Government Technology - October 2008 - (Page 51)

The Top 10 2008 2006 2004 audience; they’re capable and don’t mind going online to get services,” Fletcher said. National Snapshot The long-running Digital States Survey provides a national benchmark for states’ progress on doing business electronically. “Since our inaugural survey in 1997, we’ve seen a steady advance in quality of technology solutions implemented by state governments for their citizens,” said Cathilea Robinett, executive director of the CDG. “The bar is constantly being raised by public-sector technology leaders creating top-notch services.” The 2008 survey — which was sponsored by Verizon Business — reviewed all 50 states and shows several e-government offerings reaching maturity. More than 80 percent of states provide online transactions for business and individual tax filing and payment, unemployment insurance applications, professional license renewals, motor vehicle registration renewals, and Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) searches and filings. Deployment rates for most of these services have changed little since the 2006 survey, indicating these offerings are almost fully built out nationwide. In contrast, online customer care applications grew significantly, as state governments responded to citizens’ desire for after-hours help with e-government-related problems. “These customer care applications are there to make transactions go right,” Taylor said. “They can handle problems with credit card numbers and technical glitches. For governments, it’s the new cost of doing business.” States also are putting considerable effort into Web 2.0 applications, according to the 2008 survey. More than one-quarter of states created wikis for sharing collaborative information. Ninety percent of states use really simple syndication (RSS) feeds to broadcast information to interested users and 72 percent use podcasts within executive branch agencies. Half of the states use text messaging, 46 percent use mash-ups and 44 percent use blogs. on planning and policy issues that are critical to digital government success. Among the findings: • Eighty-three percent of states report having a strategic IT plan that’s been updated in the last two years. • Seventy-three percent of states are considering review or reform of their IT-related procurement policies and practices in the next year. • Seventy-eight percent of states have project review mechanisms and project management processes in place. • Eighty-two percent of states have an existing shared services strategy, but only 46 percent have proven the concept through successful pilots and production-level services. • Thirty-nine percent of states report having at least one production-level use of software as a service (SaaS). For the first time, the 2008 survey also benchmarked states’ green IT and sustainability activities. Environmental issues drew growing attention from political 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 10. Utah Michigan Virginia Arizona California Washington Kentucky South Dakota Maryland Tennessee (tie) Pennsylvania (tie) 4 1 2 5 16 16 8 7 12 10 20 8 1 3 5 26+ 2 12 6 15 7 24 leaders this year, a factor that was reflected in the survey results. Half of the states said their IT strategies and practices are well aligned with the state’s environmental sustainability program. Furthermore, 98 percent of survey respondents said they have consolidated and virtualized data centers and servers. Although consolidation initiatives usually aren’t undertaken for strictly environmental reasons, they tend to deliver green benefits like lower energy consumption. 51 Join Our Growing Government Team Apply your government experience to a career with ESRI, a company known for innovation and growth in the geographic information system (GIS) software industry. Our dynamic sales, marketing, and consulting experts work together to provide strategic direction and leadership for federal, state, regional, and local government agencies. We are looking for energetic, articulate people who are enthusiastic about GIS technology and have expertise in government-related disciplines for the following positions: These positions are based in our Washington, D.C., regional office and corporate headquarters in Redlands, California. Behind the Scenes Along with measuring electronic service delivery, the 2008 survey also evaluated states Join the team dedicated to helping government agencies improve the quality of life for their constituents. Copyright © 2007 ESRI. All rights reserved. ESRI, the ESRI globe logo, and www.esri.com are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of ESRI in the United States, the European Community, or certain other jurisdictions. ESRI is an equal opportunity employer. Learn more and apply online at www.esri.com/careers/govt. http://www.govtech.com http://www.esri.com/careers/govt http://www.esri.com http://www.esri.com/careers/govt

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Government Technology - October 2008 Contents Point of View On the Scene Big Picture Four Questions for... Letters Cover Stories: Border Crossing The Australian E-Connection Easy Rider Northern Exposure Technology on the Cheap Ditching the Desktop Heightening the Experience Pipe Dream Falling Between the Cracks Come Together, Right Now... It's a ... Car? Digital State of the Art Spectrum Products Two Cents signal:noise

Government Technology - October 2008

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