GAIT 2010 Update - October 2, 2009

Georgia Infrastructure Transformation (GAIT) 2010 Update

Issue No. 21

October 2, 2009

Governor Perdue: Pressing toward the goal

In his opening remarks at the Georgia Digital Government Summit on Monday, Governor Perdue turned to basketball to illustrate the difficulty of governing without necessary data.

He described an intense game with a championship on the line, when every point and every foul make all the difference. Governor Perdue then asked us to imagine coaching that game without a scorekeeper. It would be impossible to know what the score is, how many fouls your players have, or even how much time is left. You might think you are doing pretty well, but you wouldn't know for sure.

That's no way to coach a game or govern a state, but it is exactly the position Georgia was in when we lacked solid data for managing the enterprise. Our IT transformation is changing that by helping to create a transparent, publicly accountable scoreboard so that important decisions will always be facts-based.

The Governor recalled the technology system in place when he took office. It was old and prone to failure, and no one could account for the total amount spent on IT. We could not show Georgians that they were getting their money's worth. We could not assure them that their sensitive data was safe. We could not guarantee disaster recovery.

Governor Perdue contrasted those times with where we are today, applauding the GAIT procurement and the state's ability to manage technology with services delivered by world-class partners. We now have the most clearly defined service expectations in state government, and we are continually measuring performance.

The work we are doing at GTA is advancing the Governor's goal of a Georgia that is faster, friendlier, and easier for citizens. Looking toward the end of his second term next year, he noted, "We're in the final two minutes of the game. I want to leave things better than I found them."

We know there is still a great deal of work ahead of us in the coming months, but we are approaching it with the same level of diligence we applied to our IT assessment, procurement and service transition.

With your continued commitment, we will indeed be assured of achieving Governor Perdue's vision.

Patrick Moore
State Chief Information Officer
GTA Executive Director

Tech providers supporting flood recovery efforts

The state's technology providers are responding quickly to meet the additional IT and telecommunications needs of agencies that are assisting victims of recent flooding across metropolitan Atlanta and other areas of North Georgia.

For example, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) is standing up disaster recovery centers in several of the hardest hit counties, and IBM, AT&T and GTA are working closely with GEMA to make sure the necessary technical support is in place at each location. Several state agencies and relief organizations are staffing the centers, including Family and Children Services, Community Health, Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, Labor, the Insurance Commissioner's Office, Georgia Legal Services, the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army, to name a few.

IBM and AT&T were also onsite at the Paulding County DFCS office during the flooding to assess damage and get the office up and running again as quickly as possible.

IBM, AT&T and GTA have developed a plan for escalating service requests related to disaster relief. Agencies dealing with a crisis or disaster are asked to call the state's Consolidated Service Desk at 1-877-482-3233 and let them know your request is related to a recovery center or disaster. The Service Desk will immediately engage the Incident Management Group (IMG).

IBM will coordinate support efforts and engage other service providers as needed.

Escalation process available for MNS service requests and incidents

AT&T, in collaboration with IBM, has initiated a new escalation process for incidents and service requests related to voice and data network services. The new streamlined process makes it easier for GAIT customers to escalate MNS issues when needed, engage team members equipped to resolve such issues, and be kept informed of progress as issues are addressed.

When to escalate

AT&T will routinely work to prevent MNS issues and to promptly address any that do arise. Still, escalation could be warranted if a service request or incident were opened and not resolved within the negotiated time.

Service requests carry due dates to guide customers on when to expect delivery. These negotiated due dates also guide when escalation of service requests might be warranted.

Resolution times for incidents vary based on level of impact. The times below will help you gauge when incident escalation may be called for. If the business impact of an incident is significant, you could escalate sooner.

For highest impact MNS issues (Severity 1) affecting all GAIT agencies or a large number of users - allow at least two hours before escalating
For high impact, major MNS incidents (Severity 2) - allow at least six hours before escalating
For MNS issues affecting a single user - allow at least 12 hours before escalating

How to escalate

Contact the Consolidated Service Desk at 1-877-482-3233
Indicate that you want to escalate an MNS incident or service request
Provide the incident or service request number

What happens next

AT&T will call to acknowledge receipt of your escalation request
Status updates will be provided on the schedule agreed to between you and the AT&T escalation manager

Standard set for end-user computing equipment

PC hardware from two manufacturers - Dell and Lenovo - is the standard for GAIT agencies. Both platforms meet the state's IT requirements.

Setting a standard for laptops and desktops helps to reduce costs and increase efficiencies. For example, because a combination of operating systems, hardware-specific drivers and standard agency software (called an image) has been developed and tested for computers from Dell and Lenovo, technicians with the Consolidated Service Desk and Field Services can get users back up and running more quickly if they experience a problem.

Agencies are encouraged to select the same vendor for a particular platform to ensure consistency throughout the organization. An agency could choose all Dell laptops but all Lenovo desktops.

Exceptions to the standard platform can be made in special cases approved by GTA. However, these requests will be scrutinized closely based on business need. Exceptions increase costs and reduce support efficiencies due to loss of volume pricing and the need to develop non-standard images. A request for equipment outside the standard will also add time to procurement and deployment timelines. Solution requests for devices from manufacturers other than Dell and Lenovo should not be submitted without the approval of agency management.

All existing equipment, regardless of manufacturer, will continue to be supported. All devices replaced as part of the GAIT 2010 Managed Refresh process and new equipment requested through the Service Catalog should follow the new standard.

In addition, equipment should be leased rather than purchased. All end-user refresh PCs and laptops will be leased. An agency should request a purchase only if federal funds or other funding sources restrict leasing.

For more information, please contact your GTA Service Delivery Consultant.

We welcome your comments about service delivery, the state's IT transformation and related topics.

You can submit comments online or call our toll-free number to leave a recorded message.