September 4, 2014

GOV. MALLOY: CONNECTICUT RANKED AS A LEADING STATE FOR ITS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEM

Connecticut Makes Big Jump This Year in Annual Survey of State Government Information Technology

(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that the State of Connecticut has been ranked one of the best states in the nation for its information technology system, leaping this year from a grade of "C" in 2012 to an "A-" in the Center for Digital Government's 2014 Digital States Survey .

Crediting Governor Malloy's push for a stronger emphasis on technology, the biennial survey says that Connecticut has sharply improved its IT infrastructure over the past two years by focusing on operational efficiencies and transforming business operations.

"For too long, Connecticut's state government information technology infrastructure was severely behind the curve, causing inefficiencies that cost taxpayers money and time," Governor Malloy said. "Since taking office in 2011, our administration has made a sharp focus on helping the state find innovative ways to bring our systems up-to-date and ensure that we are operating efficiently and in a cost-effective manner. We are by no means where we want to be just yet but we are seeing results. Permits that used to take weeks to complete now take days, and we are able to better serve the people of Connecticut while spending less taxpayer money."

The Governor continued, "I want to specifically thank the state Bureau of Enterprise Systems and Technology, led by Chief Information Officer Mark Raymond, for their work upgrading our systems over the past couple of years, as well as those in every state agency who have taken part in our modernization efforts."

Connecticut joins seven other states this year that were graded in the "A" category. Under the Digital States criteria, a grade of "A" reflects a state that is trending sharply up and shows results across all survey categories. It signifies that modernization is used to realize operational efficiencies and strategic priorities, and there is evidence of meaningful collaboration.

Regarding Connecticut, the report says:

Connecticut posted one of the biggest improvements in the 2014 survey. Inheriting a neglected IT infrastructure upon taking office in 2011, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy drove efforts to improve both technology and business processes. The state created an Enterprise IT Investment Fund that provides money for multi-agency projects that align with state business objectives. Twenty-four projects have received funding so far. A committee of seven agency commissioners governs the fund. Connecticut also launched a statewide effort to transform business operations using LEAN principles. The successful rollout of Access Health CT, the state's health-care exchange, caught the eye of the Obama Administration, which recently tapped Access Health CT director Kevin Counihan to run Healthcare.gov.

The Center for Digital Government also gives Connecticut first-place recognition in both the "Most Improved" and "Adaptive Leadership" categories, and second-place recognition in the "Health and Human Services" category.

"These awards recognize the focus we place on utilizing technology for measured results. The vision and collaboration of our leadership team and the hard work of our employees and partners drive these outcomes," State Chief Information Officer Mark Raymond said. "While much remains to be done, this shows the state's information technology is headed in the right direction. We continually look to improve upon our systems, resolve issues, reduce costs and improve services to our customers and citizens."

The state will be given special awards at the Digital States Performance Institute survey awards celebration on September 28 in Nashville during the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) annual meeting.

A national overview of all 50 states and their grades is available at www.centerdigitalgov.com .

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For Immediate Release: September 4, 2014

Facebook: Office of Governor Dannel P. Malloy