Worth Noting

StateScoop - July 5, 2023

Georgia's IT department is offering state employees a new cloud training program with help from TCSG.

Capitol Beat - June 26, 2023

Georgia will receive $1.3 billion out of a $42 billion nationwide federal investment in broadband expansion, the largest in U.S. history, the Biden administration announced Monday.

Office of the Governor - June 12, 2023

Governor Kemp today announced nearly $15 million in preliminary grant awards for broadband internet expansion through the second round of the Capital Projects Fund Grant Program.

GCN - June 7, 2023

Any employee at a Georgia state agency making the transition to cloud can now take an eight-week course through TCSG and improve their cloud skills.

Government Technology - March 21, 2023

Oneisha Freeman, digital connectivity manager of GTA, said the meetings have the dual purpose of providing communities with resources they could utilize and gauging feedback that helps shape GTA programs.

Fierce Telecom - March 3, 2023

States are poised to play a critical role in the broadband funding landscape, as they will soon receive allocations from the $42.5 billion BEAD program.

StateScoop - January 9, 2023

GTA on Monday announced that Steve Hodges, a longtime state employee, will serve as the state's new CISO.

Government Technology - January 9, 2023

Steve Hodges brings more than 21 years of information security experience with the state government to the role, recently serving as a senior IT security manager for Georgia's revenue department.

Office of the Governor - January 4, 2023

Governor Kemp today announced over $234 million in 29 preliminary grant awards for broadband internet expansion through the Capital Projects Fund Grant Program.

WSB-TV - January 4, 2023

Governor Kemp announced over $234 million in grant awards Wednesday that will expand broadband internet connectivity for homes and businesses in 28 counties through the Capital Projects Fund Grant Program.

TAG Infrastructure Talks Podcast - December 8, 2022

In this episode of TAG Infrastructure Talks, Troutman Pepper Partner Alan Poole discusses the past, present and future of broadband funding and deployment in Georgia with GTA's Deputy CIO for Broadband and Special Projects Jessica Simmons.

Government Technology - October 27, 2022

As the state makes a big push to the cloud, CIO Shawnzia Thomas explained how replacing Georgia's 20-year-old ERP platform with a new, standardized solution will help set the stage for the next generation of state staff.

StateScoop - October 24, 2022

David Allen, Georgia's CISO since 2019, stepped down earlier this month for a private-sector job, state officials confirmed Monday.

Government Technology - October 21, 2022

Having stepped down earlier this month, Georgia CISO David Allen has been replaced by interim CISO Mike David, who returns to GTA after a three-year stint with another state agency.

Government Technology - October 20, 2022

CTO Dmitry Kagansky talks about transitioning the state workforce to a cloud-based future, and outlines the vision for a cloud center of excellence to spread best practices among state agencies.

StateTech - October 13, 2022

Georgia CTO Dmitry Kagansky and GTA are leading the state's cloud migration project, which involves agencies of varying IT skillsets. 

StateTech - October 13, 2022

The department's CIO described how he worked with the state's IT agency to upgrade an expensive legacy system.

Government Technology - September 29, 2022

In 2022, leading states are breaking down information silos and assessing the data for more informed decision-making and elevating efforts to keep all this data secure in a challenging cybersecurity environment.

WJBF News Channel 6 - September 22, 2022

An exercise Wednesday at the Georgia Cyber Center gave IT professionals a chance to sharpen their skills against cyber threats.

The Augusta Press - September 22, 2022

IT specialists with nearly a dozen Georgia state government agencies are engaged in what's called a "live fire" training exercise at the Georgia Cyber Center.

WRDW News Channel 12/WAGT News 26 - September 21, 2022

A real-time cyber training event is happening at the Georgia Cyber Center.

Government Technology - September 9, 2022

A week after taking over as CTO for GTA, Dmitry Kagansky shared his vision for the agency and how he hopes to optimize state IT across the board.

StateTech - September 7, 2022

Here are the top state and local IT leaders, podcasters, and personalities to follow to stay up to date on the latest technology trends.

StateScoop - September 2, 2022

The Georgia Technology Authority on Thursday announced that Dmitry Kagansky, formerly the state's chief cloud officer, has stepped into the role of statewide chief technology officer.

Government Technology - September 2, 2022

Dmitry Kagansky, the state's first chief cloud officer, has been named as the replacement for longtime Chief Technology Officer Steve Nichols.

Government Technology - August 12, 2022

Steve Nichols, CTO at GTA, offers his observations and predictions for what's trending and what's to come with regard to cyber incident notification laws.

StateScoop - August 8, 2022

Steve Nichols, who's served as Georgia's statewide chief technology officer since 2002, said Monday he's leaving the role at the end of the month to take a role with Gartner, the multinational technology consulting firm.

Government Technology - August 8, 2022

After serving as Georgia's chief technology officer (CTO) for 20 years, Steve Nichols announced today that he is ending his tenure with the Georgia Technology Authority on August 31 to take on a new job at Gartner Consulting.

Georgia County Government - Summer 2022

In February, the state of Georgia awarded $408 million in preliminary funds for 49 projects in 70 counties across the state that will establish and improve internet service.

StateTech - July 14, 2022

StateTech Managing Editor Mickey McCarter recently asked Thomas about some of her big priorities, including innovation and cloud.

StateScoop - May 24, 2022

Georgia Chief Information Officer Shawnzia Thomas reflected on her first year in the role Tuesday, saying that while she's not a technologist by training, she's made her leadership of the Georgia Technology Authority about satisfying the needs of the state's residents and working with other agencies to deliver on that mission.

UGA Today - May 24, 2022

Nearly a year after unveiling a groundbreaking map that showed far more Georgians than previously thought were without broadband access, the University of Georgia has helped the state distribute more than $400 million in grants to bring faster and more reliable internet service to communities throughout the state.

StateRAMP -  March 14, 2022

Today StateRAMP announced its growing list of states who are working with StateRAMP to validate the cybersecurity posture of their third-party suppliers who use or offer cloud products to deliver services.

StateScoop - October 27, 2021

Georgia Chief Information Officer Shawnzia Thomas believes her agency's hiring a chief cloud officer marks a first in state government that other states' technology divisions may soon replicate, she said in an interview with StateScoop.

Government Technology - September 27, 2021

The Georgia Technology Authority has named Amazon Web Services alum Dmitry Kagansky to its executive team. Kagansky brings relevant experience from several private-sector organizations to the role.

U.S. Army - September 17, 2021

Service members with the Georgia National Guard participated in exercise Cyber Dawg 2021, a live-action cybersecurity exercise held September 13 - 17, 2021, at the Georgia Cyber Center in Augusta.

Governing - September 12, 2021

Government CIOs know that building an IT agency that can withstand any challenges means learning how to both do more with less and also exercise restraint when there's a windfall.

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency - September 1, 2021

SAFECOM, CISA's premier public safety communications advisory council, is made up of public safety stakeholders with a diverse set of experiences and backgrounds. We took the opportunity to speak with Charlie Sasser, a representative with NASTD and one of SAFECOM's longest serving members, to briefly talk about NASTD and his involvement in SAFECOM activities.

Government Technology - August 31, 2021

New state CIO Shawnzia Thomas is focusing on expanding broadband, pushing cybersecurity best practices, and taking an employee's-eye view to technology adoptions in her first few months on the job.

StateScoop - July 30, 2021

Six weeks into the job, Georgia Chief Information Officer Shawnzia Thomas told StateScoop she’s developing a vision for state IT that revolves around improving customer service and citizen engagement, along with an emphasis on eliminating the digital divide in a state with a large rural population.