March 2018
NEWS TO USE
  • Visit the Midyear website to register, find commonly asked questions & explore the agenda
  • Nominations for the State IT Recognition Awards accepted through May 24  
  • Get real and join the #CIOTopTenIRL conversation on the CIO Top Ten Priorities. Learn more.
  • ICYMI: Agile at Scale - Implementing the Discipline in State Government webinar recording
  • Read the latest Corporate Perspective blog: State Critical Infrastructure Protection Should Address Cyber Threats
  • Meet our newest members
  • Check out the latest video in the NASCIO Video Vault
Tips to Submit a Strong Award Nomination
Emily A. Lane, MPA,   Program and Brand Manager

This year marks the 30 th anniversary of the NASCIO State IT Recognition Awards, which honor innovation and excellence in the use of information technology in state government. Since the program's inception, states have submitted nearly 4,000 nominations highlighting their important work.

In celebrations of this milestone, NASCIO challenges all states to submit at least one nomination for award consideration. Along with individual state recognition, the Awards highlight the integral, but often unsung, role information technology plays in meeting the goals of state government across our nation.

To provide guidance on how to submit strong award nominations, I spoke with award judges and with states that consistently submit highly-scored nominations. Combined with insight as the award administrator, NASCIO has distilled this wisdom into a handful of award submission tips.

1. FOCUS ON INNOVATION NASCIO is seeking transformational projects that address critical business problems, improve business processes and increase citizen engagement in state government. Seek out projects that take best practices to the next level - those that exemplify leading and innovative practices or apply common practices in a transformational way.

 

2. READ, REREAD, THEN READ AGAIN - Reading (and following) requirements is a given. Past that, make sure you carefully read category descriptions. While a project may relate to multiple categories, the descriptions will help you find the right home. Look to past submissions in the Awards Library to see the types of projects that have been recognized in certain categories and how the narrative was crafted. 

Watch on Washington Top 5

  1. DHS authorization passes Senate Committee On March 7, the Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act (H.R. 2825) passed the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee by 10-1; the measure has already passed the House. The bill would reauthorize DHS for the first time since its inception and "codify and authorize" roles and responsibilities for various components within DHS. 
  2. New name for NPPD The National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) within DHS which includes the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications and the Office of Cyber and Infrastructure Analysis will go by a new name should H.R. 2825 be signed into law. H.R. 2825 would redesignate NPPD as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency and task the agency with identifying and stopping cyber attacks made by international actors.
  3. NTIA awards SLIGP 2.0 grants On March 1, NTIA announced the first award recipients of the State and Local Implementation Grant Program (SLIGP) 2.0 which will provide up to $43.4 million to states and territories to prepare for the FirstNet buildout. In the first round of 2.0 grant funding, twelve states (AK, GA, ID, IA, KS, KY, ME, MA, NE, NM, PA, TN) received grants ranging between $229,000-425,000. More info here.
  4. NGA Winter Meeting tech discussion As part of the 2018 NGA Winter Meeting, NASCIO participated in an NGA Future roundtable event that discussed the role of governors and tech disruption. Governor Snyder (Mich.) participated in the discussion with academic and private sector partners which focused on opportunities and challenges faced by state government when embracing technological change. Read more here.
  5. Past and future Capitol Hill hearings House Oversight hearings: On March 14, the House Oversight Committee held two hearings: one related to federal IT which focused on IT modernization, and another hearing on the federal regulatory process that focused on the burden of compliance for various types of entities (e.g. small businesses). Elections security hearing: The Senate Intelligence Committee will be holding a hearing on March 21 to discuss elections security. The hearing will likely focus on DHS engagement with states and how the agency is helping states secure elections infrastructure from cyber threats.  
GET TO KNOW NASCIO MEMBERS
Regarding the Public Sector (Federal, State and Local government) Atos is a North American and global leader, with over 40 years experienc e and circa 30% of our revenue as part of this sector. Atos has over 13,000 business technologists dedicated to government and specialize in citizen-centric digital services. Regarding State credentials, Atos provides key IT services for the State of Texas and also states such as Oklahoma, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and many more. 



Fortinet 's mission is to deliver the most innovative, highest performing network security fabric architecture to secure and simplify IT infrastructure.  Fortinet has participated in the following Real-world group tests, open to the industry, and conducted by NSS Labs. In doing so, Fortinet provides an ATP Solution that is NSS Labs Recommended from the data center to the edge to the endpoint in the latest group tests. 



One Identity, a Quest Software business, helps agencies solve their identity and access management challenges by offering a comprehensive portfolio comprised of future-ready, mission-centric, modular and integrated solutions that deliver superior identity governance, access management, privileged management and identity as a service.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
NASCIO has been out and about - check out where we've been the last month. 
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   Meet Our Newest Memberscorporate

   Corporate:   Crown Castle    Trustwave

   Non-profit:   CAQH

   Local Government:   City of Berwyn, Illinois
NASCIO NewsBriefs 

NASCIO NewsBriefs on cybersecurity and enterprise architecture have been discontinued. NASCIO is seeking a new partner and will offer this again as soon as possible. 
NASCIO VIDEO VAULTvv

James Collins, State CIO, Delaware, on Valuing Diversity during Top Ten Talks (NASCIO 2017 Annual Conference)