Iowa is beginning to consolidate its IT infrastructure according to a new executive order signed by Governor Culver on Friday. The order outlines the steps the state will take to streamline its IT operations and look for ways to cut costs. The Governor claims that the planned outlined in the order draws on best practices from other states that have already consolidated their technology infrastructure.
So far, more than 27 states are working on ways to streamline their technology by consolidating processes, and shrinking data centers as a means of saving cash. For it’s part Iowa involved the Departments of Management and Administrative Services which worked closely with other state IT CIOs and national technology experts, such as the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Center for State Innovation, to craft the provisions of their consolidation action plan. The project is projected to save Iowa taxpayers more than $26.8 million over the next five years.
The plan will build upon the efforts of the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) on IT consolidation. Since December 2009, DAS has helped 35 government organizations move their email applications into a consolidated enterprise that improves the quality of services, reliability and security while avoiding duplicative licensing and software fees. DAS is on target for moving more than 15,000 email accounts into a consolidated enterprise by December 31, 2010 and the remaining Executive Branch email systems by June 30, 2011.
The executive order provides detailed guidance on the authority and responsibilities of the new Chief Information Officer position created under SF 2088 and sets specific milestones for the development of an inventory of all state IT assets. The full text of the order is available here.
