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What to Know:
- Former CIO Mark A. Stone retired in September after more than 12 years with the Texas A&M University System.
- The A&M System's IT office says a search is underway for a new CIO, but no public job listing is currently available.
- Stone remains listed on the Texas AI Advisory Council website.
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The CDO will report to executive leadership and oversee the development of enterprise data architecture, policies and procedures that support data quality, integrity and security.
What to Know:
- Texas Cyber Command (TXCC) is hiring two cybersecurity analysts to support threat research and incident response as part of its statewide cyber modernization push.
- Both roles are housed within the Office of the State CISO, with responsibilities that include developing detection tools, analyzing threats and building incident response capacity.
- Successful applicants will help stand up the statewide Cybersecurity Incident Response Team under TXCC by 2026.
What to Know:
- The Texas Comptroller is seeking input on mass email platforms for accessible constituent outreach.
- The platform should support features like responsive design, email authentication, analytics and role-based access.
- Requested features include A/B testing, email previews, personalization, accessibility compliance and data retention support.
Industry Insider — Texas is pleased to welcome Optimum to the Industry Insider family.
What to Know:
- The Texas Education Freedom Accounts program will allow eligible families to apply for state funds to cover a range of educational expenses.
- Odyssey will provide an end-to-end platform to manage the program, including a parent-facing application portal, e-commerce marketplace and customer support services.
- Odyssey’s CEO, Joseph Connor, said the company is prepared to deploy a “user-friendly and trustworthy platform” based on its experience managing similar programs in other states.
Gambetta has been with IBM for nearly 15 years, helping drive advancements in quantum software, hardware and cloud-based experimentation.
What to Know:
- Sharon AI and New Era Energy & Digital are collecting bids for site clearing, which is expected to begin within 60-90 days.
- The campus is designed to scale to 1 gigawatt or more, supporting growing demand for AI and GPU-driven infrastructure.
- The site is in an air-quality attainment zone, a positive factor differentiating it from other data center projects.
What to Know:
- The Texas Cyber Command website is live and recruiting for top IT roles, including a director of IT services.
- The command is centralizing the state’s cybersecurity infrastructure with $345 million in funding.
- The agency is building three technical units under newly appointed Cyber Chief T.J. White.
What to Know:
- The August cyber attack on Greenville’s systems was traced to an unnamed third-party provider.
- No personal or financial data was compromised, and all city and electric utility services have been fully restored.
- The ransom was paid by the city’s cyber insurance provider, and there will be no tax impacts for residents.
What to Know:
- Texas led the nation in energy consumption in 2023, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
- Between 2007 and 2023, Texas’ industrial sector energy use grew 28 percent, while U.S. total industrial sector energy use declined 3 percent.
- Between 2007 and 2023, the population in Texas grew 29 percent, significantly more than the national average of 12 percent.
What to Know:
- Dallas College has committed $88 million in technology investments for FY25-26 through a mix of capital, reserves and planned procurements.
- A third of that funding will fuel IT infrastructure enhancements, including network modernization, wireless upgrades and back-end systems.
- An additional $28 million is earmarked for 37 upcoming procurements.
The city of Brownsville was given that designation in 2014. Since then, officials have made investments to change its status, including supporting the deployment of a fiber network.
What to Know:
- Pillai replaces Summer Xiao, who recently left for a private-sector technology role.
- She now oversees enterprise applications, data systems and project management.
What to Know:
- Texas Tech University has formalized a partnership with the FBI and rebranded its Reese research facility to expand its role in national security research and workforce development.
- The university system has secured multiple multimillion-dollar grants from the Department of Defense and Army Research Laboratory to support advanced materials, radar and semiconductor research.
- Angelo State University’s Regional Security Operations Center is integrated into the FBI partnership and will contribute to provide cybersecurity training, monitoring and collaboration with public-sector and military entities.
What to Know:
- Les Becker brings more than 20 years of experience in state and local government across IT, finance and program innovation.
- His past roles include executive leadership at Washington State Department of Health, Harris County Public Health and Colorado’s Behavioral Health Administration.
- Becker aims to help Slalom scale tech-enabled public health solutions nationwide, focusing on data governance, AI ethics and strategic partnerships with cloud and platform providers.
What to Know:
- The Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office (TREO), created by Senate Bill 14, will evaluate and streamline state agency regulations.
- Texans can submit feedback on existing regulations through the newly launched Regulation Evaluation Portal.
- Led by Director Jerome Greener, TREO will coordinate with agencies and an advisory panel to eliminate outdated rules and develop best practices for regulatory processes.
Paid for out of the city’s tourism budget, a year’s subscription to the service costs $18,000.
What to Know:
- The OIG will assess whether managed care organizations and behavioral health authorities have adequate safeguards in place to protect confidential HHS data.
- Audits include the TIERS eligibility platform and financial statistical reporting by MCOs, as well as a carry-over audit of how MCOs detect and report fraud.
What to Know:
- The Government Experience Awards recognize governments using technology to improve service delivery and engagement.
- Grand Prairie’s engagement strategy blends a website, mobile app, social media and TextMyGov, which has handled more than 68,000 resident text exchanges.
- Midland’s Council Operational Dashboard consolidates live data across departments.
What to Know:
- Rocha's promotion expands his CIO role to include oversight of academic support services such as libraries and Educational Technology Services.
- Rocha has led major initiatives at the college, including an IT infrastructure overhaul, enhanced cybersecurity and the launch of a successful esports program.
- He brings more than 30 years of experience in higher education IT leadership, with previous roles at the University of North Texas at Dallas and Smith College.
What to Know:
- Fort Worth’s FY 2026 budget includes $64.8 million for IT Solutions operations and $12.9 million in separate capital funding.
- The IT department’s operating budget reflects a 13.5 percent increase over the previous year.
- The budget consolidates public safety communications and emergency preparedness into a new Emergency Management and Communications Department.
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New service offering approved under BeyondTrust’s existing FedRAMP authorization to operate (ATO) broadens government access to identity security
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This report sounds the alarm on fraud in government programs. The message is clear: Fraudsters are attacking government programs with relentless speed, using stolen and fake identities, across state borders and within agencies, often driven by complex crime networks that are difficult to entirely track down and stop.
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Ransomware attacks surged 50% in early 2025 and impacts all organizations regardless of size or industry.
Featured Speakers: Mat Keller, Sr. Solutions Engineer, Okta, and Neal Gallucci, Sr. Manager - Identity Solutions Architect, Socure
