Two State Technology Programs Chosen as Honorees for TechPoint Mira Awards
The Indiana Office of Technology's (IOT) State Earn and Learn Information Technology (SEAL IT) program and the Indiana Executive Council on Cybersecurity (IECC) were each nominated last week for a TechPoint Mira Award, the state's largest and most prestigious technology award.
TechPoint, the nonprofit, industry-led growth initiative for Indiana’s technology ecosystem, this week announced the nominees for its 23rd annual Mira Awards program that celebrates “The Best of Tech in Indiana.”
IOT’s SEAL Program is a nominee for the Talent Impact Award, which recognizes initiatives and programs that are influencing Indiana’s critical recruiting, attracting and hiring talent pipelines as well as training and retaining efforts.
The IECC is a nominee for the Community Impact Award, honoring those individuals and organizations who have gone above and beyond to support the advancement of Indiana’s tech community.
Read more here.
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New Application Standards for the State of Indiana
The Indiana Office of Technology has developed standards and policies around how agencies implement technology solutions and how vendors work with the State of Indiana.
We have created a page where you can find all of the state's standards, policies and procedures, including new enterprise-wide technology standards, including:
*Authentication, identity verification & multi-factor authentication (MFA)
*Application performance management
*Customer Relationship Management and Case Management
*Application Programming Interface (API) and File Transfers
*Visualizations and Dashboards
Find all state standards and policies here: https://www.in.gov/iot/policies-procedures-and-standards and find the application standards here: https://www.in.gov/iot/home/applications-standards/
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Recent Cyber events across the state
There were two important cybersecurity events across the state this past month, aligning with IOT’s goal to increase education on the subject.
Cybersecurity Program Director Chetrice Mosley-Romero and IOT Chief Information Officer Tracy Barnes attended Indiana University’s Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research (CACR) Speaker Series on Feb. 24.
The CACR Security Speaker Series brought cybersecurity experts from across the nation to present their current research and real-world experiences to IU faculty, staff, and students.
CACR partners with the Maurer School of Law, the Kelley School of Business, the Luddy School of Informatics and Computing, the Ostrom Workshop, and the Center for Women and Technology to select speakers who represent a diverse range of perspectives on cybersecurity.
The next day, Mosley-Romero presented at the Women Working in Technology Conference.
Ariel Crawley, Community Outreach for Indy Women in Tech (iWIT) facilitated a conversation with cybersecurity leaders including Mosley-Romero and Meredith Harper, VP and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) with Lilly, unpacking the enigma of cybersecurity, how women have a role, and the awesome opportunities available to work in cybersecurity.
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MuleSoft State Webinar: Unlock a Data-Driven Government with APIs
Join the state MuleSoft team on March 8 to learn how the application is helping public sector agencies leverage APIs and analytics to better respond to crises and automate day-to-day tasks. See a demo on how another state is using the combined power of MuleSoft and Tableau can help combat the opioid epidemic too.
When:
*Tuesday, March 8, 2022
*11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
For more information and to register, click here.
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Recap of IN-ISAC's last two town halls
Word is getting out as even more guests joined the most recent Indiana Information Sharing and Analysis Center (IN-ISAC) cybersecurity town halls.
At the January town hall, the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) discussed their services of securing IT systems and data. They lead a global community of IT professionals to continuously evolve standards and proactively provide products and services to safeguard against emerging threats.
The IN-ISAC team also provided a brief overview of HEA 1169 (2021), recent legislation that increases the amount of information-sharing regarding cyberattacks and other threats across state agencies and local government. This law requires public-sector entities to report ransomware, software vulnerability exploitations, denial-of-service attacks, and more. Report a cybersecurity incident here.
In the February town hall, members from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Indiana Office of Technology security team spoke on security and Log4j - managing the activity of a system or application.
After a great turnout from the first three events, the IN-ISAC team will continue to reach out to local governments each month to continue hosting town halls with new topics.
Why it matters: The state is working more closely with local government to protect all Hoosier data.
Get connected: These meetings can benefit state employees; email Taylor Hollenbeck thollenbeck@iot.in.gov if you are interested in receiving details about the IN-ISAC meetings.
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Behind the Tech: Ann Walker
In 2005 the Indiana Office of Technology was created to provide cost-effective, secure, consistent, reliable enterprise-technology services to state government. IOT offers more than 120 technology products supported and serviced by expert staff with licenses or certifications in 62 technical areas. Behind the Tech is a spotlight on the staff that provides services for 30,000 state employees.
Ann Walker is a Senior Business Analyst in Application Development, meeting with agencies or internal IOT staff, analyzing and documenting business needs, and assisting developers with testing and the implementation of new applications.
What does an average day look like for Walker?
An average day may involve creating or modifying agreements with App/Dev customers, developing internal business procedures, hunting down elusive documentation, researching solutions and working with developers. She also tries to sneak in some Salesforce training when she can.
What's her favorite thing about her job?
“I enjoy digging deep into an issue, determining the root cause, and developing the best solution, whether it be a technical solution or simply a solution that requires improving current processes."
What's something no one know about her?
She is a genealogist. She has been researching for years, and has hundreds of very old family photos, documents, and letters.
“I have one brick wall that will require a trip to the Library of Virginia to, hopefully, break through,” she said.
She left the workforce several years ago to raise her son, who is now almost 23. During that time, she spent many hours at his school, volunteering, substitute teaching, being the PTO Treasurer and “yes, I was even a lunch lady when there was a no-show,” she said. “I can’t tell you how many ketchup and mustard packets I opened for the little ones!”
What does she hope to take away from IOT?
She hopes to take away lasting friendships, an appreciation for the opportunity to keep learning new things, and self-satisfaction of a job well done.
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