Eyes on the horizon, and wind at our backs

In the government technology community, we do more looking forward than back. Tracking emerging capabilities and anticipating how they can be harnessed to enhance services, or broaden access. How they might better safeguard data and systems. How they could promote efficient government.

Rules of the road have us facing front, with a firm grip on the wheel. A good posture for hurtling into a new year. But IT capabilities aren’t just future tense for Georgia. Across state government, we’re nourishing what we’ve already put in place, even as we innovate to develop new opportunities.

Cybersecurity is woven into all those efforts. It has to be. Threats grow ever more sophisticated and potentially damaging. GTA works to ensure agencies have what they need for endpoint protection, security monitoring, specialized training for security professionals, and security awareness training for agency staff. With access via GTA to shared resources, no entity has to go it alone.

We saw meaningful progress in 2023 with a GTA-led cloud-first campaign, prioritized by Georgia Governor Kemp. More than 100 state systems and applications have migrated from on-premises server services to Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud.

GTA expanded cloud training for agency IT staff – critical to a successful shift to cloud. A partnership with the Technical College System of Georgia opened a program of courses in cloud operations and cloud developer skills for agency IT employees. And more cloud platforms (e.g., Microsoft Cloud) are being made available to agencies.

The past year also brought real traction for broadband service expansion and digital connectivity outreach in Georgia. Readiness to use broadband and access to it go hand in hand toward closing the digital divide. Benefits can be life-changing as unserved and underserved communities gain high-speed internet access.

And together, we're weighing artificial intelligence. AI is already part of the landscape and is expected to stretch out in all directions. GTA has added a Chief AI Officer to its team and published a state policy for acceptable use of generative AI. In late 2023, GTA hosted an AI summit where agencies converged to begin mapping an informed approach to AI for Georgia government.

Throughout the year just finished, your agencies and entities capitalized on technology in innovative ways, and GTA was proud to collaborate. The year ahead holds promise for still more creative ideas, and new rewards. Happy New Year. See you at the horizon.

Shawnzia Thomas

State Chief Information Officer

GTA Executive Director

Summit mobilizes Georgia government for AI usage

A snapshot of artificial intelligence is elusive. AI changes faster than the camera can click. So strategizing on how to channel AI effectively can’t wait.

The power of artificial intelligence – both constructive and potentially risky – was center stage at a December 12 conference hosted by GTA. The event, the Georgia Emerging Technology Summit: AI, brought together state agency leaders and technology vendors to map an informed approach to AI usage across Georgia state government.

Presenters, including Georgia’s Chief AI and Digital Officer Nikhil Deshpande, agreed -- AI is here today and may soon be enmeshed in IT. Now is the time for state government to come together on a strategy for effectively using AI and capitalizing on opportunities.

Summit speakers from government and industry highlighted AI use cases, from customized chatbots to translation and summarization services. From computer code generation to pattern/anomaly detection. They presented AI not as a job taker, but as an augmenter and enhancer of job performance, and even job satisfaction. And, they encouraged careful attention to data management, privacy, policies, ethical handling and education on what AI is and what it enables.

Rather than waiting passively for AI to happen to us, Georgia government can work to guide how it unfolds. The more than 250 summit attendees heard State CIO and GTA Executive Director Shawnzia Thomas advocate that approach. Participants representing 70 state and local entities, eight cities and five universities can take that perspective back to their organizations, promoting strategic use of AI to better serve Georgians.

GTA partnered with Government Technology and e.Republic to produce the Atlanta event. Vendor booths hosted by sponsors allowed attendees to learn more about AI straight from industry leaders. A session featuring Georgia state Senator John Albers examined legislative dimensions of AI adoption. And GTA closed the day by forecasting elements of an envisioned state AI program. Included are expansion of AI policies and standards*, formation of an AI center of excellence, an innovation lab, and a sandbox where agencies could experiment with AI solutions in a safe environment before broader implementation.

*A newly published enterprise IT standard provides tactical steps to support compliance with the AI policy addressing responsible usage in Georgia government. The standard spells out measures agencies should take in any AI implementations, plus how to avoid pitfalls and manage risks.

What has technology done for you lately?

Fresh out of the holidays, we shift to nomination season. A time for nominating your innovative IT projects for recognition in the GTA-sponsored Technology Innovation Showcase. The 2024 edition of the showcase, now in its 13th year, will soon begin accepting new entries from Georgia government entities.

Submissions will be invited in categories including:

• business process innovations
• cross-boundary collaboration & partnerships
• cybersecurity
• data management, analytics & visualization
• digital government: government to business
• digital government: government to citizen
• emerging & innovative technologies
• enterprise IT management initiatives
• information communications technology

Projects receiving top honors in last year's showcase ranged from a virtual reality depiction of a transit proposal to an automated system for administering grants covering cost of high school equivalency exams. State agencies varying from the Department of Labor to the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget were among the honorees.

The showcase is more than just an awards program -- it promotes exchange of ideas for innovative uses of technology. See details on the GTA website, and plan to submit your entries soon.

Haven't tried using GAP:

How's that working out for you?

Some choices, you'd like to have a do-over. With others, it's not so obvious. Even good ones can age out. Start of a new year is always a good time for re-evaluating. And when it comes to your agency's choices about its web presence, GAP can help you size things up anew and make informed decisions.

The Georgia Analytics Program (GAP) is available to all state government entities and provides access to an analytics tool (Siteimprove) that produces invaluable performance information about your websites and applications. Analysis of content quality, accessibility compliance, search engine optimization (SEO) and overall user experience.

In 2024 GTA's Office of Digital Services & Solutions is offering one-on-one sessions to equip your agency to make sense of GAP scores, and then use the data to make changes for the better. Content quality, accessibility and SEO scores – all would be discussed. Then you'd receive recommendations for tangible improvements to your websites' performance.

The session is suited for your entire team – site content contributors for sure, plus anyone from your leadership to program managers. It includes a presentation followed by a Q&A. If you'd like to schedule one of these sessions and start capitalizing on GAP, email either Yen Tang or Will Alford at GTA.

GAP is a shared initiative between the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget and GTA. GTA's Office of Digital Services & Solutions manages the publicly available dashboard that provides transparency into the accessibility and usability of participating government agencies' websites.

• It’s time to get down to brass tacks with the GTA-led data center space optimization and upgrade project at the North Atlanta Data Center. As part of a new lease to take effect Oct. 31, the state’s computing space at the NADC will be trimmed significantly. This aligns with decreased on-premises computing needs, thanks notably to greater reliance on cloud services. A new floorplan and an updated power supply design will be implemented. Work necessary to accomplish the smaller footprint will be carefully coordinated to minimize disruption of systems.

• Key building blocks are anticipated in early 2024 advancing progress toward a Microsoft Cloud (Azure) option for agencies. With this additional platform offering, more agency systems and applications are expected to migrate to modern cloud environments via the GTA-led cloud-first campaign. In the next few months, essential network and identity access management considerations for Azure will be addressed. This continues GTA’s collaboration with agencies on modernization and builds on the now well-established Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud offerings already available through GTA.

• GTA has named Subramanian Muniasamy the state's Chief Technology Officer. He brings to the role proven expertise in executing large-scale IT modernization in state government. Subi previously served as CIO at the Georgia Office of the Commissioner of Insurance. Earlier he held leadership roles in several state government entities in Maryland.

• GTA hosted a Statewide Digital Connectivity Symposium November 14 in Atlanta. It advanced digital readiness for Georgians, promoting acquisition of the tools and skills they need to capitalize on broadband access. The event brought together Georgia broadband expansion leaders, civic officials, community champions and residents for discussion of strategies to ensure fair access to digital resources and opportunities. The larger goal is to shape a roadmap to a more connected Georgia. Themes of that digital access discussion are also outlined in the draft Georgia Digital Connectivity Plan published by GTA. To be finalized in the coming months, the plan proposes measures (e.g., skills training, affordable service plans and availability of broadband-ready devices) to address the digital divide in Georgia.

• The Annual State IT Report highlights the wide-ranging accomplishments of Georgia IT. GTA anticipates publishing the FY 2023 edition soon. Themes will likely include the state's cloud computing transformation, cyber defense initiatives, digital presence, broadband service expansion and readiness in Georgia’s underserved communities, and state IT expenditures data. Watch the GTA website for announcement of the report's availability.