Open Forum May/June/July 2006

Vol. 19 No. 6/7/8

Serving New York's State/Local Government and Corporate IT Leadership

FROM THE EDITOR

Dear Colleague:

We want to thank those of you who responded to the survey related to the Open Forum. With regard to content, the majority of respondents indicated a preference for: (1) interviews/articles that focus on an agency's solution to a problem, and (2) that we use the Open Forum as a means for bringing emerging technology and related policy and legislative issues to your attention. Respondents also indicated a preference for continuation of the Open Forum on a monthly or quarterly basis as an electronic newsletter in conjunction with continued dynamic information on The Forum's website and timely information made available through committee e-newsletters (Accessibility and Project Management Committees). The responses and suggestions, made as part of the survey process, have been extremely informative. The Forum staff and officers will be reviewing the results of the survey and making decisions regarding any changes that will take place in the program year commencing on October 1, 2006.

We also want to thank Laura Edlund, AT&T, who volunteered to lead the IT Corporate Roundtable's efforts to put together a presentation on Maintaining Business Momentum Through Major Leadership Change for the April 2006 Executive Committee meeting. Laura enlisted the cooperation of Edward G. Amoroso, Vice President, at&t Chief Security Officer and Client Executive for the State of NY; Laura Mainville Guenther, Senior Manager, OD Strategy, Dell; and Suzanne V. Skipper, Principal, Deloitte Consulting, LLP. The panel stressed the centrality of "people" to successfully navigating transitions and the importance of clear and honest communications. We are very grateful to Laura and the panelists for having made a very enlightening presentation.

Last, we want to extend our appreciation to Mara B. Ginsberg, Counsel, NYS Office of Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure Coordination, and Lisa Harris, Counsel, NYS Consumer Protection Board, for making a presentation at the May 12th Executive Committee meeting on the New York State Information Security Breach and Notification Act. That legislation was passed to add a public element of accountability for government and private agencies charged with the stewardship of New York state resident's private information and to help protect New York state residents from unauthorized access to their private information stored in electronic format. That presentation was also excellent.

The quality presentations such as those provided by the IT Corporate Roundtable and by Mara and Lisa, are a direct result of suggestions made at the July 2005 Strategic Planning Session. Participants urged that we have presentations on timely topics and that we get the word out about those presentations in an earlier and broader fashion. Hopefully, these recent sessions exemplify what was desired and we're sure the high level of interest and attendance will continue in June since NYS CIO, Mike Mittleman, will be the featured presenter at the June 9th Forum Executive Committee meeting. Please plan on joining us for the CIO's update on the initiatives of his office.

Sincerely,

Greg Benson

New York City's Technology Leadership:

A Focus on Engaging and Serving Constituents

A presence on the Internet has become essential for all government agencies.

Keeping constituents informed, providing access to and delivering services, and enabling transactions that previously required travel to an office and standing in line, are now expected as essential to government operations in our media-rich world.

Significantly beyond a web presence, in New York City a variety of technologies and telecommunications have become central to engaging and efficiently serving constituents. The Internet (NYC.gov), radio (91.5 FM), the NYC TV network (several channels) and telephony (3-1-1 service), together comprise the core of the diverse media mix that has been creatively developed and shaped to better inform and serve New Yorkers. In each media context, the resulting creative applications have been recognized with notable national and state awards.

New York City's technology directions in all of these contexts are developed and managed by the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT), led by Ron Bergmann, Acting Commissioner and NYC CIO.

Managing a single radio station or media group is a significant challenge in any large city. Overseeing all technology and telecommunications in our nation's largest and most vibrant urban setting is a daunting task. To learn more about just how it's done, and done so well, The NYS Forum is pleased to have this opportunity to talk with Ron Bergmann, NYC Acting Commissioner and CIO; Teryn Moore, Assistant Commissioner for Enterprise Development; Dean Schloyer, Deputy Commissioner and Executive Director of 3-1-1; and Arick Wierson, Deputy Commissioner/Gen-eral Manager, NYC Media Group and NYC TV.

The Forum: At the outset, I want to thank you all for taking time out of what I know are extremely hectic schedules to share your experiences with The NYS Forum's government and corporate members and friends.

Given the growing convergence of technologies, having all that is under the DoITT roof was, unto itself, a very insightful organizational move. Just how is it that DoITT came about?

Ron Bergmann: DoITT, as it is constituted today, has been evolving for a number of years. The City Charter delineates the powers and responsibilities of every City department and agency. It made increasing sense to have data, voice, cable TV and public pay telephone franchising and media outlets integrated under a single umbrella. DoITT's broad mandate directs us to "plan, formulate, coordinate and advance information technology and telecommunications policies for the City." It was a decision that proved fortuitous when we were asked by Mayor Bloomberg to assume responsibility for the creation and implementation of 3-1-1.

The Forum: Are there key, historic points of maturation that you feel have defined where DoITT is today and where it will be in the future?

Ron Bergmann: A key factor has been the election of a Mayor who provides strong leadership and under-stands-and strongly supports-a central role for technology in serving both City agencies and our constituents. Mayor Bloomberg has created a leadership context which has provided the opportunity for us to act more as an enterprise. We're reaping the benefits of that enterprise approach, which we leverage not only as a City but also in close partnership with the State of New York.

The Forum: "NYC.gov" is an exemplary, indeed, awarding-winning website that in some ways is the centerpiece of this city's open engagement with its constituents. What is your vision for NYC.gov in the next decade?

Teryn Moore: The vision for NYC.gov is to become even more "customer" focused by providing greater access to government services and allowing for more self service. We are taking a more holistic approach toward our constituents, providing them the ability to have a single profile which gives them access to multiple services from multiple agencies. For example, we are planning to roll out Business Express at the end of this year. This will lay the founda-tion for allowing all people who own or are starting a business to complete licenses and permits online, check the status of their requests, and even see incentives for which they might be eligible. We can then expand to offer this approach to many other ser-vices-allowing for streamlined interactions with less repetition. In addition, we are applying this thinking to create an Integrated Human Service System, to improve constituent access to much needed pre-screening services. Moreover, where appropriate, we plan to make some of this functionality available at a high level through 3-1-1.

The Forum: What do you feel will be the major challenges and barriers to achieving that vision?

Teryn Moore: We're encountering some opportunities to align agency objectives while addressing issues of privacy. Obviously, when choosing to implement a large vision involving cooperation among many agencies, priorities and timelines have to be coordinated. Fortunately, projects like Business Express bring such value to the agencies that they are very excited about the possibilities and are eager to participate. We are also going to focus on privacy of citizen data as well as managing the need for electronic signatures. We see both of these items as critical in allowing us to have closer, more trusted interactions with citizens.

The Forum: Beyond the direct access to New York City government provided through NYC.gov, DoITT's 3-1-1 service is a far more personalized means of engagement, and if I understand correctly, provides translation services in over 170 languages. Would you describe the mission of the 3-1-1 program and how the idea originated?

Dean Schloyer: The 311 Citizen Service Center is an organization that focuses on customer service within New York City. NYC 3-1-1's mission is to:

• Provide the public with quick, easy access to all New York City government services and information while maintaining the highest possible level of customer service;
• Help agencies improve service delivery by allowing them to focus on their core missions and manage their workload efficiently; and
• Provide insight into ways to improve City government through accurate, consistent measurement and analysis of service delivery citywide.

As part of that mission, we run a state-of-the-art call center that handles an average of 45,000 calls daily, and provides language translation services in over 170 languages. Calls to 3-1-1 are answered by a live operator 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. 3-1-1 was a key initiative of the Bloomberg administration, and was implemented under close direction from the Mayor himself. Although the popularity of 3- 1-1 is unquestioned, there are many customers that prefer to interact with government through the Internet. So, it is part of DoITT's long-term strategy to ensure that interactions through both the web and the phone are as convenient, efficient and easy as possible for our constituents.

The Forum: Now that you have nearly three years of 3-1-1 experiences, what features seem to be most useful and are there new features you're considering?

Dean Schloyer: As we have seen from the increasing call volume (over 32 million calls in 3 years), 3-1-1 has been well adopted by the citizens of New York City. 3-1-1 serves as a source of reliable and easily available information, particularly in times of emergency. From our experiences during the City's transit strike in December 2005, and the power outage in 2003, we continue to work to ensure that 3-1-1 is ready to respond to any event and resilient enough to stay up and running. As we look toward the future, we're implementing an analytics tool to use the data collected through 3-1-1 to help for city planning and research. 3-1-1 is also looking to expand some of its services on NYC.gov, offering citizens the ability to submit and check the status of their service requests, without picking up the phone.

The Forum: In a more traditional arena, DoITT's NYC Media Group includes NYC TV, which runs programming on six different channels as well as an FM radio station. Tell us about the TV channels and the role they play in the overall program.

Arick Wierson: NYC TV is the official television station of the City of New York and an integral part of DoITT. NYC TV manages and programs six television stations on behalf of the City, including one broadcast channel reaching 7.3 million house-holds-nearly 19 million people in the New York area-and five New York City cable channels reaching 1.8 million households. This unique portfolio of channels allows NYC TV to segment its programming for viewers and serve as a postcard for New York City. The six channels of NYC TV are as follows:

Channel 25 is devoted to NYC TV's lifestyle programming, featuring New York City culture, history and local happenings;

Channel 74 is the home of government programming, covering mayoral press conferences, City Council hearings, City services and other government events;

NYC TV has built Channel 93/ Channel 72 as a 24x7 traffic channel, programmed in partnership with the City's Department of Transportation;

Channel 73 showcases a variety of programs targeting New York City's vibrant ethnic communities;

Channel 71 serves as the home of horse racing and off-track betting; and

Channel 75 is managed and programmed by the City University of New York (CUNY).

Together, these six channels serve as a powerful communication tool for reaching New Yorkers and others within the tri-state area.

The Forum: The radio station, 91.5 FM, is in the process of forging a new direction. Can you talk about how and why the station is undergoing a transformation?

Arick Wierson: Along with NYC TV's six television stations is a full power FM radio station, WNYE 91.5 FM. Building on the success of television, NYC TV looks forward to overhauling its radio station for the purposes of expanding the audience of listeners and serving as a better complement to NYC TV's television stations. To achieve this goal, NYC TV plans to reorganize its program schedule to be more cohesive and more responsive to listener patterns during key times: morning drive, afternoon drive and overnights. NYC TV will also introduce original programming content featuring on-air-talent and more music programming.

The Forum: When taken in total, DoITT represents a "package" of technology responsibilities shared by very few in this country. In closing, can you reflect on how this breadth of responsibilities has provided better opportunities for serving your city agencies and constituents? Ron Bergmann: Having a comprehensive approach encompassing all media types provides us with an extremely broad spectrum of service channels for meeting the needs of City agencies and citizens. In particular, the Mayor's policy of "digital inclusion" means that for our constituents, regard- less of their particular preference or the capacity available to them, we can reach out and engage them through phone, Internet, radio and television. This provides the broadest possible range of digital access channels for serving all of those who live, work, and visit New York City.

Call for Nominations

2006 New York State Best of the Web Award

The NYS Forum recognizes annually the innovative use of web technology, during the past year, by state and local government in two categories - Web Applications developed by: 1) state agencies, and 2) local government groups. To be eligible for nomination, sites must be functioning and available on the web at the time of submission of the nomination or, in the case of seasonal or other similar sites not always available, the site must have been functioning and available within the past 12 months. Nominated sites must have been developed either by public sector staff or with the direct involvement of public sector staff. Agency Intranet and other internal sites are eligible for this award but judges must be able to access and review the sites. Sites nominated must be in compliance with NYS Office for Technology Technical Policy P04-002 (http://www.oft.state.ny.us/policy/p04-002/index.htm) and NYS Mandatory Technology Standard S04-001 (http://www.oft.state.ny.us/policy/s04-001/index.htm). A panel of judges will review each site, test each site for compliance with State Policy and Standards for Accessibility using commonly accepted validation tools, and select one state and one local government site. The award will be announced at The Forum's Annual Meeting in September. Best of the Web nomination forms will be available at www.nysforum.org.

Evaluation Criteria:

Innovative Use of Technology - Web Sites in general are an innovative use of technology. This criteria refers to how the web site makes use of the technologies available to its developers to achieve its purpose. This does not necessarily mean the most technically proficient web site but rather refers to the site that uses technology in unique and creative ways to achieve its purpose.

Value to the Client - Public Sector Web Sites must provide identifiable value to their users. The content must be relevant and timely. This criteria will evaluate the content delivered to the users, how relevant that content is and how the web site ensures the timeliness of that content.

Cost Efficiency to the Agency - Delivering Services over the web should be efficient both to the developer and to the users targeted. This criteria will evaluate that efficiency for both groups. This is not a strict "cost justification" exercise but rather an evaluation of how the site improves the service or services being delivered.

Recipients of last year's awards were: Town of Lewisboro for http://www.lewisborogov.com and Westchester County for http://www.westchestergov.com and Department of Health for http://www.nyhealth.gov.

Nominations for Best of the Web must be received no later than July 28, 2006 and can only be submitted online at: www.nysforum.org

2006 Award for Excellence in Government Information Services

A sustained spirit of collaboration and volunteerism underlies the success of The New York State Forum. Each year, The Forum Executive Committee recognizes the essential value of volunteer effort with an Award for Excellence in Government Information Services given at the Annual Meeting. Last year's recipients were Nancy Mulholland, Workers' Compensation Board and Stephen Frank, Curam Software. Any Forum member may be nominated. Letters of nomination should describe the nature of the nominee's contribution and how his or her activities have benefited another agency, The Forum membership, or government generally.

Evaluation Criteria:

• degree to which the contribution reaches beyond the boundaries of the nominee's own organization,
• actual benefit produced, and
• potential for future benefits to be built on the basis of the nominee's achievement.

Nominations for Award for Excellence must be received no later than July 28, 2006 and should be sent to:

The NYS Forum Award for Excellence

Rockefeller Institute of Government

411 State Street, Albany, NY 12203

Fax: (518) 443-5006 or E-mail: info@nysforum.org

11th Annual 2005 - 2006 Best Practices Awards

The NYS Forum would like to recognize the outstanding work done during the past year in the area of Information Resource Management by New York state and local government organizations. The categories are as follows.

POLICY (for legislative initiatives or internal agency policy initiatives which improve information management and/or lower the barriers to effective information management). This might include the sponsorship of new laws which support electronic commerce, rewriting of regulations to lower barriers for the use of electronic documents, or development of effective organization-wide document management or security policies which improve document handling.

MANAGEMENT (for innovative activities which improve the management of information resources and technologies). Innovations in this area might include creation of a formal project management approach to the restructuring of an IRM organization to improve customer service, development of innovative procurement and/or partnering activities which maximize use of scarce resources, development and management of assessment teams to deal with crises like the Year 2000 or development of other structures to effectively manage new technologies.

TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION (for effective implementation of information technology to meet business goals). Examples of innovation in this area might be the development of an agency Intranet which links internal units with external partners in a secure fashion, development of an agency Web application which improves communications with the public, or effective use of prototyping and application development tools to streamline application development.

Last year awards were presented to Department of Taxation and Finance for Project Portfolio Management Project, Office of Children and Family Services for Contract Management System, Office of General Services Procurement Services Group for Aggregated IT Procurement Program, The Institute for Local Government at SUNY Institute of Technology and the Northern Oneida County Council of Governments for The Digital Towpath Project, Department of Civil Service for Web-Based Training and Experience Examination Program, Office of the State Comptroller for Utilizing User Defined Functions to Capture Business Rules.

To submit a recommendation for an award, please send a short, one or two page description of your innovation to the Forum. Recommendations will be reviewed by the Awards Committee and descriptions will be published and distributed at the Annual Meeting in September. In your response, please designate an individual or individuals who would be available to accept the award and speak about the innovation at The Forum's Annual Meeting.

Thanks for your continued interest in The Forum. We look forward to seeing you at the Annual Meeting.

Nominations must be received no later than July 28, 2006, and should be sent to:

The NYS Forum Best Practices Award

Rockefeller Institute of Government

411State Street

Albany, NY 12203

fax: (518) 443-5006 or e-mail: info@nysforum.org

You may submit your recommendation online at: www.nysforum.org

2006 Candidate Canvass

The New York State Forum will begin its 20th year on October 1, 2006. Thanks to your help, we have made great strides during the past years and with your continued support, The Forum will prosper.

On October 1st, the Executive Committee will assume new leadership. Vice Chair Leigh Favitta, Dormitory Authority, will succeed Celia Hamblin, Department of Labor, who has served as Chair for the past year. Diane Taylor, Office of the State Comptroller, who has served as Secretary/Treasurer for the past year will serve as Vice Chair. The office of Secretary-Treasurer will be filled from among the members of the Executive Committee, including the newly elected members. This canvass seeks candidates for the Executive Committee for two-year terms beginning October 1, 2006 and ending September 30, 2008.

All Institutional Representatives and Individual Members employed by Institutional Members are eligible to serve on the Executive Committee. A slate of candidates will be presented to Institutional Representatives for selection prior to the 20th Annual Meeting scheduled for September, 2006. The following excerpts are taken from The Forum Charter and describe the mission, objectives and responsibilities of the Executive Committee.

Mission

It is the mission of The New York State Forum ("The Forum") to promote policies and practices for effective, equitable and secure use and management of information resources in New York State Government at all levels.

Objective

• Promote exchange of information, sharing of IRM experiences, and cooperation among government organizations, the nonprofit and the corporate sectors in New York State.
• Develop cooperative projects that result in shared information resources and collaborative problem solving.
• Recognize and showcase state and local exemplary information resource practices at the organizational and individual levels.
• Promote guidelines and standards that facilitate technology transfer and systems integration.Examine and recommend policies and guidelines that affect the development, use and procurement of information resources within the state.
• Promote research, development, evaluation and use of advance information technologies applicable to state and local government.
• Maintain active liaison with organizations, including those in the academic and corporate sectors having expertise relevant to the use and management of information resources.
• Promote education and training in information technologies and resource management as essential components of professional development of the state's information resource management workforce.
• Create a learning environment at The Forum meetings and events that allow members to obtain information on usable solutions, practices and ideas.

Responsibilities

• Develop and present an agenda for the business meetings of The Forum.
• Establish standing, special interest groups or temporary committees.
• Review and select project proposals recommended by The Forum members or committees.
• Appoint a nominating committee to present a slate of candidates for the Executive Committee.
• Review and approve formal reports reflecting final work products or recommendations of the Forum.
• Provide for staff support and advise and direct staff efforts which support the business and programs of The Forum.
• Oversee the financial affairs of The Forum.
• Communicate regularly with Legislative leadership regarding progress on key initiatives and on findings and recommendations.
• Conduct such other activities as are necessary to carry out the provisions of the Charter and the objectives of The Forum.

If you are interested in being considered for the Executive Committee or are currently a member and interested in the office of secretary/treasurer, please complete and return this form with a brief bio which includes: current position, information management interests, previous Forum involvement and other related involvement by July 28, 2006 to:

The NYS Forum Candidate Canvass

Rockefeller Institute of Government

411 State Street

Albany, NY 12203

Fax: 443-5006 or E-mail: info@nysforum.org

You may submit your intention online at: www.nysforum.org

Name: ______________________________________________________

Title: _______________________________________________________

Organization: _________________________________________________

Major Interests ________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

Phone: ______________ E-mail ___________________________________

I am interested in the office of Secretary-Treasurer

Forum’s June Executive Committee Feature Presentation by NYS CIO Dr. Michael Mittleman

June 9, 2006

8:30 am

411 State Street

Albany, NY

All state and local government IT leadership and staff, along with members of the NYS IT Corporate Roundtable, are welcome to attend the CIO's initiative update.

CTG Unveils Online IRM XML Toolkit for Government Agencies

CTG is pleased to announce the release of the first version of its online XML Toolkit. The Toolkit is a product of the Center's XML Testbed, which served to assist New York State agencies in examining the benefits as well as the challenges of Web site management using the emerging technology of XML. The Toolkit contains sections for getting started; practical approaches to getting XML up and running in a variety of environments; samples of different code; useful tools for XML development; helpful hints for specific XML tasks; and links to XML guides and reports. Each area has a "modest," "moderate," and "elaborate" approach to allow the user to start according to their unique environment. A special section will contain a complete deconstruction of the Toolkit Web site for anyone to see how the XML, XSL and ASP work together to produce the Toolkit Web pages. In addition, a feedback section will allow users to let CTG know what they think of the library and to contribute their own resources, code samples, or tips.

The full press release is available at: http://www.ctg.albany.edu.

The XML Toolkit is available at: http://www.thexmltoolkit.org/.

For more information about the XML Testbed visit: http://www.ctg.albany.edu/projects/xmltb.

Upcoming CTG Research Discussion Breakfast Series

The XML Testbed: Lessons Learned and Future Research

Wednesday, June 7, 2006, 8:30 - 9:30 am

Presentations will be given by Donna Canestraro, program manager and Ramon Gil-Garcia, postdoctoral fellow, Center for Technology in Government. For more information and to register visit: http:// www.ctg.albany.edu/about/breakfasts3. The Center for Technology in Government, an applied research center at the University at Albany, NY, works with government to develop information strategies that foster innovation and enhance the quality and coordination of public services. For more information regarding CTG, please visit our Web site at: http://www.ctg.albany.edu.

2006 NYS Cyber Security Conference - June 14 & 15

For complete details and to register visit: www.nysforum.org click on "2006 Cyber Security Conference" then "Attend"

9th Annual NYS Cyber Security Conference

June 14 & 15

Don't miss out on the premier cyber security event in New York State, cosponsored by The NYS Forum, the NYS Office of Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure Coordination (CSCIC), and the NYS Center for Information Forensics and Assurance at the University at Albany (CIFA), who bring state and local government cyber se-curity-related professionals, along with their private and nonprofit counterparts, together for two exciting, in-formation-filled days.

Ed Amoroso, Vice President, at&t Chief Security Officer and Client Executive for the State of NY , is our featured keynote speaker. Attend your choice of over 40 se-curity-focused sessions, watch a cyber attack (demo) in action, visit more than 50 security-related exhibitors and unwind after a busy day of sessions by networking with fellow attendees, exhibitors and speakers at the Attendee Reception, hosted by your All Conference Sponsors. Reunite with friends and colleagues you don't see during your busy work-week and make new contacts with those who share your security-related interests. A cash bar will be available and hors d'oeuvres offered.

We invite the best national and international speakers to challenge your knowledge and discuss the hottest cyber security technology in the market. This conference offers something for everyone - ISOs , IT leaders, CIOs, auditors, lawyers, law enforcement, nontechnical managers and educators - who want to learn and sharpen their cyber security skills. Preview the two-day agenda on pages 10 and 11. For complete details and registration visit: www.nysforum.org.

Don't miss it!

Executive Committee

Officers

Chair, Cecelia Hamblin, Dept. of Labor

Vice-Chair, Leigh Favitta, Dormitory Authority

Sec./Treas., Diane Taylor, Office of the State Comptroller

Members

James Bell, NYS Senate

Walter Bikowitz, OGS

Thomas R. Bodden, Assoc. of Towns of NYS

JoAnn P. Bomeisl, Insurance Dept.

Vivian Conboy, Dept. of Taxation & Finance

Teri Daly, OFT

Sharon Dawes, CTG

Michael Donovan, OCIO

Stanley France, Schoharie County

Robert Freeman, Dept. of State

Jeffrey S. Grunfeld, OSC

Christine Haile, SUNY at Albany

Roman Hedges, NYS Assembly

Karl Kelly, DMNA

Robert G. Kelly, DHCR

Kim S. McKinney, NYSLGITDA

Nancy Mulholland, Workers' Comp. Board

Eugene Pezdek, DEC

Joanne Riddett, Thruway Authority

Franklin Slade, Dept. of Civil Service

Timothy Spencer, DOB

Victor Stucchi, HESC

Staff

Editor

Gregory M. Benson, Executive Director

Design & Production

Rebecca J. Buchner, Executive Assistant

Milena Ivanova, Technical Coordinator

Editorial Office

NYS Forum

Rockefeller Institute of Government

411 State Street

Albany, NY 12203

Phone (518) 443-5001

Fax (518) 443-5006

Visit our Web Site www.nysforum.org

E-mail info@nysforum.org

Open Forum is a regular publication of the NYS Forum.

We welcome editorial proposals and submissions.