Frequently Asked Questions
Information Technology (IT) is a critical tool for state government. The State of Colorado currently has a highly decentralized model for managing information technology investments, systems, and personnel. Decentralization has increased the cost of information technology and put mission-critical systems at risk. Over the past twelve months the Office of Information Technology (OIT) has conducted third-party assessments, reviewed other states' and Colorado's delivery of IT, and researched industry best practices and standards. Several consistent findings have come from this information. The decentralized approach has resulted in wasteful IT spending, under-performing projects, inadequate service delivery, and increased security risks.
These findings show Colorado has an opportunity to improve its IT operations. Working with all State agencies, OIT has drafted an initiative to reorganize IT within state government. Currently, there are 16 Executive Branch agencies. Each of these agencies manages and operates its own IT resources and personnel, which creates an environment where there are no standard operating procedures, optimized shared services, or coordination at the enterprise level. The initiative will reorganize the resources and personnel currently operating within the Executive Branch agencies and move them under the management of OIT.
The executive management of OIT understands there are questions surrounding this initiative and has taken several steps to answer as many of these questions as possible, including the following:
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Governor Bill Ritter has made this important initiative a recurring agenda item during his Cabinet meeting discussions.
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We have conducted town hall meetings and have met with over 900 of the 1,200 IT employees working in the Executive Branch departments.
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We have met with all 16 departmental Executive Directors.
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We have testified to the Joint Budget Committee and communicated with legislators.
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We have worked with the press -- several articles have been written about this topic dating back to the Spring of 2007.
With an initiative as large as the transformation of information technology operations, communication is an integral part of the process. OIT has assembled this list of frequently asked questions in order to share and clarify the body of knowledge it has gathered. It is important to note that these questions are not exhaustive and will continue to be refined. As more information is available and additional questions are identified, OIT will revise and add to this document.
Thank you,
John D. Conley
Deputy Director
Governor's Office of Information Technology