Texas completed its first-round State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program applications in March; a report indicates the next opens in the new year.
The Department of Information Resources released its state performance report last week, highlighting legislative recommendations aligning with strategic goals.
Millions of dollars in awards have already been made this fiscal year, ranging from hardware and software to learning and training platforms.
The University of Texas RGV is opening the third state regional operational security center, and four more are on the horizon, per DIR’s legislative appropriations request.
The City Council has roughly $95 million earmarked for communications and software on its next agenda.
The Department of Information Resources has GIS and IT-based surveying tech and services on its calendar for an October competitive request for offer.
The Department of Information Resources has updated its planning website to reflect two related but separate procurements to provide purchasing vehicles for public-sector public safety, security and emergency equipment and technology.
Amanda Crawford has been involved with NASCIO for several years and is the past vice president.
The chosen vendor will partner with DIR to provide security services through the agency's shared technology services program.
The state has been identified as one of the top leaders in the IT space, tackling cybersecurity and artificial intelligence from the top down.
The Department of Information Resources is asking for 49 more employees, in part as a response to the Sunset Advisory Commission’s advice to increase outreach.
The agency's pre-solicitation states it will be contracting for a wide variety of services, including web page design, application software, data conversion, networking, risk management, software maintenance and more.
The chosen applicant will be a senior-level program management specialist for DIR's Shared Technology Services (STS) Vendor Management Office.
Rainosek’s nearly eight-year tenure saw her implement multiple key security initiatives in the state, for which she was named one of Government Technology’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers.
The state’s IT agency has spent in the hundreds of millions each with Rackspace, Deloitte and Atos, companies that provide multiple services impacting the Texas digital infrastructure.
The Department of Information Resources’ Innovation Lab is the state’s facility for testing emerging technology, educating state agencies on technology best practices and partnering with vendors on new solutions.
DIR Deputy Executive Director Steve Pier and Deputy State CIO John Hoffman discussed the upcoming budgeting session and what causes procurement negotiations to fail at a recent Government Technology event.
Applicants must have two years of experience in system administration, information security, vulnerability scanning, vulnerability management, formal risk assessments, penetration testing, digital forensics and/or security operation center operations.
Marie Cohan has been the Department of Information’s steward for accessibility for three years, using creative ways to mentor and support 130 statewide agency leads.
The Sunset documents offer a critical look at 12 agencies under review this year, examining each agency’s mission, priorities and performance ahead of the 89th Legislature.
The tech giant has been notifying customers whose emails were caught up in the Jan. 12 Midnight Blizzard cyber attack.
Texas state agencies are required under a new law to submit these lists on AI use, development and procurement.
The portal is seeking input from businesses and individuals impacted by House Bill 4, passed in 2023, which regulates the use of consumer data.
The IT service management company joins five other vendors contracted by the agency to provide IT research and advisory subscription services to DIR customers.
Department of Information Resources procurement experts recently gave timely reminders about getting into the public-sector market.
The IT Staff Augmentation Contracts portal connects DIR cooperative contract customers with temporary IT staff resources via solicitations.
The Department of Information Resources is asking the Legislature to revisit ISO requirements and allow agencies and universities to share officers, so they may stretch their financial and human resources.
The Best of Texas awards, part of the Texas Digital Government Summit, honor public agencies working to improve the constituent experience.
The five-year plan includes multiple components that require third-party strategies and solutions to meet the state’s goals.
Vendors seeking to do business with SLED entities may look to two agencies for information: the comptroller’s office and DIR.
In response to a question regarding the agency’s plans for future AI integration, DFPS CIO Drew McGrath revealed that plans for a state agency-specific model trained to adhere to federal requirements may be in the works.
Texans in tech will recognize the state information agency’s people and culture officer, who is often spotted at conferences and in tech media; she has earned distinction for her role and achievements in government technology.
The former CIO of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission made the announcement via LinkedIn. It is among other changes in the Department of Information Resources’ org chart so far this year.
DIR’s Neil Cooke speaks with Governing’s podcast crew about data management and its impact on AI; he also discusses how his agency and the Legislature are leading data and AI policy.
The panel of representatives from state agencies and higher education institutions shared how vendors can help their products stand out at the recent Texas Association of State Systems for Computing and Communications conference.
The latest Industry Insider fireside chat features longtime state procurement officer Hershel Becker answering vendors’ questions about selling tech in Texas.
DIR has shepherded the center’s growth for more than four years and continues to influence SLED learning about and adoption of non-generative AI.
The state IT agency published a solicitation for HP products that will result in a purchasing vehicle for the Texas SLED community.
The state IT department’s latest cooperative contract solicitation targets a wide range of hardware, software and related services for education.
The consulting group isn't the only one providing services on a Texas-sized scale; the state also spent $172 million with Rackspace.
The requested solution must be a cloud-based software-as-a-service solution with automated workflows for creating, evaluating and awarding contracts through the entire contract cycle.
The council will assess the landscape, legal and ethical concerns, and state government use. Its seven members will begin reviewing reports this summer.
Of the three, DIR spent the most on IT-specific purchases, while TxDOT’s largest expenditure appears to be with a built infrastructure firm.
The vendor will provide OneTrust software to the social services agency as part of the state’s shared technology services.
DIR’s current cloud manager is responsible for public cloud provider deployments through the agency’s Data Center Services program.
The IT agency has released a pre-solicitation notice detailing the equipment and services for a March request for offers.
The state IT department plans to issue a request for offers for various hardware and software purchases on March 4.
The chosen respondent will provide a solution that can be customized and improved upon for the duration of its contract with DIR to address evolving cybersecurity threats.
Texas is accepting State and Local Government Cybersecurity Grant Program applications through mid-March; grants allow for cyber enhancements at the local level.
Keith Halman has been appointed to a one-year term by the governor.
Industry Insider — Texas’ One-on-One interview series has featured state and local government leaders throughout the year. Here are five tech leaders making a statewide impact on people and IT.
Collected here is a roundup of our AI-related coverage in 2023, including expert insights, events and agency use cases.
Here is a roundup of this year’s events, with insights from the Texas Department of Agriculture, the Office of Court Administration, the Texas Workforce Commission, the Austin Transit Partnership and the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.
The Waco college, with about 8,500 students, has adopted additional YuJa tools for instructional materials.
According to Amanda Crawford, the public sector has increasingly accepted tech’s integral role in constituent services.
The department is requesting managed print services, document imaging, enterprise content management products and hardware for establishing and providing contracts to DIR customers.
The Sunset Advisory Commission reviews and evaluates for efficiency, effectiveness and potential abolishment.
Once data is collected from consumers, who owns it? According to speakers from IBM and Atos, discussing the topic at a recent event organized through the Texas Legislature, collected data and insights always belong to the creator.
The State Strategic Plan for Information Resources Management is a collaborative effort that will inform tech planning for agencies and institutes of higher education.
Experts at a legislative AI event agreed that employers looking to attract talent and retain workers would benefit from incorporating AI into their training and hiring as soon as possible.
A consensus among panelists at an event near the Capitol was that the most effective area for AI is in back-office tasks, where there is less opportunity for public-facing failures and more opportunity for human-AI task augmentation.
Vendors may also propose any value-added service as related to the products requested in the RFO, but proposals solely containing related services do not qualify for consideration.
The department is requesting managed print services, document imaging, enterprise content management products and hardware for contracting to DIR customers.
The National Association of State Chief Information Officers has announced its new leadership choices, and has tapped Amanda Crawford for one of the top roles.
Working with government customers is distinct from strictly commercial relationships in important ways. Texas CIO Amanda Crawford has some tips on how to cultivate lasting partnerships with the public sector.
The department’s current MSS solution assists customers statewide with cybersecurity including monitoring, incident response, risk management and compliance.
Through the program, customers can access services including data center, managed security, Texas.gov and the Texas Open Data Portal, a state repository for publicly accessible open data sets.
Massock has more than 23 years of contracting and procurement experience.
The 88th Legislature redistributed the funding, originally earmarked for agency cybersecurity modernization.
The Department of Information Resources (DIR) was nominated for its Regional Security Operations Center Pilot Project.
As the deadline nears for governor appointments to the new council, state leaders continue to remind public- and private-sector technologists of their thoughts and concerns on AI use.
During the 2022-2023 fiscal year, the Texas Department of Transportation led the spending on IT goods among all departments.
Hershel Becker joined Signature Advisory Partners LLC as chief executive officer in August.
State CIO Amanda Crawford recently gave a brief overview of the technology agency serving Texas public entities — along with some numbers illustrating its progress.
Under the new law, local governments have 48 hours to inform the state of ransomware or other suspected cybersecurity breaches through an online portal.
The Texas Department of Information Resources has released a request for offer for a vendor to manage and further develop its multifactor authentication and single sign-on solution.
Two state entities partnered up to provide a new online training aimed at smaller forces, providing guidance and continuing education credits for peace officers.
Texas state agencies are partnering with public junior colleges to develop a state information technology credential to address workforce shortages.
Steve Pier, deputy executive director of the Department of Information Resources, recently spoke on a panel about AI and later shared thoughts and resources on keeping current on the AI landscape.
The State of Technology: Texas Industry Forum has a robust speaker lineup that will discuss technology implications of the state budget and recent legislation.
The state’s IT agency also encourages Gen Z workers to explore its technical careers.
House Bill 3730 is bringing the capitol phone book to tech modernity.
Angelo State University’s center is built from an incident response perspective and serves as a regional defense.
The “Best of Texas” awards, announced during last week’s Texas Digital Government Summit, acknowledged various significant IT projects.
In 2024 alone, the department will receive $663 million for various IT projects and modernization efforts.
Fourteen types of state and local entities are listed, clarifying which may take advantage of the state IT agency's services.
The training would teach state law enforcement professionals how to recognize and respond to cyber crimes and collect digital evidence.
The job would entail performing senior-level information security analysis functions such as planning, implementing and monitoring security program elements and services.
DIR shared information in a webinar about the upcoming request for offer, which will fall under the cooperative contracts category.
Bills relating to competitive bidding, contract validity, exempting certain contracts and reporting requirements are currently making their way through the state’s Legislature.
Three potential upcoming cooperative contracts are in planning stages with opportunities for large and small vendors.
The Department of Information Resources will be at an educational and networking event for historically underutilized businesses.
The department’s five largest purchases of IT goods during the first quarter totaled just under $60 million. Specific buys included computer, IT and contracted services.
The new solution should facilitate digital transactions, payment gateway services, payment processing, settlement processing and reporting more efficiently.
The Texas Department of Information Resources’ five largest purchases of IT goods during this year’s first quarter totaled $117,066,061. Specific buys included statewide technology center payments and computer services.
The people and culture officer for the state's tech agency spoke during the NASCIO 2023 Midyear Conference about strategies for post-pandemic workforce retention.
The job would entail managing all contracts, performance, relationships and risks associated with shared technology services vendors that work with the agency.
The training will educate vendors on digital accessibility, including user rights, disability categories, assistive technologies and state procurement requirements.
Government Technology annually highlights 25 forward-thinking state tech leaders, and Texas CIO Amanda Crawford is among this year’s honorees.
The Texas Department of Information Resources is recruiting for an IT director and a project manager.
Using dark-web information, the group stole identifying information and used it to order thousands of driver’s licenses from DPS. The transactions went through due to a lack of credit card control at the online portal.
The office spent $12 million in January, with a little more than half spent on computer services. The office spent $10 million on tech in January 2022.
These would be part of the cooperative contracts programming, which provides the public sector with a purchasing avenue. This type of contracting has generated about $8 billion in sales over three years.
Roughly 42 percent of the money was spent by three state agencies; 10,392 purchase orders were completed.
The governor has enlisted the state's public safety and technology agencies to assist others in efforts to keep TikTok off of state-issued devices.
As part of Industry Insider — Texas’ ongoing efforts to educate readers on state agencies, their IT plans and initiatives, here’s the latest in our periodic series of interviews with departmental IT leaders.
The department spent just under $15 million during the fourth quarter of 2022. One of the agency’s largest IT expenditures was computer software maintenance and repair.
Requirements for the software include protecting confidential data and supporting innovative platforms.
The commission spent just under $30 million during the fourth quarter of 2022.
This would include commercial off-the-shelf items and other related services.
Bills relating to technology, security and workforce pipeline will be on the legislative agenda.
Since 1989, this agency has focused on becoming “the cornerstone of public-sector technology” within the state.
The state comptroller is expected to announce a historically large amount that could fuel IT spending.
Vendors seeking to do business with the state may look to two agencies for information.
The technology would capture high-quality, evidence-admissible video and audio recordings.
One state leader reflects on department goals for next year, including increased security and improved service.
The department’s five largest transactions for IT services landed in the low eight figures.
He has served Texas for some 15 years and has more than two decades of IT experience.
A majority of expenditures include staff compensation and purchased goods and services.
Doing so would particularly benefit smaller agencies and colleges.
Three local IT professionals join State Risk and Authorization Management Program committees.
Also identified are different recovery efforts and cyber resources.
The Texas Department of Information Resources is among the agencies seeking additional budget funds for IT needs.
Also listed in the report is the state’s latest use of information resource technologies.
Texas’ annual IT Leadership Forum awards recognize outstanding public-sector IT leaders from across state agencies.
During remarks Monday at the Texas IT Leadership Forum in Austin, CIO traits and concerns were discussed.
Certified entities include local universities and agencies.
An expert in enterprise solutions and a go-to person for modernization is in a new role.
Several departments teamed up to produce a digital assistant for Texans.
State CIO was part of a panel at the organization’s annual conference and spoke about hiring practices.
Gear would be used for high-quality evidence-admissible video and audio recording of traffic stops, criminal acts and surveillance activities.
Cybersecurity, resident focus and data-driven decisions important to leading states.
The move comes after 16 years working in various roles for the state.
Teams would be deployed as needed wherever there is an emergency.
With ARPA funding set aside, the committee is to distribute monies to agencies seeking such solutions.
The longtime technology leader in state government and the private sector says his last day will be Sept. 16. His announcement drew accolades from the state's top IT executives.
"One-stop shop" features expanded services and is available on its website.
Cybersecurity, technology accessibility, efficient digital transformation, data management best practices and IT procurement best practices lead the list.
The Texas Department of Information Resources plans to reach out to vendors. The current Texas Digital Identity Solution provides risk-based multifactor authentication and single sign-on access so Texas government organizations and their employees can securely access systems with a global unique identifier.
As part of Industry Insider — Texas’ ongoing efforts to educate readers on state agencies, their IT plans and initiatives, here’s the latest in our periodic series of interviews with departmental IT leaders.
Industry Insider — Texas’ next “One-on-One” interview with a high-profile IT leader will be Amanda Crawford, Texas’ chief information officer and executive director of the Department of Information Resources. Crawford will address such topics as the department’s strategic plan, big initiatives and projects on the horizon, and more. Look for the interview Friday.
In the closing summit session, three panelists discuss internal and external customer service.
Texas by Texas offers residents access to multiple government services through the web, and more services are being considered.
The state’s Department of Information Resources will operate the new center in partnership with Angelo State University in San Angelo. The initiative will serve a range of local government and utility entities.
Private-sector companies that are new to such certifications have resources to employ.
Private-sector vendors can contract through this state department to facilitate sales.
"To be successful, our teams must know their respective technology domains, but they also must build a strong grasp of the business goals and objectives of each of the missions of our organization."
Steve Pier was recently named deputy executive director for the Department of Information Resources.
