GETS Update - July 9, 2010

Georgia Enterprise Technology Services (GETS) Update

Volume 2, Issue No. 14

July 9, 2010

GETS program delivers accurate telecom asset inventory, network improvements

Earlier this year, we notified GETS full-service agencies about errors we discovered in AT&T's inventory of basic and premium voice ports. We also announced that agencies would be credited for November and December 2009, and AT&T would conduct new inventories of those cost centers.

We worked closely with AT&T to develop and implement a plan for correcting problems. Now, for the first time, the state has a complete inventory of its telecom assets. An up-to-date inventory provides the critical information you need for planning and ensures your agency is billed accurately for the services you use.

AT&T has devoted considerable resources to meeting the needs of the state's IT enterprise, from network upgrades that are increasing capacity and enhancing security, to cards that let users know AT&T technicians have completed work at their workstations, and improvements that make the Service Catalog easier to use. In fact, in this issue of GETS Update, you will see the positive feedback we have received from several end users who took part in Service Catalog focus groups AT&T hosted in the spring.

Effective management of our service provider relationships is yielding results. AT&T is making strides in service delivery and meeting service levels. In addition, preliminary results from recent surveys indicate steady improvements in customer satisfaction. We'll share more details about those results soon.

We remain committed to continually improving the service you receive. Thank you for your ongoing support.

Patrick Moore
State Chief Information Officer
GTA Executive Director

New group to make recommendations on PC ordering

GTA is forming an advisory group to evaluate end-user computing (EUC) equipment ordering using the Service Catalog (OrderNow!). Composed of representatives of a sampling of GETS full-service agencies, the PC Service Catalog advisory group will review and make recommendations in areas such as:

process improvements for EUC equipment ordering
the EUC provisioning experience, from ordering to delivery
EUC standard configurations
communication and education to support EUC equipment ordering

The new advisory group, which will hold its first meeting later this month, is part of GTA's commitment to improving IT services for GETS customers.

Anti-virus, anti-spyware software to be installed on end-user computers

Desktops and laptops in GETS full-service agencies are being updated with new versions of anti-virus and anti-spyware software (McAfee version 8.7) to provide greater system security. Inconsistent coverage and the currency of these software programs have been long-standing issues at the state. The deployment is another example of our enterprise approach to desktop management.

The software update will be rolled out to agencies in groups, with completion scheduled for mid-2011. A successful pilot was recently completed at GTA.

The software will be downloaded and installed automatically using the Dell Desktop Manager tool. Once the download is complete, a pop-up box will appear on the computer screen, prompting the user to close any work and save files before proceeding with installation of the software. Users will not need to reboot their computers to complete the installation.

DJJ moves toward Active Directory migration

Late last month, the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) participated in an extended pilot of Active Directory. As part of the state's ongoing technology transformation, IBM, in coordination with GTA, is building a new Active Directory, which contains users' log-in information for accessing applications. DJJ is the first agency to begin migration to the new directory.

This new Active Directory will consolidate multiple state agency directories, allowing users to search for addresses of colleagues in other agencies. Active Directory also will provide improved security for the information it houses.

Interim solution monitors BlackBerry server performance

An interim solution is heading off problems with agency servers that support BlackBerry devices.

Ensuring that BlackBerry servers in GETS full-service agencies are operating properly has been a challenging task. The 18 existing servers - nine GroupWise and nine Exchange - have extremely limited monitoring capability; problems are typically discovered after they have caused disruptions.

To lessen risk in the legacy environment until e-mail transformation occurs, IBM has implemented an interim monitoring solution. Now operating in every full-service agency, the solution uses BlackBerry devices connected to each server to monitor system performance.

The approach has already paid off. Last month, an agency BlackBerry server appeared to be operating normally, but the connected device indicated a problem with message traffic flow. Technicians were able to correct the problem within an hour, and the issue was resolved before it affected end users.

Briefly...

Improvements to the Service Catalog (OrderNow!) are generating a positive response from end users. Several improvements have been made as a result of focus groups hosted by AT&T in April to gather input and recommendations. Aimed at improving the customer experience, the changes focus on making forms easier to complete, eliminating duplications and clarifying the requested information.

Here are a few comments from focus group participants:

"Thank you for doing so much to help us out. This is getting better and better! Thank you for addressing the points we talked about."

"Thanks so much for your help. I am glad to see that suggestions were really taken into consideration and action is being put into place. We appreciate it."