Sumi Smith, chief information officer (CIO) and chief information security officer (CISO) for the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), has been in that role since July 2019. She began her career in 1996 in the private sector before transitioning to the public sector. In her tenure with the state, she has served in leadership roles with the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, the state Employment Development Department, the California Department of Transportation and the Department of Child Support Services before joining HCD last year. Smith, a Folsom resident, has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from California State Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo.
Techwire: You’ve held a number of executive leadership roles with the state — deputy director, CIO/CISO, etc. How have the role and the responsibilities of the CIO changed in recent years?
Smith: The CIO role has moved from a primarily operational role to one of key strategic importance and value. This is especially prevalent with the current impact of the (novel coronavirus) COVID-19 pandemic. As offices and departments were addressing the safety of staff and public, the role of the CIO as a strategic business leader and partner became key, identifying the best tools and environments in which to support teleworking and online services.
I’ve been a state executive for over 10 years. Early on, the CIO’s role was largely operational; its mission was to “keep the trains running on time.” It was the CIO’s responsibility to ensure that technology services were reliable at a reasonable cost, and to address specific system needs in support of business efficiencies.
That role has shifted in the last three to five years into establishing a partnership with the business stakeholders to support the strategic direction of the business. However, with the recent COVID-19 experience, the CIO role is evolving to more of a committed partner with the department leadership. Technology and automation transformations now must be aligned and integrated with the department’s strategic vision and its implementation. The CIO is now a contributor to the department’s future success, while continuing to “keep the trains running on time.”
Techwire: Describe your role and responsibilities in crafting and implementing HCD’s IT strategy.
Smith: The CIO’s role now is to be the department’s technology and modernization strategic partner to enable the department’s future vision through technology innovations. A CIO needs to understand the business perspective and goals, and then identify the most collaborative and cohesive path to support that direction through technology.
The CIO also needs to provide an innovative environment that revitalizes and energizes the existing IT talent and draws in new talent. This is vital in implementing a forward-thinking plan. It’s not just about the ideas or the technology; it’s just as much about building a strong and vibrant IT team to chart the future together.
Techwire: Even amid state budget tightening, do you have any big initiatives or projects planned for 2020-21? What sorts of RFPs should vendors be watching for?
Smith: Housing is one of the priorities of the administration, and we have not slowed down in supporting that priority. In 2020-21, we will be focusing on data accessibility and analytics to leverage the housing data that comes to HCD from many different sources; this will expand our ability to develop a cohesive view of housing needs across California. This initiative is a core component of our IT road map; its timeframe has been accelerated with COVID-19.
Techwire: Is your organization’s Enterprise IT Catalog available online?
Smith: We are currently offering our Enterprise IT Catalog on a limited scale to support teleworking; we will be rolling out the catalog across the enterprise within the next few months. It is based on a new, full-scale asset inventory and service management system, which we built since I came on board. We also plan to connect our asset management systems with the catalog in the near future; this integration will become the portal for all enterprise IT services.
Techwire: How far along is your organization toward “digital transformation?” For HCD, what specifically does that mean?
Smith: I have been a champion of digital transformation since I started at HCD. To me, digital transformation means moving away from siloed on-premise systems to integrated cloud platforms.
We utilize SaaS (software as a service) services whenever possible and leverage our enterprise systems for proprietary functions. We also use cloud storage and virtualization, along with automated workflow to integrate end-to-end processing. This approach is extensible and scalable, with a reduction in overhead processing. From a business user perspective, it means compatible look and feel, traceability across functional units, and improved efficiency.
Recently, with teleworking, HCD was able to move from primarily onsite staff to a 100 percent teleworking environment within a six-week period. This was only made possible because we had already started on our digital transformation.
I believe that digital transformation in today’s world also means closer partnership with the business in designing day-to-day work environments. In a world of increasing technology in everyday life, digital transformation comes from creative thinking without borders.
Techwire: How big is your IT department? Is it growing?
Smith: HCD is growing as a department, and IT is growing to support it. We are currently approximately 40 staff supporting about 700 current department staff.
I’m always impressed by how my staff supports such a large and diverse business team. We currently have a few key openings, however, like most organizations, we have no way of knowing what may happen in the upcoming fiscal year.
Techwire: How have the state’s IT job roles changed generally in the last five years? How do you envision those roles five years from now?
Smith: There is an increasing demand in networking and IT security. Architectural design is also emerging as the demand for integration increases.
IT is an ever-changing, innovating, and creative work environment. I think that we will continue to see IT job roles expand to reflect the changes in IT over the next few years, with an emphasis on data management and information delivery.
Techwire: How do you prefer to be contacted by vendors? What should they know about you before they reach out?
Smith: I prefer to be contacted by email, along with a simple outline of what the vendor is offering HCD. It always stands out to me when a vendor not only understands their own product, but also learns enough about the department and our role in the state to be able to suggest how their product might fit into the department’s vision.
Techwire: Do you have a “digital hero,” either in the public or the private sector?
Smith: Yes, Reshma Saujani, the CEO and founder of Girls Who Code, a nonprofit organization with a vision to empower women of all backgrounds and economic segments, to get into technology. I had an opportunity to hear her speak at a CIO conference last year, and I was inspired by her commitment to closing the gap between women and the bottlenecks preventing them from entering technology fields. As a female engineer, I have always noted that technology is a world that can be intimidating. Ms. Saujani recognizes those impediments to entry and is working to reduce the knowledge barrier by helping girls enroll into local coding workshops where they learn the foundations of thinking and coding that will spark their technology journey. As also an Indian American woman in technology, we have a lot in common.
Techwire: What do you read (in addition to Techwire) to stay abreast of issues relevant to CIOs/CISOs?
Smith: I think it’s important for a CIO/CISO to be aware not just of what’s happening in their own organization, but also what’s happening around the country, and in private industry. This is especially true as the CIO role is now a strategic one. I read industry briefings and letters, as well as LinkedIn. I also read analyst reports and newspapers like the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, as well as the The Sacramento Bee. Technology is impacted by the political and economic conditions, changes in culture, and the mindset of the country. Although state government and private industry may seem different, there are many similarities. We both advance our services through innovative thinking. Private sector is a kind of a “crystal ball.” Private sector is the early adopter; state agencies are increasingly soon to follow.
