January 29, 2021
Annual State IT Report highlights cybersecurity, innovation amid pandemic
Georgia's efforts to strengthen cybersecurity and expand technology services lead the latest Annual State IT Report from the Georgia Technology Authority (GTA). The state's IT capabilities took on added importance as Georgia responded to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report for 2020 also examines the state's IT expenditures and plans for future technologies.
The report describes work to ensure the integrity of state government information systems, a top priority. The Office of Information Security conducted the annual Cyber Dawg training exercise and partnered with agencies to protect state networks as ransomware attacks intensified. Cybersecurity awareness training specifically addressing COVID-19 concerns was delivered to state employees at all executive branch agencies.
The state's public-private technology services partnership proved especially valuable as state agency employees had to shift to telework in mid-March. The security and capability of the virtual private network (VPN) was bolstered, and the program supported agencies in addressing pressing IT demands caused by the pandemic.
GovHub, the state's digital platform, figured prominently in meeting unexpected challenges in 2020. As traffic on state websites surged as Georgians grew more reliant on the online delivery of services and information, chatbots were launched on multiple websites in early April. In just three months, chatbots had answered almost 3 million questions.
The report highlights the launch of the statewide broadband map, which includes more than 5 million locations, 507,000 of which have no broadband access. The map brings greater transparency to the internet marketplace and possibilities for partnerships among communities and service providers.
The state's IT expenditures are also featured in the report. During the year, agencies reported spending more than $685 million on IT infrastructure services, network services, application development and support, and related activities. The report examines these IT expenditures and looks at various ways in which the state manages its technology investments. Although the report's data are not comprehensive, as constitutional agencies and other state entities with large IT budgets are not required to report their IT expenditures, they provide important and useful insights.
In addition to the website, the report is available in PDF format below: