Blogs

NASCIO 2018 Annual Conference Awards & By The Numbers

By Emily Lane posted Nov 19,2018
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The NASCIO State IT Recognition Awards celebrated 30 years of honoring the best of state IT. Visit the  30th Anniversary  microsite to learn which projects are the 2018 finalists and recipients, which state has won the most awards overall, and more about the award process. Click the image on the below to see NASCIO 2018 Annual Conference By The Numbers .  Presentations from conference sessions are available on the agenda at  NASCIO.org/2018Annual
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Watch on Washington Top 5- October 2018

By Danielle Clements posted Oct 29,2018
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DHS Cyber agency bill passes both chambers  In early October, the Senate passed  H.R. 3359  Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act of 2018 which codifies an agency of the same name within DHS to lead cyber and critical infrastructure programs. The House passed the measure in late 2017. Blockchain the "most over-hyped technology ever"  In a Senate Banking Committee  hearing , NYU professor Nouriel Roubini testified that cryptocurrencies were a scam and said blockchain technology was "nothing better than a glorified spreadsheet." The other hearing witness, Coin Center director of research Peter Van Valkenburgh, similarly focused ...
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Coming soon! 5th Biennial Deloitte-NASCIO Cyber Study (now released)

By Meredith Ward posted Oct 29,2018
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Releasing on October 23 is the 5   th   biennial Deloitte-NASCIO Cyber Study, which has been referred to as the most "comprehensive study of state-level cybersecurity spending" (White House FY19 Budget Request). The study report highlights perspectives and insights surrounding cybersecurity from state chief information security officers (CISOs).   Here are some highlights from studies released thus far in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016:   The first time NASCIO documented the number of enterprise wide CISOs in states was in 2006 when 83% of states had a state CISO. 10 years later, as reported in the 2016 study, that number was 100%. ...
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Watch on Washington Top 5- September 2018

By Yejin Jang posted Sep 27,2018
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Secure Elections Act delayed    Markup for the Secure Elections Act (S. 2593) was scheduled for August 22 but was postponed after several secretaries of state voiced concern with the bill, noting the lack of funding and the White House also commented on the stalled measure saying they would not support legislation with "inappropriate mandates" that moves power or funding from states to Washington.  State plans for election security spending released    The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) released information on how states are planning to spend the $380 million in HAVA grants awarded earlier this year. 36.3 percent of funds ...
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States Turn Focus to Artificial Intelligence

By Amy Glasscock posted Sep 27,2018
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There's just something about the term "artificial intelligence" that sounds futuristic and far out. Maybe it's those sci-fi movies of years past, or the fear of being taken over by robots in the future. But if you look around at our daily lives, AI has just become a regular part of it. From Alexa, to Siri, to our doorbells and our thermostats, suddenly AI is everywhere. And it's happening fast. In 2017 when NASCIO asked state CIOs "What emerging IT area will be most impactful in the next 3-5 years?" only 29 percent chose AI / Machine Learning. In 2018 (soon to be released), 58 percent chose that same answer. The response doubled in just one year. During this ...
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DHS and NASCIO Release Report on State Cybersecurity Governance

By Yejin Jang posted Sep 13,2018
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The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) have released a joint report and supporting case studies identifying how five states - Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, Virginia, and Washington - use laws, policies, structures, and processes to help govern cybersecurity as an enterprise-wide, strategic issue across state government and other public and private sector stakeholders.  Every day, states and territories rely on networks and systems to ensure continuity of commerce and delivery of mission critical services. These systems are at risk of disruption from cyber attacks from adversaries ...
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Watch on Washington Top 5- July 2018

By Yejin Jang posted Jul 23,2018
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NASCIO in the House  NASCIO President Bo Reese testified before the House Oversight, Intergovernmental Subcommittee on July 18 th  about the impact of federal regulations on state IT. Reese spoke about the federal regulatory impact to IT consolidation and cybersecurity. Click  here  to read the testimony. FirstNet undergoing audit  The U.S. Dept. of Commerce Inspector General notified FirstNet CEO Mike Poth on May 3 rd  that they would be  initiating an audit  of FirstNet's oversight role regarding the contract to develop the nationwide public safety broadband network. LA-RICS assets to AT&T  LTE ...
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The New State CIO Operating Model

By Eric Sweden posted Jul 16,2018
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NASCIO has embarked on a new initiative based on work started in the state of Texas and Georgia.  The work in these states has been ongoing for over twelve years.  The initiative in Georgia started about 2006 with the state CIO who was in place at that time, Patrick Moore.  Since then, much has been learned and practiced regarding organizing multiple service providers, multisource integration, and the development of a new operating model for the state CIO to employ in responding to the ever present forces of change. We introduced the notion of this new operating model in our publication State CIO as Broker: A New Model .  This new operating model is a prerequisite ...
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Watch on Washington Top 5- June 2018

By Yejin Jang posted Jun 22,2018
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Cyberspace Solarium Commission  Both chambers of Congress have now passed the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 5515) which establishes a Cyberspace Solarium Commission. The Commission is charged with developing a "strategic approach to protecting the crucial advantages of the United States in cyberspace against the attempts of adversaries." The thirteen-member commission would be staffed by private sector and legislative and executive branch members who have expertise and experience with cybersecurity. Read more  here .  FCC Extends Mobility Fund Phase II Challenge Process  At the behest of several senators, the Federal Communications ...
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State IT Procurement: we want to hear from YOU!

By Meredith Ward posted Jun 18,2018
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For the past two years NASCIO has been heavily focusing on state IT procurement reform with the following: In February 2016, we issued a call to action for state IT procurement reform which was endorse by the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO). In July 2016, NASPO invited NASCIO to a joint roundtable to discuss the recommendations and results of which were published In October 2017, NASCIO and NASPO established a joint task force on IT procurement negotiations and released a joint roadmap which included 18 recommendations for IT procurement reformation and transformation. So, what’s next? Earlier this spring NASCIO ...
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Watch on Washington Top 5- May 2018

By Yejin Jang posted May 25,2018
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State legislators cyber task force meets in Colorado  The  National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Task Force on Cybersecurity   held a meeting in Denver, Colorado where NASCIO president Bo Reese spoke about Oklahoma's IT unification efforts. Other agenda items included: budgeting for cybersecurity, case study in Colorado's cybersecurity funding among others.  NASCIO part of elections cyber advisory group    The Council of State Governments (CSG) has partnered with the Democracy Fund to create an advisory group of state and local officials to address complex elections cybersecurity concerns. The group will host a consortium ...
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Record-Setting Midyear Conference

By Emily Lane posted May 25,2018
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A record 613 NASCIO members and partners gathered in Baltimore last month for the Midyear Conference. Forty-eight states, two territories and the District of Columbia were represented, along with 119 private sector partners.    The conference featured networking activities, interactive sessions on pressing issues, showcases of innovative state projects and lots of coffee (350 gallons to be exact).  State projects highlighted in breakout sessions included Innovate Oklahoma, Michigan's CISO as a Service Program and North Carolina's Government Data Analytics Center. The discussion-based Learning Lounges explored the ...
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Watch on Washington Top 5- April 2018

By Yejin Jang posted May 03,2018
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1. Homeland security advisors survey discusses threats and level of preparedness    The National Governors Association released its 2017 Homeland Security Advisor Survey which discusses homeland security priorities from the perspective of HSAs from 44 states. Cyber tops the list of concerns but few feel prepared to address this threat. Read the full report  here   .  2. GAO to begin studying federal cyber regulation harmonization   In May, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) will begin to study a long-time NASCIO priority, harmonization of disparate federal cyber regulations. The GAO request stems from an October, 2017  letter from ...
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Re-think your DR with Cloud to achieve sub-second recovery period at up to 80% lower cost

By JP Balakrishnan posted May 02,2018
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When agencies transform their IT systems to address the digital imperative, one thing that doesn’t get the attention it deserves is disaster recovery (DR). Being more digital means being more dependent on technology. This increases the risk of disruption due to cyber-attacks, natural disasters or hardware/software failures. At $5600 per minute 1 to $8000 per minute 2 , the cost of disruption can be prohibitive for agencies. It has become more important than ever to keep business continuity plans updated and build a disaster recovery solution that can help recover in minutes. However, doing this through traditional DR models can be expensive. Compromising ...
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Connected Vehicles: Coming Soon to a State Near You

By Amy Glasscock posted Apr 16,2018
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Driverless vehicles. With their alluring promise of leisurely commutes and road trips and the eradication of traffic accidents, it’s not hard to see the appeal. Claims of a world of passengers (not drivers) being whisked about safely and conveniently in just a few years may be overly optimistic, but that doesn’t mean that vehicle manufacturers aren’t working hard on research, testing and even production of these types of vehicles or that states aren't thinking about the challenges and benefits ahead.   The role that states will have in the future of driverless vehicles is not yet clear, however there will be disruptions, new regulations and standards ...
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Cloud’s role in your digital journey

By Thomas Beck posted Apr 06,2018
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As CIOs and State IT leaders, you are well aware that digital transformation in state government is inevitable. As your organization evolves and transforms, cloud should be one of the critical components you take with you on that journey. In fact, NASCIO recently released its annual survey of state information technology leaders on critical priorities for the coming year and cloud services is ranked as a close second just behind security (up one spot from last year). But before you define (or design) your cloud adoption strategy, take time to identify the ways in which cloud can play a role and how cloud capabilities align with your organization’s goals. ...
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Conference Tips: How to Win at Speed Networking

By Dan Lohrmann posted Mar 27,2018
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How do you get the most out of networking opportunities at conferences? Like many of my public and private sector colleagues, I’ve been attending The National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO) Midyear and Annual Conferences for more than a decade. Along the way, as both a state government official representing Michigan and more recently as a part of the corporate membership, I’ve learned a few things to help achieve my goals. I’m sharing some tips to try and help the wider NASCIO community and hopefully create a WIN/WIN that can enable you to make the most of your precious time. I’m also hoping to open the door to a wider conversation that allows everyone ...
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Watch on Washington Top 5- March 2018

By Yejin Jang posted Mar 22,2018
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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 ...
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Tips to Submit a Strong Award Nomination

By Emily Lane posted Mar 22,2018
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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, ...
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State Critical Infrastructure Protection Should Address Cyber Threats

By Mike Wyatt posted Mar 16,2018
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As public sector cybersecurity specialists, we see firsthand that state leaders are considered to be guardians of public safety. They are expected to identify, protect, detect, respond, and help their agencies recover swiftly and effectively from any disruption to critical infrastructure to reduce damage and restore operations and services. In working with our clients, we know that most critical infrastructure protection programs only address physical threats, leaving many states vulnerable to cyber threats ranging from service disruption to public safety concerns. It is crucial that states expand their risk mindset to include cyber risks and lead a statewide, ...
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