 |
|
||
|
Primary customers include the citizens and businesses that depend on state government for services and information as well as employees of the State. New business models in the private sector are raising expectations for high levels of customer service delivered through advances in technology. This in turn places increasing impetus on governmental agencies to provide equivalent levels of service. The State needs to adopt processes and technology solutions that provide its staff with the tools to meet the public’s demand for services and information.
As the public becomes more technically sophisticated, they expect more sophisticated and easy-to-use information systems from the State. All customers want to spend less time standing in line at a state agency. Many don’t want to spend time standing in line at all. Yet, they still want personalized interaction when they need it, whether over-the-counter, on the telephone, or in their living room from applications that are quick and easy-to-use. Many want the ability to handle all government interaction through one common electronic or physical location. They also want a transparent government in which information pertaining to the interests of the public is open for review. The need to enhance and quicken the exchange of information is ever-growing.
Government employees need access to information to allow for quality decision-making. They need to be able to share and access data easily while doing business anywhere. Also, the job responsibilities of some state workers necessitate the ability to be mobile. This requires enhancing and quickening the exchange of information, which can help to improve the workflow within and between agencies.
Competition is also a common business driver for state government. Customer expectations are influenced by how commercial enterprises and other states perform in the technology arena. Ohio will consistently measure its success against other states and commercial enterprises to assess and strengthen its technological infrastructure to attract new businesses and citizens.
Economic conditions have an impact on Ohio. New citizens and businesses help strengthen Ohio’s economy. In addition, Ohio needs people with proper skills to build a sustainable workforce. To encourage and support commercial, minority-owned, and not-for-profit business enterprise, Ohio will streamline its processes to make it easier for new businesses to start and grow. The State will allow business leaders to spend less time dealing with government and more time running their businesses, which will in turn increase commerce and improve Ohio’s economy. Finally, the State will be able to continue to work with newly incorporated companies, strengthening the relationship between business and government.
Ohio’s agencies are cognizant that legislative, judicial, and administrative requirements at the federal and local levels affect business and operations. The statewide enterprise must be flexible and creative in responding to these requirements and must recognize how the challenges of other jurisdictions impact the State’s technology infrastructure. State legislation requires constant review for its applicability in permitting the State to overcome new technological challenges.
Public policy influences the strategic direction of the State of Ohio. Changes in administration can establish new priorities and goals that greatly influence the State’s operations. Ohio’s strategic priorities will be revisited as state leadership, lawmakers, and judicial representation transitions and evolves.
There is a continuing need to attract and retain qualified, productive workers to enhance the state’s workforce. Often, people with marketable IT skill sets move into the commercial sector. As the government competes with private enterprise for IT talent, building a workforce with the desired skills presents an ongoing challenge. The aging of the current workforce and the IT assets they maintain will also be an issue for the State, as the enterprise is set to lose a large percentage of state employees to retirement over the next 10 years. Succession planning to replace critical skills and outdated systems will be necessary across the enterprise.
As society’s technological environment becomes more complex, security becomes increasingly important and more difficult. This is especially evident as states are forced to recognize and prepare for both natural and man-made threats. Developing and implementing technologies that support federal, state, and local government cooperation and homeland security, as well as enabling emergency personnel to respond to disasters are critical components of governmental services. The types of security that drive the business for Ohio state government include:
These threats to the State require an effective enterprise security program that is adaptive to change, supports the enterprise’s strategy, and delivers benefits such as manageability, assurance, and efficiency. The program is enabled by the integration of people, processes, and technology to support the mission of the statewide enterprise.
Combining resources such as data centers, networks, servers, and other services can lead to economies of scale, thereby reducing overall costs. OIT and the agencies will continually look for innovative ways to fund these initiatives within the budget structure. In the end, such improvements will lead to increased productivity, efficiency, quality, and cost reduction.
State agencies in Ohio are a part of a complex organizational structure in which the Governor and Legislature determine the framework of decision-making that establishes how the State conducts its business. The agencies are responsible for developing and implementing their own IT initiatives in support of the Governor’s directives. Through the Information Technology Investment Advisory Council (IT-IAC), the Multi-Agency CIO advisory Council (MAC), the Communities of Interest, and other governance entities, the agencies work in cooperation with OIT. OIT is responsible for developing and overseeing implementation of statewide policies, initiatives, and standards that govern the management and use of the statewide enterprise’s IT investments. Because of the breadth and scope of these investments across the enterprise, collaboration among the agencies, the OIT, the Office of Budget and Management, and the Governor’s Office is critical to assure that IT investments are consistent with and supportive of the Governor’s highest priorities.
Increasingly over the past few years, resource constraints impact the enterprise’s ability to carry out its technological initiatives. Increases in health care and other costs, combined with erosion in the tax base have resulted in limited investment dollars. Similarly, competition for talent and stagnant salaries have exacerbated the situation. There exists an ever-present need for agencies to “do more with less.” Resources such as people, equipment, facilities, and funding must be prioritized and managed effectively when carrying out the enterprise’s IT strategy to optimize the return on investment.
|
|
||
|
