IOT expands use of Alemba Service Manager
Since 2011, vFire (now Alemba Service Manager) has been IOT’s ticketing system. If you have an issue and you report it to the IOT Help Desk either through the Self-Service Portal, the Help Desk Assistant, or a phone call – a ticket is created to track your issue to find a solution.
In the last year, IOT has expanded the use of the Alemba Service Manager to take advantage of the Workflow engine, allowing you to map either simple or complex business processes. The workflow engine manages the business processes by handling:
- The Human Integration – making sure the right teams or individuals are involved at the right time and provided with the right information
- The Technical Integration – steps can be created to pass or accept data to / from other applications, call APIs or automate manual steps where possible.
A couple good examples of workflows developed within the Alemba Service Manager in the last year include:
Lost / Stolen Computer – a process was developed to report a lost or stolen computer. Once the form has been submitted, the workflow notifies the correct people and begins the process to identify the current status of the missing hardware and determine if a replacement can be deployed. This involves multiple teams and notifies them when something is expected of them within the process.
Agency office moves, remodels or expansions – The process behind moving an agency office across town, or remodeling/expanding an existing office comes with a lot of details. This was handled in the past with several emails, workorders and phone calls. Now this process is fully documented in the Alemba Service Manager. Once the request is submitted, the multiple teams involved are notified that a new request has been submitted and each team receives their “workload” at the right time.
The advantage of using the Workflow engine is that everyone involved in the process can see the current status of the request and who is currently working on it. There is no lost/forgotten time as emails are misplaced or tickets are buried in with other support requests. The workflow can capture the work tasks required, the approvals needed and simplify the entire process.
There are currently 110 active workflows in the Alemba Service Manager. We anticipate this number to grow significantly during 2021. For example, IOT will soon move the Change Management process into it, taking advantage of the power of the workflow engine.
Many agencies besides IOT use Alemba Service Manager. If you are interested in having a business process reviewed and designed into an Alemba Service Manager workflow, please click here to submit a new workflow request.
Kevin Jones named one of GovTech's Doers, Dreamers and Drivers
Every year Government Technology - a magazine that contains editorial content about information technology in the public-sector, primarily in state and local government - highlights the exceptional work of people who tirelessly leverage technology to make government better.
GovTech announced the 20th class of the Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers, and among them is Department of Child Services CIO Kevin Jones.
Jones is responsible for overseeing the technological infrastructure that enables important work for DCS. With more than 25,000 children and families dependent on the agency’s 4,000 employees, Jones has spearheaded the development of innovative and integrated technologies, including virtual reality training for caseworkers and caseworker candidates.
Caseworkers can be exposed to real-world child welfare situations without ever leaving the office. This allows the department to navigate training requirements for these positions and helps to gauge whether a candidate is cut out for the essential work.
By digitizing this process, Jones said the agency was able to retain staff, cut down on time spent processing information, and maximize time with children and families who need it.
IOT Department updates
IOT has made some personnel updates and moved around its core operation services. After evaluating the structure of the organization, IOT has made many changes to realign teams under new departments to enable better internal and external service.
The three new departments under Chief Operations Officer Bob Clarke are:
- End User Services,
- Core Infrastructure & Operations Services; and
- Database and Server Administration
The End User Services department is expanding to include a multitude of areas that affect the desktop experience. This department includes the following teams:
- Identity & Access Management
- Mobile – Mobile Device Management is moving under Identity
- Messaging Collaboration & Automation
- Tier 3 Services
- Desktop Refresh
- Field Ops - Campus
- Field Ops - Remote
- Software Asset Management
The Core Infrastructure & Operations Services department will gain some new teams, including the Mainframe and the Contact Center. Other teams include:
- Data Center Operations & Management
- Network Maintenance
- WAN/Remote Infrastructure
- Network Management
- Customer Service
- Call Center
- Unified Communications
The Database and Server Administration department will now be comprised of the following teams:
- FSSA-DFR
- Mainframe
- VMWare & Storage
- Database
- System Administration & Solution Delivery
In the long run, aligning similar teams creates more synergy and, ultimately, more focus on the end-users of those specific teams that will improve IOT's service.
Government Women in Technology accessible to all state employees
It has been one year since Anushree Bag, Executive Director of Risk and Compliance at IOT, started a women’s networking and professional group, Government Women in Technology.
After beginning with only nine women in the Office of Technology, GWIT now has more than 120 members across 24 state agencies and is the first affinity group approved and recognized by the State of Indiana.
“I wanted to create a group where we can help women navigate an impactful career in technology,” Bag said. “We’ve created a supportive ecosystem where we can challenge stereotypes, mentor, motivate, and empower women to share knowledge with each other and their peers in this industry.”
Participation is open to women in technology roles or technology-enabled roles at IOT and other State of Indiana agencies. IOT men who are interested in supporting and mentoring women in technology are welcome to attend as well.
The group meets virtually once a month, has a company LinkedIn page and now a SharePoint site accessible to all state employees.
Bag hopes to one day expand to the national level. She spoke about GWIT at the national innovation forum hosted by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) in December 2020. That group was compelled to follow in Anu’s footsteps, and now have their own group.
Interested in joining the group? Fill out the membership application here.
Data Backup Day: How does IOT backup your data?
Do you back up your files? Do you know how IOT stores your data when you do back up?
March 31 is World Backup Day, a day for people to learn about the increasing role of data in our lives and the importance of regular backups.
A backup is a second copy of all your important files — i.e., document, emails, photos, etc.
Last year, IOT changed its backup frequency for servers hosted in the IOT datacenter, going to a new schedule.
Click image to see the schedule in motion
In the past, IOT kept daily backups for 30 days, quarterly backups for 1 year and end of year backups for 3 years. The new schedule is an eleven-cycle backup rotation. These eleven cycles consist of seven days of daily full backups along with four weeks of weekly full backups.
IOT is responsible for recovery and data protection of systems in the case of an accidental deletion or a disaster. However, data protection is not record retention and agencies should not rely on IOT to maintain backup copies of data for a retention request. If an agency is required by law or rule to maintain data, it is incumbent on them to preserve an active copy in storage.
Backup your files!
New Whiteland merges to IN.gov platform
When the Indiana Office of Technology was established, it was created to support primarily state government, but it is statutorily allowed to assist local government too.
One of the ways that IOT supports local government is through its IN.gov Program, which offers digital government services ranging from web development to payment processing.
Several localities use IN.gov developed websites and other services to interact and conduct business with their customers.
New Whiteland is the latest town that has moved its website to an IN.gov website.
Visitors to the site can find everything there from employment opportunities, town departments including fire, police, public works, parks and more.
New Whiteland is now the sixth local website that has been moved to a more secure, professional, and simplified website on the IN.gov platform.
Your town can be launched too!
The highly experienced IN.gov team can help you with executive oversight, business analysis, project management, design, development, quality assurance, and customer service.
To check out all services the IN.gov team offers local government, click below. https://www.in.gov/inwp/local-government/
Access Indiana Exceeds 450,000 users
Access Indiana (https://access.IN.gov), the state’s single sign-on portal for Hoosiers, now connects more than 450,000 users with 34 state government services. The number of users has doubled in the past three months.
Access Indiana provides a more streamlined and secure approach focused on simplifying government for customers. The app now sees more than 18,000 daily user sessions Monday through Friday.
Gov. Holcomb recently stated, “My administration is focused on providing great government service to Hoosiers, and one of the ways we’re doing that is through Access Indiana. I am proud of the way Access Indiana is transforming Hoosiers’ experiences with our state’s online services through a secure, single sign-on platform that is easy to use.”
Gov. Holcomb had instructed the Office of Technology to implement a service that connected online applications across state government with a single username and password to make accessing government services easier.
Beginning with one application in March 2019, Access Indiana now connects users with 34 state government services that may have previously needed separate logins.
Some Access Indiana services include:
- INBiz– one-stop resource for registering and managing your business(Secretary of State)
- Covid-19 Indiana Vacination Portal–Track and print proof of your vaccination (Dept. of Health)
- Job Seeker Portal– apply for jobs or get workforce training (Dept. of Workforce Development)
- Fish & Wildlife – buy hunting and fishing licenses (Dept. of Natural Resources)
- Enterprise Licensing – apply or renew a professional license (Professional Licensing Agency)
Additional services are continually being added to Access Indiana, with the ultimate goal of needing only one user identity to interact online with the state.
Indiana leaders and programs nominated for StateScoop 50 Awards
Voting is now open for the 2021 StateScoop 50 Awards! Indiana has nine people or programs nominated for the awards this year. Support your coworkers and represent Indiana by voting for each of our nominees. You can vote multiple times per day and there is more than one winner in each category so you can vote for all the Indiana nominees.
The annual StateScoop 50 Awards honor the best and the brightest who make state government more efficient and effective. These awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of our peers and acknowledge their tireless efforts to make a positive impact in the government IT community and in public service.
Indiana nominees:
Golden Gov:
- Tracy Barnes - Chief Information Officer (IOT)
State Leadership:
- Anushree Bag - Executive Director of Risk & Compliance (IOT)
- Elaine Kan - Deputy Director of Operations (IOT)
- Josh Martin - Chief Data Officer & Director, Management Performance Hub (MPH)
State IT Innovation of the Year:
- OneDrive for Business Migration Project
- Online Absentee Ballot Request
State Up & Comer:
- Jen Cooper - State Ethics Director (IG)
- Cheri Walker-Owens - Security Engineer (IOT)
State Cybersecurity Leader of the Year
- Hemant Jain - Chief Information Security Officer (IOT)
Indiana in the News
GovTech:
- https://www.govtech.com/gov-experience/Indiana-Single-Sign-On-Portal-Clears-Adoption-Milestone.html
- https://www.govtech.com/education/higher-ed/Purdue-Makes-Breakthroughs-in-Quantum-Internet-Development.html
- https://www.govtech.com/workforce/Indianas-Hoosier-Talent-Network-Folds-AI-into-the-Job-Search.html
StateScoop:
The Indiana Office of Technology has a LinkedIn page! Follow us here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/indiana-office-of-technology