IT Consolidation Workgroups

30 Jul

IT Consolidation workgroups have been established to evaluate specific areas that will affect the new consolidated organization. The workgroups are composed of IT staff from in-scope agencies who have volunteered their time and expertise. Workgroup members meet regularly to study the issues and resources affecting the services that OTS will provide.

Currently Active Workgroups

  1. Cloud Services
  2. Contract Analysis
  3. Desktop Leasing
  4. Desktop Support
  5. Disaster Recovery
  6. Enterprise Storage
  7. Floor Space Analysis
  8. Geographic Information Systems
  9. Helpdesk Consolidation
  10. High Capacity Printing
  11. IT Staffing Requests
  12. Mainframe Consolidation
  13. Managed Print
  14. Microsoft Licensing
  15. Oracle Managed Service
  16. Organizational Chart
  17. Records Management Systems
  18. Security
  19. Server Virtualizations
  20. Service Catalog Refinement
  21. Staff Survey
  22. Statewide Active Directory
  23. VoIP

Additional Workgroups Under Consideration

  1. Database Management
  2. SQL Server as a Service
  3. Hardware Inventory
  4. Network Management
  5. Software Inventory

Cloud Services

Scope: Leverage IT services that are made available to users on demand via the Internet from a cloud computing provider’s servers as opposed to being provided from the State’s on-premises servers.

Recent Tasks: Writing an RFP for a 3rd party cloud service provider procurement; workgroup currently defining deliverables for the RFP.

Last meeting held on 06/17/2014

Contract Analysis

Scope: Identify the cost effective IT resource acquisition, maintenance and service provisioning under the consolidated Louisiana IT environment. Provide for the efficient and orderly transfer of agency IT agreements to the new Office of Technology Services (OTS).

Recent Tasks: Lists of both existing agency renewal orders and contracts have been compiled, and these are in the process of being transferred to OTS in ISIS effective July 1. An OTS reporting and approval structure for ISIS has been established, and a consolidated staff augmentation RFP is being drafted. Existing department contracts/agreements are being evaluated to identify efficiencies, duplication, consolidation, or other statewide cost saving measures.

Last meeting held on 06/12/2014

Desktop Leasing

Scope: Identify the pros and cons of Statewide Desktop PC leasing over direct purchasing of the PC units.

Recent Tasks: Creating an ITB to establish statewide multi-vendors desktop leasing options. Reviewing several viable options for ITB requirements. Recommending changes to the PC Request and Budget Guidelines.

Last meeting held on 07/08/2014

Desktop Support

Scope: Establish a statewide Desktop Support service.

Recent Tasks: Defining and creating a deliverable document for statewide desktop support. Creating service level agreements (SLA) for statewide desktop support; defining expectations of statewide desktop support.

Last meeting held on 07/15/2014

Disaster Recovery

Scope: Establish a statewide Disaster Recovery plan to support agencies.

Recent Tasks: Creating workgroup and identifying members.

Last meeting held on 07/28/2014

Enterprise Storage

Scope: Consolidate agency Storage Area Networks (SAN) into a Statewide Enterprise SAN solution. Create a consolidated Enterprise SAN line of service.

Recent Tasks: Compiling list of existing agency SAN information. Reviewing SAN storage technologies for recommendations. Identifying agency needs for migrating existing SANS.

Last meeting held on 07/21/2014

Floor Space Analysis

Scope: Identify floor space requirements and costs to find new space for services build outs.

Recent Tasks: Identifying available agency floor space. Touring existing available IT floor space. Compiling floor plans and cubicle space from all agencies.

Last meeting held on 06/04/2014

Geographic Information Systems

Scope: Analyze/build a statewide GIS strategy to improve technology, promote efficiency, eliminate duplication, and reduce cost.

Recent Tasks: Inventorying all agency GIS related resources. Creating GIS standards.

Last meeting held on 07/23/2014

Helpdesk Consolidation

Scope: Establish a statewide level 1 Helpdesk Service to support the agencies.

Recent Tasks: Defining agency expectations of helpdesk. Creating an RFP to purchase an IT Service Support Management (ITSSM) solution for statewide incident/problem tracking and configuration management. Creating Service Level Agreements (SLA) for helpdesk

Last meeting held on 07/17/2014

High Capacity Printing

Scope: Consolidate statewide high capacity printing.

Recent Tasks: Analyzing existing agency print services through surveys and site visits. Printing services of the Office of Group Benefits (OGB) and Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (WLF) are in the process of being consolidated into the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). DCFS is now inserting all of WLF mail outs and printing some WLF letters; DCFS is testing printing of WLF special forms and testing OGB mail outs. Evaluating potential need regarding hardware purchases in order to meet the increased work load and printing of special forms.

Last meeting held on 05/16/2014

IT Staffing Requests

Scope: Manage ongoing IT staffing requests to find available resources within the current organization.

Recent Tasks: Implemented formal request and review procedure.

Last meeting held on 06/25/2014

Mainframe Consolidation

Scope: Establish a consolidated mainframe line of service.

Recent Tasks: Analyzing existing agency mainframes. Posted an ITB to purchase a consolidated mainframe; bid opening was July 10, 2014; review process is ongoing.

Last meeting held on 07/15/2014

Managed Print

Scope: Establish a consolidated managed print line of service for small network and desktop printers.

Recent Tasks: Analyzing existing statewide print needs to find efficiencies through managed print service. Beginning cost benefit analysis between managed print and agency purchased print. Four qualified vendors have submitted participation agreements.

Last meeting held on 07/29/2014

Microsoft Licensing

Scope: Identify cost saving on Microsoft Licensing by possibly leveraging a complete Statewide Enterprise Agreement.

Recent Tasks: Analyzing existing statewide Microsoft licenses and users to determine the greatest cost savings for the state. Reviewing quote with 3 options for Licensing. Identifying quantities (existing/new) for all in-scope agencies to get a quote. Scheduling Office 365 demo and discussions.

Last meeting held on 07/10/2014

Oracle Managed Service

Scope: Identify cost savings on Oracle Licensing by leveraging a complete Statewide Enterprise Agreement.

Recent Tasks: Creating a line of service 3-tier diagram and hosting environment document. Researching/assessing the following: broad perspective for the Oracle line of service document; cloud options for line of service entry tier; technical suitability of IBM Power 8 hardware for line of service middle tier; Red Hat or Oracle Linux options as fallback for line of service middle tier; dedicated server options for line of service high tier.

Last meeting held on 07/15/2014

Organizational Chart

Scope: Build OTS organizational chart and identify structure for entire OTS IT staff.

Recent Tasks: Top-tier organizational overview posted on Reinvent Web site (http://reinvenit.la.gov/OTS_OrgUnitOverview.pdf) on 7/9/2014.

Last meeting held on 07/24/2014

Records Management Systems

Scope: Establish a statewide records management service that will support agencies.

Recent Tasks: Creating workgroup and identifying members.

This new Workgroup has not scheduled a meeting.

Security

Scope: Establish a secure IT environment to support the agencies.

Recent Tasks: Identifying, analyzing, updating, and developing statewide security standards and policies.

Last meeting held on 07/17/2014

Server Virtualization

Scope: Establish a statewide server virtualization service to support agencies.

Recent Tasks: Creating workgroup and identifying members.

Last meeting held on 07/24/2014

Service Catalog Refinement

Scope: Create the OTS service catalog for agencies and users to request IT lines of service.

Recent Tasks: Analyzing services catalog deliverable to align with OTS’s future needs and expectations.

Last meeting held on 05/14/2014

Staff Survey

Scope: Design a staff survey that results in a skills assessment of the entire OTS IT staff.

Recent Tasks: Survey was disseminated on 6/3/2014 and the deadline for completion was 6/13/2014. Currently analyzing survey data.

Last meeting held on 06/18/2014

Statewide Active Directory

Scope: Establish a statewide Active Directory AD for consolidated staff.

Recent Tasks: Testing user and workstation migration at DEQ. Renamed groups tested successfully. Migrating a large user account to production as a test during the week of 7/7/2014.

Last meeting held on 07/14/2014

VoIP

Scope: Identify cost savings and technology improvements by moving to Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP).

Recent Tasks: Analyzing agency needs for moving to VoIP and beginning cost benefit analysis.

Last meeting held on 07/17/2014