RALEIGH – Gov. Pat McCrory announced Thursday that state government would house an Information Technology Innovation Center as information specialists seek to solve technology problems and collaborate on solutions.
“We have some serious issues in information system technology,” McCrory said during an announcement at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Green Square complex, where the Innovation Center will be housed. “We have too much duplication. We have too many systems. We have too many silos. … No one is talking to each other through technology.”
McCrory said that the lack of communication has harmed state employees’ morale.
“If we continue to have these silos in information technology, we will continue to have inefficient government, and inefficient customer service to the constituents, which are demanding good customer service,” McCrory said.
The governor referenced a recent state audit which found cost overruns and delays in implementing information technology systems.
McCrory drew applause from a number of state employees gathered for the announcement when he said that up-to-date technology would be used.
“We will train state employees so that they can effectively use information technology on the job — up-to-date training, not training that’s four or five years old,” McCrory said.
Chris Estes, state government’s chief information officer, said that state agencies won’t use other states as benchmarks, but will instead measure their success against businesses with large online presences.
Estes said that the building would be open weekends so that citizens and experts can come in, collaborate, and help solve IT problems.
“We expect in the contracts that we sign with vendors in the future that their stuff works before we buy it,” Estes said.
McCrory said that equipment would be tested by the state before it is bought in the future.
The bidding process will require vendors to prove their systems work before they’re awarded contracts, Estes said.
McCrory said that the goal is to give taxpayers more efficient use of their tax dollars and to make state government’s IT presence more consumer-friendly.
“One of the biggest feedbacks we get is that we don’t have systems talking to each other,” McCrory said. “Every website for state government is different. Even within the Cabinet, we have different websites.”
McCrory continued, “The customer is totally confused about, how do you get service from North Carolina government on the Web.”
“We want to improve the customer experience through the portal, and the way they interact with the state,” Estes said.
Estes said the state plans to leverage experience from companies and the university system to make the state’s IT system more customer-friendly.
“Savings and better customer service are the two issues,” McCrory said.
Barry Smith (@Barry_Smith) is an associate editor of Carolina Journal.