From the CIO
The Baker-Polito Administration made the important decision five years ago to modernize our state-owned information technology (IT) systems and services, strengthen the Commonwealth’s cybersecurity posture, and improve the constituent digital-government experience through the creation of a new cabinet-level lead IT organization for the Executive Branch – the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS).
Since then, EOTSS has undergone transformational change by means of critical investments in our core personnel, processes, and technologies to:
Drive a new enterprise approach to IT infrastructure and services
Unify security operations, risk management, and data privacy frameworks
Ensure the continuity of government operations through a more resilient Commonwealth
Foster innovative technology solutions to enhance citizen-centric digital services
Deploy a Standard Operating Environment (SOE) across all Executive Branch agencies
These significant investments coupled with our innovative spirit earned Massachusetts an improved grade of B+ and an award for Data Governance/Transparency by the prestigious Center for Digital Government in its 2020 Digital States Survey. The Commonwealth was one of the ten most-improved states among its peers and one of four states recognized for ensuring data quality and privacy protections.
Significant investments coupled with our innovative spirit earned Massachusetts an improved grade of B+ and an award for Data Governance and Transparency by the prestigious Center for Digital Government in its 2020 Digital States Survey.
More importantly, our previous investments and groundwork laid the foundation for a successful technology response to the most significant global public health crisis in generations. COVID-19 highlighted above all the critical need for secure, available, reliable, and resilient technology systems and services to maintain the continuity of government operations and constituent services under the most difficult circumstances. The Commonwealth’s increased focus in recent years on prioritizing resiliency by adopting cloud-based solutions, enabling a more flexible and mobile workforce, and expanding our digital services footprint enabled a strong and timely response to many of the unique challenges imposed by the pandemic.
We could not have found success or overcome these recent challenges on our own. It takes a collaborative effort and strong working relationships with our colleagues in the Administration as well as our partners in the Legislature and private industry. Recently, this collaboration has taken on many forms – such as the passage of legislation authorizing $660 Million in spending on new IT and cybersecurity capital investments, the development and rollout of the Commonwealth’s new Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) system, and the enterprise deployment of standardized hardware, software, and tools in support of a new hybrid workforce model. EOTSS looks forward to continued partnership with key stakeholders across state government and the private sector to ensure future success in the years to come.
As we close out FY2022 and build an IT roadmap for FY2023 and beyond, cybersecurity, resiliency, mobility, and accessibility remain the four cornerstones of our efforts to modernize and secure the enterprise.
As we close out FY2022 and build an IT roadmap for FY2023 and beyond, cybersecurity, resiliency, mobility, and accessibility remain the four cornerstones of our efforts to modernize and secure the enterprise. Unified security operations, vulnerability management, and incident response protocols will bolster the state’s security posture in today’s heightened threat environment. The continued migration of legacy systems and business applications from out of state data centers to contemporary hybrid-cloud and 3rd-party hosting solutions will provide more resilient and accessible options for the agencies, residents, and businesses in the Commonwealth that depend on them. Deploying a standard operating environment, with a consistent technology stack across all agencies, will promote agility and efficiency across the entire Executive Branch. And, core network and IT infrastructure upgrades will lead to uniform, scalable, and secure connectivity across the enterprise for all agencies.
Working towards completion of priority enterprise programs and initiatives over the next 12 months, EOTSS anticipates resistance from three significant headwinds. Increased cybersecurity threats to government entities and vendor partners may present new security challenges and potential disruptions across all levels of government and major industry sectors. A strong labor market (particularly in technology), spurred by the ongoing economic recovery, may make it increasingly difficult for the Commonwealth to recruit and retain top talent in cybersecurity, IT, and digital services. Lastly, lingering global supply chain issues may continue to negatively impact IT equipment and service delivery.
Of course, new challenges also present new opportunities. We find ourselves at a transformational moment as technology becomes ever-more integrated into the way agencies conduct business. Now is the time to leverage the acceleration towards digital-centric services and a more resilient state government that was set in motion by the COVID-19 response.
EOTSS looks forward to once again partnering with the Administration, Legislature, and private industry on innovative business and technology solutions to overcome tomorrow’s challenges and keep moving Massachusetts forward. I know we are all equal to the task.
I encourage you to take some time to review this report and spend a few minutes learning more about EOTSS’ lead role for enterprise IT and cybersecurity, our successful collaborations with agency, state, and vendor partners, and our plans for the road ahead.
Thank you.
Curtis M. Wood
Secretary/Commonwealth CIO
| Date published: | May 10, 2022 |
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| Last updated: | May 10, 2022 |