011 Statewide Strategic IT Plan
IT Goal #2: Enabling the Private Sector
Providing an environment for the establishment of businesses and supporting growth is key to
supporting and sustaining the economic recovery. The state is committed to public and private
partnerships by increasing collaboration amongst IT departments, management and vendors to
effectively support the following initiatives:

2.1

CitizenCitizen-Centric Commerce – Continue to improve and provide e-Licensing capabilities
through the State Web Portal which expands the ability for business to register in
Arizona and migrate agencies to the Statewide online e-Procurement system for
managing and supporting all transactions.

2.2

Broadband Enhancement – Provide broadband technology to connect individuals and
businesses in rural Arizona and bridge the technology gap between different
communities across the state. Broadband mapping and planning exercises are underway
as part of this drive.

2.3

Collaboration – Collaborate with private industry on services that are for at the public
with innovative self funding business models for service delivery.

2.4

Smart Analytics – Adopt a centralized data approach and deliver proven flexible services
to citizens by improving the registration process and reducing multiple stops at various
agencies to start a business.

IT Goal #3: Citizen Engagement
Responding to increased expectations, governments are interacting dynamically with citizens and in
ways that were unimaginable even a few years ago. Using tools from the realm of social media and mobile technologies, citizens and governments are shaping the future in near real time. The public now
has the tools to influence the decision making process in government.

3.1

Government 2.0 – Provides an opportunity for citizens to develop applications for the
state through the “Apps for AZ,” project that is geared towards the community, helping
the government to respond to specific needs and concerns of the citizens in a more
customized manner.

3.2

Transparency – Utilize technology to provide visibility into processes and information
through web portals, search engines, and community specific virtual locations to save
time and cost for all while interacting with government. Focus on the goal of providing
a one-stop-shop for government services. Provide visibility into utilization and spending
of all government funds with a view to using the same approach towards state
expenditures.

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FY 2011 Statewide Strategic IT Plan
IT Goal #4: Government Effectiveness
Effectiveness is measured by outcomes of projects within expected time, cost and quality metrics. Government programs are expected to respond accordingly.

4.1

Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC) – Enable interoperability of
communications among all first-responder government agencies for improved responses during
public safety related incidents.

4.2
Geographical Information System (GIS) – AZ3D – Leverage statewide geospatial
investments to create the infrastructure for secure, government only, geospatial data and GIS
services sharing. Deploy simple, accessible applications to visualize geospatial data.
4.3
IT Project Management ReRe-engineering – Increased emphasis on following best practices
in Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) using Project Management Institute (PMI)
methodologies, and Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and Capability
Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) standards. Implement a statewide project planning,
tracking, monitoring and reporting system to deliver projects to meet the highest standards of
user experience.
4.4

Advance Statewide IT Infrastructure – Broadband mapping and planning is geared

towards providing the same level of internet services in rural Arizona as is available in
metropolitan areas. Adequate broadband for individuals and businesses in rural areas is critical
to economic growth and development, while improving education, rural healthcare, public
safety and quality of life for rural Arizonans, including many Native American tribal members.

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FY 2011 Statewide Strategic IT Plan
IT Goal #5: Security & Privacy
As custodians of citizens’ data, the state cannot compromise on security and privacy in IT. Resources
are focused on prevention of breaches by enforcing proactive controls and having robust disaster
recovery and continuity of operations plans in the event of an incident. Legal compliance with
HIPPA, ARS and other similar statutes are strictly enforced to protect sensitive information. The
following controls are in place to accomplish this goal:

5.1

Strategic Development – Policies and Standards are to be adopted and fine-tuned at
appropriate intervals to address new challenges in the area of IT Security and Privacy.
Long term risk based strategies are promoted based on principles that are governed by
industry best practices along with the use of automated tools to mitigate threats.

5.2

Alignment with Business Initiatives – Formulate appropriate governance based on
qualitative and quantitative risk assessment for different programs with emphasis on
those relating to HIPPA, Protected Health Information (PHI) and critical infrastructure.

5.3

Data Protection – Securing state infrastructure with monitoring and control
mechanisms. Maintaining an operations detail with this level of security involves an
Incident Management system.

5.4

Continuity of Operations (COOP) – Support initiatives that include IT Disaster
Recovery Plans (DRP) that align with Business Continuity Plans (BCP) while
solidifying preventive, detective and corrective measures.

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FY 2011 Statewide Strategic IT Plan
State Trends – Moving Forward
Continuing to promote and encourage fiscal resourcefulness in technology has remained the top
priority for GITA. Creating an atmosphere that fosters creativity has developed the opportunity to
utilize efficiency to achieve growth. Through this we advance a short list of ideas and opportunities
that have been highlighted at GITA:

Data Center Consolidation – Making State Government More Efficient
Consolidation of the numerous agency server farms to a common data center, when fully realized, will
save Arizona taxpayers millions of dollars per year. There is currently an increase in the number of
state agencies going through the evaluation migration process to house their IT in common data
centers.

Data Classification
Data classification as a part of Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) process is a tool for
categorization of data to enable and help organization to effectively answer following questions:
Qualitative:

What type of data is available?

Geographic:

Where certain data is located?

Security:

What access levels are implemented?

Privacy:

What protection levels is implemented and does it fit to classification policy and standards?

Retention:

When can the data be deleted or destroyed?

Quantitative:

How much data exists and how much is appropriate?

When implemented it provides a bridge between IT professionals and process or business application
owners. Data classification has typically been a manual process; however there are many tools from
different vendors that can help gather information about the data.

Ultimately the state of Arizona spends millions of dollars to store information, and without proper
classification data continues to be stored into perpetuity. The cost of the storage of unnecessary data
which is not required collectively between agencies, boards, and commissions could be in an exorbitant
amount, at a time when solid budgeting counts.

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FY 2011 Statewide Strategic IT Plan
Technology Optimization – Making Government More Efficient
Optimize the State of Arizona’s IT strategic assets. Each agency has some level of hosting or IT service
provisioning capability. This creates an opportunity to significantly reduce cost, improve service
quality and availability through a state wide view of IT optimization. The goal is to increase asset
utilization thus lowering cost. In the current environment agencies, boards and commissions have
difficulty keeping technology current and still focus on providing new customer facing services.

Email Consolidation and Directory Services
A single directory for the states’ agencies, boards and commissions email services does not exist. The
resulting risk is the inability for effective command and control in emergency situations, loss of
productivity due to agencies not communicating with each other, and increased cost to the state.
Currently there are several different email systems deployed in the agencies, boards and commissions.
A comprehensive review and analysis of available enterprise solutions was undertaken and an
evaluation is underway to study the savings and other impacts to state government on consolidating its
email systems.

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FY 2011 Statewide Strategic IT Plan
Making It Real
Through partnerships and inter-agency collaboration over the past year we have to identified the
necessity of seven key areas that are vital to success in state technology and focus our energies on
achieving our goals: Standardization, Virtualization, Efficiency, Customer Satisfaction, Project
Management/Risk Management, Social Media/Networking and Security & Privacy. As state IT
professionals we have indentified a more holistic approach moving our systems in more unified
direction.

Standardization – Building systems where more units can take advantage of the cost benefits,
not just large agencies, but many of the smaller operations that currently must work with
outside vendors at a near retail level cost point.
Virtualization – Creating an environment that fosters designing and achieving deliverables
everywhere your work may lead you.
Efficiency – Entering into the world of centralized management, we move away from a system
where disparate designs need more costly customized maintenance.
Customer Service – Centralizing Help Desk units that covers multiple departments and lowers
overall costs. The reaction times for issues and concerns would be radically lowered.
Project/Risk Management – Collaborating with differing project teams across several agencies.
Teams can be created by the talents they bring to the table to achieve broader goals for the
state. This allows the monitoring of individual projects to become more clear and transparent.
Social Media/Networking – Increasing Citizen to State Interaction and Intra-State Agency
Networking creates a larger pool of ideas and understanding never before achieved. Customer
service, efficiency and transparency are elevated when peoples' ideas and thoughts are
considered in achieving our goals.
Security & Privacy – Focusing on centralization allows the state to set the bar higher on
physical and electronic security. As groups now tend too many different systems, the resources
utilized to resolve such events are stretched across different areas. When these systems are
centralized; the ability to build multiple layers of depth and defense to protect the information
of the citizens of Arizona is enhanced.

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