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Deputy State CIO Discusses Strategic Objectives for 2017

Deputy state CIO Chris Cruz outlined the California Department of Technology's core strategic objectives for 2017 and beyond during a Techwire Industry Briefing in Sacramento on Wednesday. The goals will be included within a three-year strategic plan the department plans to release sometime in mid-2017, as well as a soon-to-be published 2016 annual report, Cruz said.

Deputy state CIO Chris Cruz outlined the California Department of Technology's core strategic objectives for 2017 and beyond during a Techwire Industry Briefing in Sacramento on Wednesday.

The objectives include continued focus on statewide information security and procurement modernization, Cruz said, along with efforts to update the department's website, develop proof-of-concepts in partnership with vendors within the department's innovation lab, and better integrate enterprise architecture into the state's IT project delivery process.

Those goals and others will be included within a three-year strategic plan the department plans to release sometime in mid-2017, as well as a soon-to-be published 2016 annual report, Cruz said.

"We think it's very important to manage to a road map, and what gets measured is managed moving forward. So you will see applicable performance measures coming out of our organization," Cruz said.

Cruz mentioned some initiatives that could be of interest to IT suppliers:

  • The Department of Technology is going to be developing a Security Operations Center (SOC) in partnership with the Office of Emergency Services, Military Department and CHP. As part of standing up that SOC, the department will be integrating the state data center into the California Cybersecurity Integration Center (Cal-CSIC) program, Cruz said.
  • During 2017, in partnership with the Department of General Services, the Department of Technology will continue to work on streamlining the contracting process for both vendors and customers, and plans to modify its service-level catalog. "By brokering services through the Department, we feel this is the right way to go, and enhances our information security if we standardize our hardware and software," Cruz said.
  • CDT also is working to integrate Enterprise Architecture into the early stages of project planning and procurement. Cruz said this focus should lead to bids that have more accurate requirements and scope. "We're hoping that simplicity, not only from a state, but also from the vendor side, will lead to better outcomes."
At Wednesday’s briefing, Cruz was joined by Peter Liebert, California's chief information security officer and director of the Office of Information Security; CalCloud project director Scott MacDonald; and Ben Word, the chief state enterprise architect.

Listen to audio of the briefing's main session and Q&A.

Matt Williams was Managing Editor of Techwire from June 2014 through May 2017.