Here are responses from the California Department of Public Health as provided by agency spokesman Matt Conens.
Are there any new trends in Information Technology (IT) budgeting/spending?
California Department of Public Health: An ongoing trend is the transition to mobility. This includes devices that are lighter and more mobile, mobile applications, and support for a mobile workforce. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is looking to the cloud and “Software as a Service” to meet CDPH’s business needs as these services mature. CDPH is also continuing to leverage virtualization of employee desktop computers to reduce costs and improve security.
Is there a shift toward more services and away from hardware?
CDPH: CDPH’s strategic direction is toward enterprise services, both on-site and in the cloud, to meet business needs and improve the ability of CDPH programs to share applications. CDPH is moving away from the traditional use of on-site hardware and toward the cloud-services model, including software and infrastructure as a service.
Are more departments going to be using vendor pools to decrease cost?
CDPH: CDPH has been leveraging more work-order driven contracts, which facilitates the use of agile development technologies, which produce quicker and more cost-effective implementation of business solutions. Vendor pools assist in the vendor selection process by providing pre-approved vendors who have the appropriate skill sets and experience. CDPH works with the California Health and Human Services Agency, the California Department of Technology and other state departments to leverage the use of enterprise services and tools.
