Cloud Computing

A High-altitude Perspective for Georgia

Cloud computing is no longer a future prospect for Georgia government. It is here. Operating in new modern cloud environments is now a reality for a growing number of state agencies. Through a GTA-led cloud computing migration, agencies have shifted from on-premises servers to cloud, gaining flexibility, reliability, greater autonomy with their IT environments, access to expanded technology options, and new controls over service consumption.

Additional migrations are in the works, and key considerations continue to include:

  1. Transformation
  2. Cloud training for state IT staff

Transformation

By early 2023, more than 100 state agency servers had shifted into cloud environments. That first phase of transformation focused on migrations into Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud. Agencies, including the Departments of Administrative Services, Community Health, Corrections, Driver Services, Juvenile Justice, Natural Resources, and Public Health, as well as GTA and others have new cloud operations. By aggregating the state's purchases of AWS, GTA offers discounted pricing for those services to Georgia government entities.

GTA is also working to introduce other cloud platform options including Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) and Microsoft Cloud (Azure). The State Accounting Office (SAO) will shift its PeopleSoft system to OCI. Several agencies are organizing migrations to Azure.

That state's mainframe and applications running on it are also shifting to the AWS cloud. this migration will decrease costs while also enabling continued mainframe services to accommodate the select state systems well-suited to mainframe processing.

Training

The shift to cloud computing brings not just new infrastructure and IT operations changes, it also calls on some new skills from IT staff. GTA helps state agencies cultivate those skills by providing access to varied cloud training options. 

The GTA online training hub, Cloud Campus, makes available a wealth of self-guided training for users of both AWS and Azure. Instructor-led training, e.g., workshops led by AWS technical experts, is also publicized on Cloud Campus. Just like the self-study options, there's no charge to agencies for the live sessions.

Throughout 2023, GTA presented twice-monthly lunch-and-learn sessions exploring cloud technical topics. These Technically Speaking sessions feature a GTA cloud expert addressing agency IT staff directly involved in cloud transformation. Experts from cloud service providers are also guest presenters. Like the name suggests, these informal discussions get plenty technical with as many as 40 or so IT staff members at a time participating virtually.

Through a new partnership between GTA and the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), agency IT staff can enroll in and complete weeks-long courses on cloud topics. Virtual classes offered via TCSG member school Gwinnett Technical College debuted in spring 2023 when a group of approximately 20 state agencies' IT staff took an AWS system operations (SysOps) course.

The program continued in fall 2023 with two courses, AWS SysOps and developer) which drew a combined 20 students. GTA covers course costs and encourages students to take the corresponding professional certification exam at the close of the class. Additional courses are planned.

The strategy is to provide different options for different types of learners and create pathways for expanding the skillsets of agency IT professionals.

Operational Improvements

Even while cloud transformation earned close attention in 2023, GTA's technology services teams continued to improve IT service areas spanning network, end user computing, service desk, storage, and more. A new partner, Raytheon, was acquired to provide expanded managed security services for agencies.

GTA and its service providers also helped state agencies move network and computing hardware and services from the 2 Peachtree building which was retired and into other state office space.

There is another project closely linked with cloud transformation. A space optimization and upgrade at the state's data center gained new traction. The goal is to consolidate into a trimmed down footprint as Georgia's on-premises computing presence shrinks. In work that will go on into 2024, a new, optimized and smaller floor plan will be put in place along with an updated power supply design. GTA is collaborating with agencies to clear a path for the space optimization project.

GTA Direct Services

The GTA Direct program provides access to a range of managed IT services for Georgia agencies, local governments, public and not-for-profit colleges and universities, and boards of education statewide. GTA qualifies the vendors and provides governance over the service contracts while agencies purchase the services directly from the providers and manage the vendor relationships themselves.

The program provides agencies with an efficient procurement process where they can purchase IT services from GTA-qualified suppliers that understand regulatory requirements facing government entities.

Services offered through GTA Direct include mobility devices and Oracle services, network, hosted contact center, and managed print.