Bailey-Crimmins’ Challenge to Industry: ‘Come With Innovative Ideas’

The opaque divide separating public- and private-sector IT is crumbling fast, and the state is more willing than ever to challenge the status quo, state CIO Liana Bailey-Crimmins said this week.

Bailey-Crimmins, who is also the director of the California Department of Technology (CDT), called on industry to bring the kind of ideas and solutions that challenge the way the state has always done things. She made her remarks Monday at the State of Technology — California Industry Forum* event.

The CIO urged industry attendees to “come with innovative ideas” as emerging technologies, like generative AI (GenAI), continue to force new approaches and partnerships.

“It is clear that relationships need to be beyond transactional. They need to be a strategic alliance where we're looking at the technology foundation of the future — not only for California, but for the nation and the globe moving forward,” Bailey-Crimmins said.

It’s been just over a year since Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the GenAI executive order that gave CDT and the Government Operations Agency (GovOps) the direction to begin a series of proof-of-concept projects. These projects included using AI to look at roadway safety and efficiency; documentation of health-care facility inspections; improving language access to critical health and human services; and navigation of the state’s tax requirements.

“I don't think we're ever going to be going back. We're going to be able to utilize these relationships moving forward,” she said, of the partnerships the state has built with industry, academia and the federal government.

When it comes to the issue of future-proofing organizations in the wake of these new advancements, Bailey-Crimmins pointed to three main priorities — retaining public trust, modularity, and emerging technology readiness.

“… When there is a single problem, let's try not to have 49 ways of doing it,” she said, calling for more flexible, modular solutions.

California’s position at the top of many hackers’ target lists sees CDT responding to more than 2 billion malicious attacks a week, the CIO said. The sheer volume of threats has the department looking for new, faster ways for departments to secure outside cybersecurity assistance from qualified vendors.

A request for information has been published, the CIO said, to look for ways to create a sort of “easy button” within California Network and Telecommunications (CALNET) and the Office of Information Security (OIS) that would allow for pre-negotiated terms and conditions for security vendors and reduced process requirements for departments seeking services.

“Our goal is to break it down; we want the maturity of the departments to increase, and we don't want process to be the barrier,” she said.

Bailey-Crimmins also shared some of the public-facing initiatives underway, pointing to digital ID and California “wallet” efforts that promise to streamline how residents will interact with government services.

*The State of Technology — California Industry Forum was hosted by Industry Insider — California.