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Office of Administration Office for Information Technology

IT Strategic Plan 2012 - 2015

Table of Contents

Message from the CIO .............................................................................................. 1 Executive Summary ................................................................................................. 2 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................... 4 2. Establishing Our Direction ................................................................................... 6 3. OIT Strategic Objectives FY 11/12 through FY 14/15 ............................................. 16

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Message from the CIO

November 2011

As the Chief Information Officer for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, I am pleased to present the Corbett administration’s first strategic plan for the Office of Administration/Office for Information Technology (OA/OIT).

Since assuming the position as Commonwealth CIO in January 2011, I have met with CIOs, IT managers and IT staff from the state agencies we support as well as staff from within OA/OIT to gain a better understanding of where Pennsylvania stands today with respect to how it uses IT in carrying out its mission.

This plan represents the first step in defining where we want to go with information technology and how we will get there. It establishes a forward-looking vision and a customer-focused mission statement supported by guiding principles that will shape how we conduct ourselves and carry out our mission within the OIT.

This plan provides a roadmap for addressing the commonwealth’s enterprise-level technology requirements over the next three years. It recognizes the need for aggressively taking on actionable projects while balancing our efforts against what can be reasonably accomplished within the limitations imposed by budgetary, personnel, programmatic and organizational constraints.

Achieving the goals and objectives that we have set forth for technology will require a significant commitment of time and resources. Many of the projects that need to be undertaken are not easy and will test our resolve and our abilities. However, I am confident that as we move forward, this plan will help transform our organization into the leading state government in the country with respect to its use of information technology.

I look forward to addressing the challenges that lie ahead and helping Pennsylvania regain its claim as the “State of Technology.”

Respectfully,

George J. White

Chief Information Officer

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Executive Summary Strategic Goals

1. Leverage IT to expand and enhance the delivery of government services

2. Facilitate efficient IT operations

3. Improve the management of the commonwealth’s IT infrastructure

4. Transparency and public participation

5. IT environmental sustainability

6. Support, enhance and better utilize the commonwealth’s IT workforce

7. Develop and maintain strategic partnerships

8. Reinvent the IT procurement process

9. Ongoing innovation and transformation

10. IT governance

Vision, Mission and Guiding Principles

Vision Statement (“What we want to be”)

Establish the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a recognized leader in the use of IT to enhance the delivery of government services, improve efficiency of operations and reduce the cost of government.

Mission Statement (“Why we exist”)

OA/OIT will establish itself as a trusted partner in the development and delivery of cost-effective, flexible, innovative and outcome-driven information technology services and solutions that enhance agency mission performance, interoperability and security.

Guiding Principles (“How we will conduct ourselves”)

• Superior customer service

• Teamwork

• Efficiency

• Innovation

• Conduct ourselves in an ethical manner

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Strategic Objectives

• Improve the delivery of services to our customers through increased and improved online functionality while reducing cost of delivery.

• Begin developing a “One-Customer - One Government” capability for the website.

• Reduce the risk associated with aging agency applications.

• Reduce agency costs related to enterprise software by implementing core enterprise offerings as shared services.

• Advance and implement health information exchange options in Pennsylvania.

• Reduce support costs for applications and infrastructure while improving service delivery.

• Reduce costs and risks associated with the commonwealth’s current enterprise data centers, the Data PowerHouse and Enterprise Data Center, and agency data centers via consolidation.

• Implement and transition commonwealth agencies to a VOIP network and implement enterprise unified communications.

• Implement disaster recovery within the current Enterprise Data Center.

• Improve oversight for agency project implementations to ensure better cost and project management.

• Increase the amount and level of data provided to taxpayers by establishing a statewide transparency website (PennWATCH) that meets the requirements of Act 18 of 2011.

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1. Introduction During the latter half of the 90’s and into the early years of the new millennium, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was considered one of the most innovative states in the country in its use and management of information technology. It had successfully implemented programs focused on an enterprise approach to IT that many states are still

trying to put in place, including a single, statewide email system, the consolidation of 15 mainframe data centers, the establishment of a centralized server farm and the implementation of a statewide enterprise resource planning system.

Due to the budgetary constraints of the last eight years, the commonwealth lost a great deal of momentum in its efforts to maintain a sound technology infrastructure and continued expansion of its enterprise computing initiatives.

As the Corbett Administration took office, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania faced significant challenges. The budget situation in fiscal year 2011-2012 is not significantly better and is not projected to improve for several years. At the same time, all agencies are expected to not just hold the line on spending but to reduce cost of operations while maintaining or increasing the services they provide to their customers. Technology is one of the few tools available to state leaders that can help them address this situation.

The key foundational IT components that helped make Pennsylvania a technology leader a decade ago have become the lifeblood of its operations. Quite simply, if these systems fail, state government cannot do its job. However, these systems do not last forever and they are showing severe signs of aging. It is impossible to implement and maintain enterprise-class systems and expect them to continue to run with high levels of availability and responsiveness without making regular investments to refresh the underlying technology.

The commonwealth needs to start thinking differently about technology. While there have been a number of past efforts to implement an enterprise approach for IT, it was often met with resistance from individual agencies and lacked the support necessary to effect meaningful change. The Office of Administration/Office for Information Technology (OA/OIT) needs to challenge age old approaches and thinking. At the heart of this new paradigm are several key concepts:

Consolidation and Shared Services – The commonwealth can no longer afford to have individual agencies maintain multiple, duplicative systems. Common infrastructure and platforms need to be provided centrally much in the way that a utility delivers power, gas and water.

New Approaches for Infrastructure Investments – The question must be asked: “Should the commonwealth continue to own its IT infrastructure?” New models are emerging and the commonwealth needs to seriously consider allowing private entities to own, provide and regularly upgrade its core IT systems.

Agency Focus on Solutions – The mindset of agency CIOs and IT managers needs to shift from an asset orientation (i.e. the building and maintenance of duplicative infrastructure) to one that is based on implementing mission critical line of business systems.

Move Away from Custom Application Development – The commonwealth and other public sector entities have a long history of undertaking complex application development projects that have suffered from missed deadlines and cost overruns.

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Agencies should look to commercial off the shelf (COTS) and modifiable off the shelf (MOTS) products, along with software as a service (SaaS) solutions as the preferred method for addressing the business requirements of their end users. If a custom development project must be undertaken, agencies should give serious consideration at breaking the project up into logical parts and using a modular approach to building large, complex systems.

The commonwealth needs a new direction for information technology. This plan establishes that direction and outlines the core activities that will be undertaken by OA/OIT over the next three years to achieve the following outcomes.

• Establish a new model for meeting the current and future enterprise-wide IT requirements of the commonwealth in a cost effective and responsive manner.

• Maximize the commonwealth’s investments in IT products, systems and resources so state agencies and Pennsylvania’s taxpayers realize the greatest possible benefits and payback from IT without having to incur significant additional costs.

• Provide a well-managed approach to ensure continual innovation and forward- thinking utilization of technology in addressing the business needs of commonwealth agencies.

• Utilize IT to make government operate more efficiently, improve and expand the delivery of services to citizens in light of static or diminishing resources, reduce the cost of government and provide mechanisms that will allow Pennsylvania to address current and future challenges.

• Re-establish the commonwealth as a leader among states in its use of innovative technology solutions.

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2. Establishing Our Direction

2.1 Vision Statement “What we want to be”

The IT vision statement for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provides the overarching view of where the state wants to be relative to its use of information technology.

Establish the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a recognized leader in the use of IT to enhance the delivery of government services, improve efficiency of operations and reduce the cost of government.

2.2 Mission Statement “Why we exist”

As the central IT organization for the executive branch, the Office of Administration/Office for Information Technology (OA/OIT) needs to have a clear statement of purpose that serves as a guide and inspirational tool, defining what the organization is striving to achieve.

OA/OIT will establish itself as a trusted partner in the development and delivery of cost-effective, flexible, innovative and outcome-driven information technology services and solutions that enhance agency mission performance, interoperability and security.

2.3 Guiding Principles “How we will conduct ourselves”

As OA/OIT undertakes initiatives and projects targeted at helping the commonwealth achieve its vision, it must have an accompanying set of principles under which it will operate on a day-to-day basis. These principles represent the core values that are at the center of everything the organization does.

Customer Service – Everything we do is oriented towards the best possible service to our customers. For OIT to be successful, our customers must be successful. If our customers are unhappy then we are not doing our jobs.

Teamwork – We will communicate and work together as a team knowing that our collective knowledge and experiences enhance the quality of the services and solutions that we provide to our customers.

Efficiency – All OA/OIT employees understand that we have a fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers of the commonwealth to provide services and solutions in the most economical manner possible.

Innovation – We must continuously reexamine what we do and how we do it and seek to foster creativity and imagination in addressing the IT needs of our customers.

Ethics – We will always act with honor, integrity and honesty. We will strive to make the right decision even when it is not the easy or popular one. We will treat our customers in a forthright and respectful manner.

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2.4 Strategic Goals “The framework that guides our IT initiatives”

Along with guiding principles to provide direction on how the organization conducts itself as it carries out its functions, OA/OIT has established key strategies to provide boundaries on how information technology will be leveraged to meet the goals and objectives of Governor Corbett.

1. Leverage IT to Expand and Enhance the Delivery of Government Services

The commonwealth portal is Pennsylvania state government’s window to the outside world. If leveraged correctly, it also represents one of the most effective and cost efficient mechanisms for delivering services and making information available to the public.

However, Pennsylvania needs to revitalize its web presence. The portal needs to be redesigned so that it is more intuitive and easier to navigate for those who need to access government information or conduct business with government agencies. In addition, the underlying infrastructure for the commonwealth’s portal is also in urgent need of an upgrade. The portal’s current server environment is four years old and must be replaced as the portal platform is deficient in a number of areas.

As the custodian for the portal, OA/OIT will work with the Governor’s communication office to provide a new “look and feel” that emphasizes a user friendly design and greater use of online transactional services for citizens, businesses, educational institutions, local governments and other entities.

As the site evolves, efforts should be made to provide users with a single-face to Pennsylvania state government. Customers should have the ability to aggregate and complete multiple transactions with multiple agencies through a single interface/session, eliminating the need to navigate to multiple agency sites to conduct business. Likewise, the site should serve as a vehicle for providing the commonwealth with a single face to its customers.

While simply procuring new hardware and a new portal platform is an option, it is not feasible given current budget constraints. OA/OIT should evaluate other options for the provision, on-going refresh and management of the commonwealth’s portal infrastructure based on the need to revitalize the commonwealth’s web presence.

2. Facilitate Efficient IT Operations

While OA/OIT needs to support and facilitate the day-to-day IT activities and projects undertaken by commonwealth agencies, it must also provide guidance, direction and oversight to ensure individual agency IT operations and initiatives are conducted in an efficient manner.

One critical tool that the commonwealth lacks is a comprehensive portfolio of existing agency applications. An up-to-date application portfolio that identifies the relative health of agency applications, whether they are still compatible with and supportive of the agency’s goals

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and objectives, and strategies for modernizing systems that require modifications, replacement or retirement can serve as the basis for reducing risk, prioritizing investments and identifying enterprise approaches for meeting common agency needs.

Too often, agencies have relied on custom development projects to meet specific business requirements. Given the options that are available in today’s IT environment, agencies have many more lower cost alternatives available that can meet their business requirements with faster implementation timeframes and reduced risk.

OA/ OIT must assist agencies in seriously evaluating alternatives to the traditional “build from the ground up” mindset:

• Utilize the “ABC” approach for application development. Agencies should attempt to “adopt” applications already built by other commonwealth agencies or by their counterparts in other government jurisdictions as a first option. If that is not feasible, then they should look to “buy” commercial off the shelf (COTS) products. If neither the adopt or buy approaches are feasible, only then should agencies look to “create” an application through a custom development effort.

• With the budget constraints facing Pennsylvania state government, Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions may provide agencies with cost effective ways to meet their business requirements. Not only do SaaS solutions expedite the implementation of business applications with already proven systems, they also eliminate the need for the commonwealth to make expensive investments in additional infrastructure to support those applications.

• In conjunction with the previously stated approaches, OA/OIT should help facilitate the consideration and use of software tools that can be leveraged as platforms to expedite the development of agency applications.

While the above represent viable alternatives to the traditional approach to building line of business applications, to be successful, agencies must be willing to modify their business processes if they choose to adopt existing applications, procure COTS products or move to SaaS solutions.

Also lacking is a complete agency-wide inventory of major IT projects that are in process. OA/OIT should build this project inventory and once in place, require agencies to provide updates to keep the information current. While the inventory could identify key project data (e.g., original timeline and budget, current schedule and spending to date, etc.) it can also provide a vehicle for assessing the projects and identifying those that may merit discontinuance or heightened attention by management.

To successfully function as a service-delivery organization, OA/OIT must also implement support processes that ensure efficiency of operation, are highly responsive and meet the service expectations of its customers. The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) framework will serve as the foundation for OA/OIT’s service support and delivery.

IT projects undertaken by commonwealth agencies must adhere to a sound and consistent project management methodology. Resources permitting, OA/OIT should provide project management leadership and support for major IT initiatives.

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3. Improve the Management of the Commonwealth’s IT Infrastructure

Collectively, Pennsylvania state government’s enterprise IT systems and individual agency systems are major strategic assets that are critical to the effective delivery of government services, improving internal operations and reducing costs. The ongoing management and upkeep of these systems represent a significant investment for the commonwealth. Given their strategic importance, it is critical that these systems are kept up to date and managed as effectively and efficiently as possible.

As demands for services increase and staffing levels are kept level or reduced, these systems are shouldering greater and greater workloads, along with expectations for near immediate responsiveness and always-on availability. Such expectations cannot be met without regular and ongoing technology refreshes and improvements. Given current and projected budget difficulties, new approaches need to be taken for managing the commonwealth’s IT infrastructure and ensuring the underlying technology is updated on a regular basis.

Critical to this strategic intent are the centralization of core IT infrastructure and the implementation of shared services.

The commonwealth can no longer afford to have agencies investing in and maintaining duplicative infrastructures. Major infrastructure components such as servers, storage systems, data communication connections, redundant power supplies, environmental controls and security devices should be viewed as “utilities” provided as a centralized offering by OA/OIT. Agencies can then focus on the development and implementation of applications that support line of business functions.

OA/OIT must also consider cloud-based offerings and new arrangements as new models for delivering and maintaining the commonwealth’s enterprise IT infrastructure while reducing the cost of centralized operations. With the Data PowerHouse contract and numerous maintenance contracts for equipment at the Enterprise Data Center all due to expire in 2014, OA/OIT must begin now to develop a strategy on how to meet the enterprise-wide infrastructure requirements of the commonwealth.

As part of this centralization effort, OA/OIT should also focus on implementing platforms and functional capabilities that are required by multiple agencies as a shared service offering. Maintaining key technical platforms that are used by multiple agencies can help avoid duplicative investments in infrastructure while also allowing for reduced administrative overhead and lower licensing costs.

To accomplish this, agency CIOs/IT managers and staff must shift their mindset from one based on the ownership and management of IT assets to one centered on building, delivering and maintaining applications that support the business of the agency.

As agency IT infrastructure is transitioned to a centralized offering it will be necessary for OA/OIT to improve how it delivers services and customer support by employing automated tools and processes to improve efficiency of operations and lessen dependence on staff.

In conjunction with the centralization of the commonwealth’s core IT infrastructure, OA/OIT will also examine the implementation of disaster recovery as an enterprise capability that will support all agencies.

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Another component critical to achieving this strategic intent is updating the commonwealth’s telecommunications network. As part of this effort, OA/OIT will facilitate efforts to begin moving from traditional voice circuits to VOIP technology. Not only will VOIP provide a more cost effective means for meeting the commonwealth’s voice communication requirements, it will also provide workers with enhanced unified communications capabilities.

The commonwealth’s desktop computing environment has been allowed to lag significantly over the last eight years. A recent survey conducted by OA/OIT shows that 43.1% of all desktop computers (29,505) are three years or older. The same survey showed that 33.2% of all laptop computers (5,259) are three years or older. After three years, agencies can expect to see increased performance issues and breakdowns. Furthermore, the age of these computers may hinder efforts to update their operating systems and office productivity software products. Thus, an enterprise plan for upgrading the commonwealth’s desktop and laptop computer environment must be developed and implemented.

While the commonwealth could pursue the traditional procurement and replacement of desktop/laptop computers through an outright purchase or lease arrangement, new models for addressing desktop computing capabilities must also be evaluated and seriously considered. This can include cloud-based offerings, implementation of virtual desktop technology or outsourcing the desktop and paying a “per seat” charge for the hardware, software, maintenance and support.

Additionally, OA/OIT needs to build and maintain an agency-wide inventory of computing tools used by employees and develop a technology refresh schedule to ensure that these tools are kept current and provide optimal performance.

The commonwealth’s public safety radio system is a critical asset for Pennsylvania’s criminal justice and public safety organizations. OA/OIT will continue to make upgrades, enhancements and expansions to the system to ensure the needs of the using entities are satisfied. Additionally, OA/OIT will work with the appropriate agencies to address new requirements that could be met with the radio system.

As OA/OIT transitions to new models for delivering high-quality IT infrastructure and services to its customers, it must balance that effort with enhanced security to ensure the integrity of the commonwealth’s systems, applications and data. To that end, OA/OIT will:

• Accelerate the scanning and certification of applications housed at the Enterprise Data Center.

• Initiate the process of obtaining SAS-70 security certification for the Enterprise Data Center.

• Institute an annual IT security audit to evaluate its IT systems, database servers and network infrastructure.

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4. Transparency and Public Participation

In June 2011, Governor Corbett signed into law Act 18 of 2011 (PennWATCH) which sets forth requirements for creating an online transparency website that will provide the following:

• By December 31, 2012 – Create a single, searchable database that details annual appropriation and funding action or expenditure data; all federal and state revenue that has been received and deposited in the state treasury during the previous month; performance measures developed by commonwealth agencies; a searchable, complement database that shows name, title and compensation for employed individuals; and a centralized location to provide access to all agency internet sites for public consumption.

• By December 31, 2014 – Provide a description of the appropriation under which the funding action or expenditure is made & the expected and achieved performance outcomes from the funding action or expenditure, if available.

• By March 30, 2014 – Provide an annual report to the Governor, and the majority and minority leaders of both the Senate and the House of Representatives that contains statistical information on the usage and performance of the PENNWATCH website.

OA/OIT will lead the commonwealth’s efforts at implementing all provisions of Act 18 of 2011 and will also provide direction and coordination to individual agencies as they develop agency- or program-specific transparency applications.

OA/OIT will leverage technologies and data already in place to build the PennWATCH site. This includes, but is not limited to, our current enterprise resource planning and reporting and potentially, geographic information systems (GIS). Additionally, as the site evolves, OIT will incorporate online feedback mechanisms so the public can provide feedback allowing the commonwealth to continually refine the site and its capabilities.

5. Pursue IT Environmental Sustainability

Green computing is becoming an increasingly important factor in the overall management of an organization’s IT environment. Green computing involves the practice of designing, manufacturing, using and disposing of computers, servers and associated subsystems, such as monitors, printers, storage devices and networking and communications systems, efficiently and effectively with minimal or no impact on the environment.

Additionally, because data centers and IT equipment are major consumers of electricity and have substantial heating and cooling requirements, green computing is significantly related to efficient power management practices. The goals of green computing include reducing the use of hazardous materials, maximizing energy efficiency during a product's lifetime and promoting the recyclability or biodegradability of defunct products.

While the primary intent of green computing is to have a positive impact on the environment, an effective environmental sustainability program can also result in cost savings and improved operating efficiencies for organizations.

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As new hardware contracts are established, OA/OIT will incorporate standards such as Energy Star 5.0, 80 PLUS (computer power supply units that are at least 80% efficient), and the EPA’s Computer Server Specification to ensure energy efficient products are procured.

OIT will also aggressively expedite the implementation of virtualization technology at the server level and review potential savings for desktop virtualization.

Working in conjunction with the Office of Administration/Office for Human Resource Management (OA/HRM) and Office of the Budget, OA/OIT will develop and implement a well-defined, limited scope telework pilot program within the commonwealth to evaluate the potential benefits of allowing appropriate state employees to work from home using information technology. OA/OIT will also implement technology to increase the use of video conferencing, desktop video conferencing and Web-based meetings to reduce travel requirements.

OA/OIT will conduct a review of printing activity identify opportunities for reducing printed output and to institute more efficient printing activity through a managed print arrangement.

6. Support, Enhance and Better Utilize the Commonwealth’s IT Workforce

Over the years, the commonwealth has become increasingly dependent upon contract IT workers. This is due to a number of factors: increased demand for new or enhanced applications to support key business functions, an inability to add staff or fill vacancies because of budget constraints, outdated and burdensome hiring processes associated with filling civil service positions and the need for contemporary IT skills that internal employees lack.

OA/OIT needs to develop a strategy for addressing the IT staffing requirements of agencies so they have employees with the appropriate skills and capabilities to meet the demands of their staffs and external customers.

A critical aspect of this workforce realignment effort is the need to gain a better understanding of the IT skills and capabilities that are required by agencies – now and over the next five years - and determine if current staff possesses these skills to successfully address the technology needs of their agencies.

OA/OIT will establish relationships with Pennsylvania’s higher education community to develop young talent and to provide recruiting opportunities for the commonwealth. OA/OIT will provide updates to the commonwealth’s IT workforce to keep them abreast of new projects, upcoming initiatives, standards and major decisions impacting the IT community.

OA/OIT will create online communities utilizing new social interaction tools targeted at specific areas of interest in IT that commonwealth employees can subscribe to as a means for enhancing their professional capabilities and networking with peers.

Finally, OA/OIT will develop an IT succession and workforce plan that identifies trends and projections related to employee departures and maps these changes to program areas and required skill sets to ensure the commonwealth can maintain a strong IT workforce.

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7. Develop and Maintain Strategic Partnerships

OA/OIT must build relationships with external entities that could play a beneficial role in helping the commonwealth meet its IT goals and objectives. These entities include Pennsylvania’s higher education community, local governments, technology councils, IT vendors and the business community in general.

Pennsylvania could learn a great deal from its counterparts in the private sector. What it lacks is a mechanism to easily tap into this knowledge base. OA/OIT will create a CIO Roundtable, consisting of CIOs from major Pennsylvania-based companies (non-IT companies) and higher education institutions that will meet on a quarterly basis for the purpose of sharing their experiences, insights and advice on projects and major IT issues facing the commonwealth.

A strong working relationship between the commonwealth and higher education would be mutually beneficial for both parties. The commonwealth should increase its use of internships, externships and other programs to engage students from IT programs to work on actual agency projects in various capacities (e.g., project management, requirements definition, application development, etc.). Such an arrangement would provide students with real-world experiences and first-hand exposure to the types of IT work performed within government. Not only does this provide the students with valuable, practical experience it can also help develop a ready pool of candidates for IT positions in commonwealth agencies.

Working with Pennsylvania’s technology councils on issues critical to the commonwealth and the IT industry can provide the commonwealth with better information about the availability of product and service offerings from the vendor community. Likewise, the councils could serve as a means for better educating IT vendors about the priorities of the commonwealth and the challenges it faces.

Like the commonwealth, Pennsylvania’s local governments are experiencing significant challenges with respect to increasing demands for services while tackling server resource and funding constraints. OA/OIT should explore opportunities to leverage commonwealth resources to support the IT requirements of local governments throughout Pennsylvania.

OA/OIT will serve as the primary coordinating entity for Pennsylvania’s health information exchange initiative – the Pennsylvania eHealth Collaborative. Immediate activities will involve evaluating findings and recommendations from stakeholder working committees, using that information to finalize our operational plan for the federal government and implementing meaningful use capabilities to meet the short-term requirements of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s DIRECT project. Longer-term activities will include evaluating and potentially implementing an incentive grant program to facilitate the participation in the eHealth Collaborative, executing any necessary procurements in support of the initiative and determining the appropriate role of the commonwealth in supporting the secure and efficient exchange of health information among participating entities. The Pennsylvania Justice Network (JNET) project serves as an excellent example of how the state can play a key role in providing a centralized service offering that not only benefits other state agencies, but local jurisdictions, as well. OA/OIT will continue to

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expand and enhance the capabilities of JNET as the intelligent hub for information sharing activities among criminal justice and public safety agencies.

The commonwealth has a number of infrastructure components that can be collectively leveraged to provide benefits to citizens, businesses, county and local governments, educational institutions, health care organizations and other throughout Pennsylvania – particularly in the state’s rural and remote areas. These components include the Enterprise Data Center, the statewide telecommunications network, COPANet, the statewide 800 MHz radio system, and broadband network implementations.

8. Reinvent the IT Procurement Process

OA/OIT must work cooperatively with agencies to make the procurement process as efficient as possible while ensuring that it provides the commonwealth with the best possible solutions at the corresponding best possible prices.

IT procurements should be based on best value – not simply the lowest cost. As the entity with responsibility for IT procurement, OA/OIT must examine alternative approaches for providing agencies with less cumbersome and restrictive mechanisms for acquiring IT products and services.

While difficult to manage and fund, the OA/OIT should actively look at common requirements among agencies and attempt to serve as a coordinating point to perform enterprise-wide procurements that could effectively provide larger volume discounts and thereby reduce overall costs to the commonwealth.

OA/OIT must also play an active role in understanding, monitoring and managing the contracts that agencies establish for major IT projects. Contract management must be closely aligned with project management.

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9. Ongoing Innovation and Transformation

Pennsylvania must re-establish itself as an innovator and early adopter of leading edge technologies that will enhance the delivery of services to its customers, improve the efficiency of internal operations and reduce the overall cost of government.

To that end, OA/OIT must adopt an aggressive approach for researching and evaluating new technologies and services to determine their fit and application within the commonwealth.

OA/OIT will establish a program of ongoing IT pilots and proof of concept projects that will allow for the comprehensive assessment of new technologies with an eye towards broader, agency-wide adoption. OA/OIT will work with agencies in a cooperative manner in conducting these pilots and proof of concept projects.

New areas of technology that will receive immediate attention by OA/OIT include, but are not limited to:

• Cloud-based delivery of desktop computing capabilities

• Virtual desktop infrastructure

• Voice Over IP (VOIP)

• Mobile applications

• Expanded application of GIS technology

• Expanded utilization of business intelligence tools

10. IT Governance

OA/OIT’s governance process (strategic planning, enterprise architecture, policy setting, waiver and exception approvals, and project reviews) must provide value and not become a choke point that prevents agencies from achieving their respective goals and missions.

OA/OIT’s processes need to be done in a streamlined and efficient manner and we should only do what is absolutely necessary and makes sense. Activities that add no value will be eliminated.

The strategic planning process that agencies are required to follow should be more closely aligned with the budget development and submission process and should not be overly burdensome for the agencies. As such, OA/OIT will provide an updated strategic planning process and template that meets these objectives.

Additionally, OA/OIT will meet with the agencies on a quarterly basis to evaluate the progress they have made against their plan. If there are areas where the agency is falling short, OA/OIT will attempt to work with the agency to help them get back on track.

OA/OIT must also do a better job of communicating about the functions it performs and how well it is carrying out these functions to its customers.

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3. OA/OIT Strategic Objectives FY 11/12 - FY 14/15

OA/OIT has developed an extensive list of IT objectives to be undertaken over the next four years that will allow the commonwealth to achieve the strategic goals identified earlier in this document. These objectives were derived through the identification of current and future business requirements and by evaluating the enterprise IT capabilities and capacity of the commonwealth.

The following section outlines the top objectives that OA/OIT will initiate to implement the strategic plan. Objectives are categorized by area rather than office as many objectives cross organizational boundaries.

Area Objective OA/OIT Goal Alignment Website Improve the delivery of services to

our customers through increased and improved on-line functionality while reducing cost of delivery.

(1) Expand Delivery (2) Efficient Operations (4) Transparency & Participation (9) Ongoing Transformation

Website Begin developing a “One Government – One Customer” capability for the website.

(1) Expand Delivery (9) Ongoing Transformation

Applications Reduce the risk associated with aging agency applications (business and resource knowledge transfer risk).

(1) Expand Delivery (2) Efficient Operations (3) Improve IT Infrastructure (6) IT Workforce

Applications Reduce agency costs related to enterprise software by implementing core enterprise offerings as shared services.

(1) Expand Delivery (2) Efficient Operations (3) Improve IT Infrastructure

Applications & Partnerships

Advance and implement Health Information Exchange options in Pennsylvania

(1) Expand Delivery (7) Partnerships

Applications & Infrastructure

Reduce support costs for applications and infrastructure while improving service delivery.

(2) Efficient Operations (8) Procurement

Infrastructure Reduce costs and risks associated with the commonwealth’s current enterprise data centers (DPH/EDC) and agency data centers via consolidation.

(3) Improve IT Infrastructure (5) Sustainability

Infrastructure Implement and transition commonwealth agencies to a VOIP network. Implement enterprise unified communications for the commonwealth.

(3) Improve IT Infrastructure (9) Ongoing Transformation

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Infrastructure Examine implementation of disaster recovery for enterprise services within the Enterprise Data Center.

(3) Improve IT Infrastructure

Governance Improve oversight for agency project implementations to ensure better cost and project management by requiring the assignment of an OIT project manager or an acceptable alternative project manager to any enterprise or agency project exceeding $1,000,000.

(2) Efficient Operations (10) Governance

Website Increase the amount and level of data provided to taxpayers by establishing a statewide transparency website (PennWATCH) that meets the requirements of Act 18.

(4) Transparency