Four State Technology Initiatives Named Finalists for National Awards

HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Secretary of Administration Sharon Minnich announced today that four state information technology initiatives have been selected as finalists by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) for its 2015 recognition awards.

The initiatives by the Office of Administration, PennDOT and Treasury were among 44 finalists selected from over 100 nominations. Winners in 11 categories will be announced at NASCIO's annual conference this fall.

"I want to congratulate the state employees who worked on these IT initiatives for their outstanding contributions, which not only improve operations but have earned national recognition for Pennsylvania," said Secretary Minnich. "By embracing new technologies and better ways of doing things, we are making state government more efficient and improving how we serve citizens."

NASCIO presents the Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Information Technology awards to states that have implemented exceptional programs which have made an important contribution to the operation of state government. This is the 27^th year for the awards program.

The four Pennsylvania finalists are:

PennDOT – Mobile Highway Construction App
PennDOT continues to build on its successful track record of deploying mobile applications to modernize and transform its operations. Construction inspectors now use iPads with the mobile app installed to submit reports and access key documents such as engineering drawings, contracts and design requirements. Prior to the application, inspectors would have to travel to construction trailers to manually enter reports into PennDOT's system and access documents. The app has reduced time spent each day by inspectors on administrative tasks from 25 percent to 8 percent, which translates to over $18 million in annual operational efficiencies.

Office of Administration – Advanced Cyber Analytics
Pennsylvania is utilizing big data analytics to accelerate the pace of investigations into potential cyber incidents or suspicious activity on the commonwealth's network. The software allows forensics analysts to quickly combine and analyze vast amounts of data from a multitude of sources. Investigations that used to take days or even weeks can now be completed in less than an hour, resulting in over $600,000 in productivity savings.

Office of Administration – Security Breach Exercise
The Office of Administration partnered with Harrisburg University of Science and Technology to conduct a no-cost exercise with students in the Certified Government Chief Information Officer program. By focusing on the role of the chief information officer (CIO) and the non-IT issues of a data breach, the exercise provided current and future CIOs with a better understanding of the legal and communications aspects of cyber incident response. The exercise can be easily be replicated by other states that want to strengthen their cybersecurity posture.

Treasury – IT Transformation and Modernization
Prior to 2014, the computer systems used by Treasury to process billions of dollars in payments for the commonwealth had less computing power than a typical smartphone and relied on outdated programming language. Treasury replaced its outdated mainframe computer systems and processes with a modern enterprise resource planning system. This project required Treasury to work collaboratively with 60 state agencies across all three branches of government. Benefits of the new system include increased reliability and audit capabilities, as well as savings on electricity and printing.

To learn more about the awards and view all of the finalists, visit www.nascio.org/awards/2015awards.

Media contact: Dan Egan (OA), 717-772-4237

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of Administration

Related Links

http://www.state.pa.us