Recently in Consolidation Category

IT Consolidation in Colorado: Benefits and Impacts of Change?

By
Bob Feingold
 on August 19, 2008 9:17 AM

As a former CIO for the State of Colorado, I'm very interested and, indeed, overjoyed that Colorado, under Mike Locatis' leadership, is embarking on an IT Consolidation passed into law this summer.  It's been a long time in coming and fits in with the efforts of other states that have also determined that IT Consolidation is a way to go for them.  Most are excited about this while some, employees, vendors, and elected officials, have some concerns and are waiting to see the results.  No doubt some approach the pending changes with concern while others welcome the promises of the new order of things.

The goals for IT Consolidation are driven by economics and the desire for efficiencies.  However, one's perspective on efficiency depends on where that person sits.  An employee that had the freedom to make decisions before may find that the new order restricts that decision making authority.  A vendor that enjoyed sales to multiple agencies and a close relationship with those agencies may find it harder to compete when purchases are aggregated in the name of economy of scale.  IT Consolidation can be different things to different people and groups.

So, to get the discussion going, here's the request I have from readers of this Blog:  From where you sit, what is the impact, if any, on you and your organization as a result of the trend toward more IT Consolidations?

Please feel free to contribute by clicking on the "comment" link and watch for other comments.  I'm looking forward to learning what you have to say.

Bob Feingold, Senior Fellow

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On the Minds of Legislators and Other Insights from the Big Easy.

By
Cathilea Robinett
 on July 27, 2008 9:33 PM
Hello!  I had the good fortune of addressing some legislators last week at the National Conference of State Legislatures in New Orleans.  It is always a good sign when technology is on the agenda with legislators.  I was on a panel with Gopal Khanna, the CIO of Minnesota and incoming president of NASCIO and David Clark the Majority House Leader of Utah.  I know both of these fine gentlemen and think very highly of both of them.  We engaged the audience with our topic, "Creating an Effective State IT Policy."

Gopal lead an interesting discussion about expanding the infrastructure conversation to fully embrace all information age infrastructure.  Gopal also covered his key areas of transformation and measuring performance in government.  It struck me as I was sitting there just how much Governor Pawlenty and Gopal have done to change the Minnesota IT landscape.  They have really advanced this state in the last few years.  Gopal's enthusiasm is infectious.  I think he will be great for NASCIO.

Representative Clark gave a straightforward presentation about the consolidation efforts in Utah.  He shared some suggestions for creating good policy by creating a strong state CIO, consolidating technology and centralizing control.  He challenged my notion that states need to figure out how much they actually do spend on IT as he thinks it is almost impossible.  (I am still keeping the faith!)   He has been extremely supportive of IT and we wish more legislators were like him.

The session was hosted by Wisconsin State Representative Phil Montgomery.  As a former EDSer, he is very interested in technology.  Wisconsin has had its set-backs with some high profile IT problems.  He is extremely interested in getting Wisconsin back on track.  The session topic was driven by him, so watch for more from Representative Montgomery.

At the end of the session I was happy to be greeted by many legislators interested in their own state's ranking in our Digital States Survey and genuinely engaged in making technology more of a priority.  Legislators are the last group to really embrace the Digital Age.  I am always happy to work with them and happy to meet those who are Digital Leaders.




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Listen Carefully

By
Cathilea Robinett
 on July 1, 2008 3:33 AM

Welcome to my first post on my new blog. I have the good fortune of traveling around and meeting with various government officials and want to share insights and trends with our regular Navigator users. So look forward to a variety of state and local government information from coast to coast.

Speaking of one coast, there is so much going on in California. Smart companies should listen carefully and read between the lines. Our new CIO, Teri Takai is one of the sharpest, hard-working CIOs in the nation. She has her hands full creating and staffing her new office. She has several priorities including project management, enterprise architecture, moving away from an environment too invested in risk management and moving California to the top ten in the Digital States Survey. At a recent industry briefing, she was very clear about taking control of technology in California. Her new deputies are Christy Quinlan, an experienced CIO and veteran IT exec and Adrian Farley who knows his way around the Governor's office and just finished a stint in Department of General Services working on procurement reform. Watch out for big things.....

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Consolidation Colorado Style

By
Cathilea Robinett
 on June 27, 2008 3:35 AM

I recently had a great day with many officials in Colorado. State CIO, Mike Locatis, is in for a ride after the new IT consolidation legislation passed in May. Senate Bill 155 was sponsored by a bipartisan group of legislators. This bill was led by prime sponsors Senators Bill Cadman and John Morse and Reps. Andy Kerr and Bernie Buescher. Senator Cadman has been a long-time friend of the Center and a regular attendee at our annual leadership retreat, Re:Public. Senator, we applaud your IT leadership.

According to Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, "This legislation marks a historic turning point in how we will manage, consolidate and improve our IT assets and personnel. We are going to establish Colorado as a leader in the delivery of Information Technology. We are going to create an environment where innovation is a daily occurrence, and where every resident, business and visitor benefits from those innovations."

This is a huge change for Colorado. Several states have made this sometimes painful transition. All eyes will now be on Colorado. Mike Locatis is a tremendous leader and demonstrated great skill in his job as CIO of Denver. He is dynamic and enthusiastic and has his work cut out for him. I was able to spend time with Mike and his deputy and the whole organization is extremely excited about the opportunity.

Colorado also recently launched a new portal. I was able to hang out with some fabulous developers and experience the rogue nature of mash-ups while finding meandering XML tags for the taking. They had a wonderful dinner while I was there and I met with many state officials. The bottom line of this post is that Colorado is serious about IT. I was really quite impressed and recommend that you all pay attention to the opportunities in this state and the IT leadership.

One sad note for Colorado and happy note for California -- Mark Weatherford (state CISO) is leaving Colorado to become the Chief Information Security Officer for California.

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