Cybersecurity, broadband among emphases in Annual State IT Report

The FY 2023 Annual State IT Report recently released by the Georgia Technology Authority describes the current state of technology in Georgia government.

"Georgia has built impressive IT capabilities," said Georgia CIO and GTA Executive Director Shawnzia Thomas. "Across state government, we're harnessing technology in so many ways. We're nourishing what we've put in place and innovating to develop new capabilities. FY 2023 illustrates all those things. State agencies and entities worked this past year to capitalize on technology to help deliver a wide range of services, and GTA was proud to collaborate with them."

The report highlights efforts in key areas:

• Cybersecurity is woven into all the state's IT efforts. GTA works to ensure agencies have what they need to address concerns like endpoint protection, security monitoring, specialized training for security professionals, and security awareness training for agency staff.
• The GTA-led cloud-first campaign prioritized by Governor Kemp made progress in FY 2023. GTA partnered with the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) to introduce a program of courses in cloud operations and developer skills for agency IT employees, and more cloud platforms are being made available to agencies.
• Broadband service expansion and digital connectivity outreach gained real traction. Benefits can be life changing as unserved and underserved communities gain high speed internet access.
• Artificial intelligence (AI) emerged as a focus as the state considered its potential as well as necessary guardrails for its use. GTA has added a Chief AI Officer to its team and published a state policy for acceptable use of generative AI.

The report points to advances in IT governance and strategic planning and provides information on technology investments. In FY 2023, the state's executive branch agencies reported spending over $740 million on IT infrastructure and network services, application development and support, and related activities. Although the report's data are not comprehensive, they support state leaders in making facts-based decisions about allocation of state resources for technology.

For more information and insights, explore the FY 2023 Annual State IT Report.