So Just What Have We Accomplished??

By Richard Thompson, Chief Information Officer

Sometimes it seems the news is always bad. Information Technology systems and applications seem to be newsworthy only if there is something going wrong. Whether it’s the mail system clogged with spam or a virus, major applications performing less than needed, or a project that just will not end, the attention seems to focus on what is wrong.

Well, there are a whole lot of things that are right. First and foremost, it is the people who work hard every day, all of you, to make it possible for others to serve their clients, citizens or others. The dedication of IT staff is extraordinary. Many work long extra hours to satisfy the needs of customers. I can name a number of times where knowledgeable staff from across the agencies has rallied to resolve vexing problems. This is how it is and should be.

And we have accomplished a lot. Think about it for a few minutes; Corrections, Labor, MDOT... just about every agency, in fact, have each put up at least one application that is working very well and performing valuable services. No news, just expected... and we delivered.

A new Project Management Office is now providing organization around a talented group of project managers across many agencies. A discipline employed by some, and needed by all, as we create more complicated and important systems. Success can be much more easily achieved by this effort.

For the first time in Maine’s IT history, we have a Security Officer looking at what we do and how secure we really are. The data we manage is as important as it gets sometimes and we owe it to the citizens to continue our diligence.

We cannot forget what we are taking on, either. A new radio system is under development, a significant investment in the public safety of everyone in Maine. New applications are being developed to serve state government, such as the accounting system (Advantage) and MERITS at the Maine Revenue Service. Mobile devices are becoming more common, particularly in the law enforcement area. The list goes on and on.

Finally, we have demonstrated the vision of the Governor. We have become a single organization, providing services to the agencies of state government. It has not been easy and the work is certainly not done, but we are making progress. Please accept my thanks for jobs well done... and keep up the great work.