Digital initiatives are a top priority for state government, yet agencies continue to lag behind the private sector in their attempts to scale those initiatives, according a survey released this week by research and advisory firm Gartner. A report released Wednesday reveals that chief information officers and other government technology leaders in the U.S., the U.K., Australia, Singapore, Canada and India are rarely able to deliver their digital businesses at scale, despite…

A division of North Dakota’s statewide technology agency has announced a new partnership that will bring cybersecurity teaching educational materials to educators throughout the state. Formed late last month, the partnership between the North Dakota Information Technology Department’s EduCause office and the National Integrated Cyber Education Research Center is the first of its kind. While the national program funded by the Department of Homeland Security has worked with teachers on a…

State governments have long struggled to fill information technology jobs , but a new nonprofit group is trying to turn that around with a new crop of professionals. Govern for America is preparing to place its inaugural cohort of fellows across state governments next summer as the first component in what the organization’s founders envision as a desperately needed pipeline for fresh talent. By building a network of partners across universities and government agencies, the mission is to…

State and local governments often struggle with outdated technology infrastructure, middling enterprise performance, and fending off a growing barrage of cyberattacks. One reason is a lack of technical talent. New survey data shared this week in a workforce-themed webinar hosted by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers did not bode particularly well for government leaders who continue to struggle to get the help they need. Gerald Young, a…

Providing a customer experience like what’s offered by Amazon has become a holy grail for many government IT leaders in recent years, and with North Dakota’s newest hire on Thursday, the state is drawing a direct line to that mission. North Dakota’s chief information officer, Shawn Riley, announced a new position called the chief reinvention officer, or CRO, that will be filled on August 20 by Julie Cabinaw, a private…

Fairfax County benefits from improved operational intelligence and cost savings from a reduced data center footprint, a new report says.

State governments struggle to compete with the private sector for top-shelf technical talent, but with a little ingenuity, a couple of states say, it’s possible to find success. The chief information officers for Missouri and Hawaii shared with StateScoop how they revised strategies for attracting and retaining staff to support their organizations. Both said they defined clear identities for their organizations, considered unique geographic challenges and found new partnerships to further their goals. Government work has always been a hard…

State and local government agencies are turning to cloud to streamline and strengthen their organizations' cybersecurity efforts.

Deborah Acosta knew making San Leandro, California, stand out among other San Francisco Bay Area communities would be a challenge when she became its chief innovation officer in 2013. The city of about 90,000, just south of Oakland and across the water from ritzy Silicon Valley cities like YouTube home San Bruno, was still trying to move on from its past as a decaying manufacturing hub and poster child for the restrictive covenants…