DIR Outlines Technology Priorities for the Next 4 Years

The Department of Information Resources (DIR) has released its 2023-27 Strategic Plan.

It describes its five most important goals for the next four years. Cybersecurity, technology accessibility, efficient digital transformation, data management best practices and IT procurement best practices lead the organization’s priorities.

Amanda Crawford, Texas’ chief information officer, was asked about strategic plans in general at the Digital Government Summit* in June in Austin.

“We’ve distilled that (strategic plan) down into a one-pager — some of those key pieces from the agency to the strategic plan, but … because it’s a legislative document, it dives a little deeper into what are important things that we want to achieve each year,” Crawford said.

“And then each year I roll that out to the agency,” she said. “We do an all-hands meeting, I go through these and then encourage my folks to print it out, put it on the wall of your cubicle, your home office, wherever it is so that whatever you’re doing, you can align it to one of the strategies.”

What follows are snippets of DIR’s five goals from its website, with some minor edits. To make progress toward DIR’s core goals and the governor’s statewide objectives, the department seeks to:

1. Expand cybersecurity services, increase cybersecurity awareness, and improve the strength of cybersecurity programs.

DIR is dedicated to protecting the privacy and security of Texans’ data by securing the state’s IT systems. DIR’s cybersecurity services improve state agency preparedness, incident response and the overall security posture of the state. DIR creates opportunities for public-sector organizations to engage in information sharing and cybersecurity capability development.

2. Increase timely, cost-effective, secure, and customer-oriented access to technology services and solutions.

DIR serves as the shared IT services organization for state government. DIR provides mobile applications, technology contracts, telecommunication solutions and IT as a service, giving Texans access to government services and freeing other public servants to focus on their core missions.

3. Accelerate digital transformation by providing innovative and agile solutions.

DIR is committed to digital transformation and improving the customer experience. DIR works to transform public-sector digital capabilities by providing innovative, cloud-based and agile solutions that help address legacy modernization efforts. DIR collaborates with agencies and institutions of higher education to advance a more agile, transformed and digitally mature government.

4. Improve data governance and increase the adoption of data management best practices.

DIR strives to improve data quality, accuracy, completeness, and to maximize the use of data to make decisions internally and throughout Texas government. DIR increases the adoption of data management best practices and enables a secure data sharing culture.

5. Optimize IT procurement and contracting practices.

DIR leverages economies of scale to provide Texas government with cost-effective technology that empowers the delivery of services to Texans. DIR optimizes IT procurement and contracting processes by collaborating with customers and vendors to streamline processes and establish best practices. DIR educates public entities on IT procurement and contracting requirements, offerings and best practices. Further, it delivers training to private-sector organizations related to doing business with the state, especially related to historically underutilized businesses (HUBs).

In addition to clarifying those five goals, DIR also went on to identify five barriers to contend with. The department seeks to:

1. Remove barriers to government efficiency by allowing use of digital signatures.

Allow a digital signature to authenticate a written electronic communication without additional rulemaking by the state agency or local government in certain circumstances if that digital signature is provided in a manner consistent with widely recognized standards, such as Federal Information Processing Standard 186.

This could lead to improved administrative efficiency, reduce costs and increase auditability.

2. Reduce impediments to effective local government cybersecurity.

Establish minimum cybersecurity standards for systems connected or allow access to critical infrastructure and criminal justice information systems or that contain sensitive personal information.

This would require local governments to proactively approach cybersecurity planning, testing, reporting and recovery.

3. Reduce barriers to efficient cybersecurity by establishing a centralized reporting source.

Establish a single source for state agencies, local governments and school districts to report cyber attacks, with a minimum reporting time requirement. Include ransomware in the definition of a breach for county election officials.

This would provide valuable information such as trends and patterns that could help the state prevent further attacks, avoiding costly response and recovery efforts.

4. Reduce barriers to effectively minimizing cyber attacks due to website spoofing.

Establish a domain suffix requirement for local governments to use “.gov” and school districts to use “.edu.”

Requiring the use of government domains would reduce opportunities for criminals to defraud Texans by spoofing government websites and the potential for a cyber event related to website spoofing. While there is no fee for obtaining a “.gov” or “.edu” domain name, there would be costs associated with reprinting or reposting content. It would also give Texans an authoritative reference for legitimate government websites.

5. Reduce barriers to transparency by using consistent terminology in the General Appropriations Act — Capital Budget Riders.

Change the name from “Data Center Consolidation” to “Shared Technology Services” for all agencies that receive appropriations to purchase these services.

There would be no cost savings, but the name change would reduce confusion and ensure that all agencies are operating under the same understanding that the money being spent is accurately defined in the capital budget.

*The Digital Government Summits are hosted by Government Technology, Industry Insider — Texas’ sister publication.