Data Center

8 States Honored for Innovative IT Projects

NASCIO recognizes states doing more with less.

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Amy has worked on StateTech since May 2007. As managing editor, she shapes editorial content for print and online. Before that, she spent 10 years at Network World as senior managing editor of features and managing editor of features. Amy began her IT publishing career at PC Week. While out of the office, she enjoys traveling and rooting for the Red Sox.

Anyone seeking inspiration for public-sector IT projects need look no further than the NASCIO 2013 state IT recognition awards.

The professional association fielded 130 quality submissions focused on a wide range of transformational services. Winners were honored for their use of IT in state government in a variety of categories. Among those recognized:

California

The California State Board of Equalization streamlined the business application and permitting process by placing those services online. The resulting Electronic Services Expansion Project reduced processing costs and improved support for this annual revenue stream of more than $50 billion per year.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation deployed an integrated enterprise resource planning solution to replace hundreds of stand-alone databases and legacy systems. The system has helped standardize business practices and helps the state proactively manage an $8.5 billion annual budget.

Nebraska

The Network-Nebraska Education platform carries a spectrum of services and applications for K-20 education, including more than 500 semester courses available through distance learning per year. Aggregating services across entities onto the backbone has resulted in one of the lowest costs for Internet service.

Hawaii

Hawaii State Civil Defense launched the Mobile Emergency Response and Command Interface (MERCI) to speed collection of detailed damage assessments following an emergency or natural disaster. The system saves each inspector three to four hours per day during an emergency and more importantly, helps direct aid to where it’s most needed.

Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority needed to automate fare collection for its commuter rail lines and ferries. The agency deployed a mobile ticketing app that allows customers to use their smartphones to purchase mobile tickets. MBTA has minimized the sale of on-board tickets while reducing lines and making the transit system more convenient for riders.

Minnesota

MN.IT Services group rolled out service-level agreements to cover all IT services, making it the first state in the country to do so. The project helped the agency build a better relationship with customers and open up a new dialogue about IT costs.

Michigan

The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency and Department of Technology, Management and Budget partnered to implement a new fraud control system to identify potential overpayments. In the first full year of deployment, the state recovered $36.35 million in overpayments, up 32 percent over the previous year.

The state also rolled out new cyberawareness training to all 50,000 employees, which reduces breach potential, and made the activity fun. In addition, the Michigan Cyber Range offers research, test and training for cybersecurity and defense.

Utah

The state’s Bill Watch mobile app allows citizens to become more informed by tracking every part of a bill as it moves through the legislative process. And the Utah Department of Transportation’s UPlan and uGATE systems spur data-driven decision-making to improve the coordination of transportation infrastructure.

Virginia

The eGov initiative business reengineering was a complicated undertaking resulting in transparent expenditures and increased competition. Suppliers may now compete against each other, which creates cost savings.