Nebraska Information Technology Commission: Meeting Minutes

TECHNICAL PANEL

Nebraska Information Technology Commission
Tuesday, February 8, 2000, 9:00 a.m.
Varner Hall, 3835 Holdrege, Lincoln, Nebraska

Minutes

MEMBERS PRESENT:

Michael Beach, Nebraska Educational Television Commission; Brenda Decker, Department of Administrative Services; Steve Schafer, Chief Information Officer, State of Nebraska; Walter Weir, University of Nebraska; and Michael Winkle, Nebraska Information Technology Commission.

OTHERS PRESENT:

Tom Conroy, Ruth Michalecki, Rick Golden, Tom Rolfes, Rick Becker, Lori Lopez Urdiales, Rod Armstrong

ROLL CALL AND MEETING NOTICE:

Walter Weir, Chair, called the meeting to order at 9:05 a.m. Roll call was taken. There were four members present at the time of roll call. The meeting date, time, location and agenda were posted to the NITC web site on February 1, 2000.

PUBLIC COMMENT:

There was no public comment.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Mr. Schafer moved to approve the minutes as presented. Mr. Winkle seconded the motion. Roll Call Vote: Beach-Yes, Schafer-Yes, Weir-Yes, Winkle-Yes. Motion carried.

Due to time constraints of the present, Mr. Schafer requested a change to the agenda - to move the NIS Project Review up to the next order of business. Without objection from the members, the request was approved.

PROJECT REVIEW, NEBRASKA INFORMATION SYSTEM:

Mike Justus, State Accounting Administrator, and Bev Boal, provided information to the Technical Panel and were available for questions. The current financial system is not meeting the state’s need. The RFP is ready but the agency wants legislative support before its release. Discussion included the following topics: communication between UNL and the state regarding SAP; hardware costs; network access (not clear how users would come into the system); team construction and empowerment of team to make decisions on behalf of the project; knowledge transfer; needed information for an RFP; migration phase of the departments; fit gap analysis had not been done yet; training critical to implementation phase ; need for the organizational function and technical players to work side by side; parallel testing with different structures; benefit analysis; budgetary oversight; attrition, cost efficiency and effectiveness not addressed; and contingency plans. It was suggested that the project elaborate on e-goverment and e-commerce efforts and benefits.

Resolution: The Technical Panel finds that the Nebraska Information System provides a proposed solution that is technically appropriate to meet identified requirements and is consistent with the statewide technology plan. The Technical Panel determines that the following issues must be addressed.

Stakeholders' involvement and acceptance is essential for the success of this project.
The implementation plan must address a timetable for incorporating agency participation.
The Technical Panel concurs with the decision of the steering committee to use an RFP for the selection of a vendor.
The RFP and vendor selection process must allow for participation of all agencies.
The RFP must articulate the e-government and e-commerce aspects of the project.
The process for selecting the vendor must document the technical impact, including network, desktop requirements, server hardware and software, database and support, ad hoc queries, and printing options.
At the request of the agency, the Technical Panel agrees to review the project prior to contract award.

Mr. Winkle moved to approve the Technical Panel resolution on the Nebraska Information System Project. Mr. Beach seconded. Roll Call Vote: Beach-Yes, Decker-Yes, Schafer-Yes, Weir-Yes, Winkle-Yes. Motion carried.

SECURITY ARCHITECTURE WORKGROUP:

Jim Ohmberger, IMS Infrastructure Support Manager, provided a brief history on the workgroup. The next appropriate step would be to adopt an on-going Security Architecture Workgroup. Due to time constraints, Mr. Winkle offered to work with the group to develop the charter for adoption at the next Technical Panel meeting.

NEBRASKA RETIREMENT SYSTEM PROJECT:

Anna Sullivan, Director, Retirement Systems, provided background information on the project. Currently, there are limitations with state accounting and payroll systems in terms of supporting the Retirement Systems needs. The members were provided summary documents.

Discussion by the panel members included the following topics: need for the Nebraska Information System and Retirement Systems Project to work together and build in contingencies per projects’ timelines;need for firm commitment of the timing of the implementation plan; periodic review of the plan; imaging; and length of warranty.

Ms. Decker left at 12:10 p.m. Mr. Conroy was available as the alternate.

Resolution: The Technical Panel finds that the Nebraska Public Employees Retirement Systems Strategic Business Technology Plan provides a proposed solution that is technically appropriate to meet identified requirements and is consistent with the statewide technology plan. The Technical Panel determines that the following issues must be addressed.

The Technical Panel emphasizes the need for continued collaboration between the Nebraska Information System and the Nebraska Retirement System regarding shared functionality during implementation.
The process for selecting the vendor and solutions must document the technical impact, including network, desktop requirements, server hardware and software, database and support, ad hoc queries, and imaging systems.
The Technical Panel supports phased implementation of the entire plan and recognizes the need for detailed project plans for each phase.

Mr. Conroy moved to approve the Technical Panel resolution regarding the Retirement System Project. Mr. Schafer seconded the motion. Roll Call Vote: Beach-Yes, Conroy-Yes, Schafer-Yes, Weir-Yes, Winkle-Yes. Motion carried.

PROJECT REVIEWS - STATE RECORDS BOARD GRANTS:

Due to time, it was decided to continue the meeting on Thursday, February 17th, 1:30 p.m. at Varner Hall to review the proposals and discuss the Security Work Group.

OTHER:

There was no other business.

Mr. Weir adjourned the meeting at 12:15 p.m.

Technical Panel - 2/17/00 Continuation of 2/8/00 Technical Panel Meeting

MEMBERS PRESENT:

Others present: Tom Conroy, Greg Lemon, Rick Golden, Ruth Michalecki, Rod Armstrong, Rick Becker, Lori Lopez Urdiales.

Meeting was called to order by Chair, Walter Weir at 1:35 p.m. Roll call was taken. There were four members present at the time of roll call.

The Technical Panel adopted the following review comments on the State Records Boards grant application projects listed below:

State Historical Society - Library/Archives Records Project:

The proposed technology is appropriate, based on available information.
The project is feasible within the proposed time frame and budget.
There is no explanation of the budget in terms of staff time associated with each database.
The proposal indicates Internet access will be through modems and telephone lines. Applicant should discuss other options with the Division of Communications.
Applicant should consider using a simple Web design if lower speed Internet access is utilized.

Ms. Decker moved to adopt and approve the review comments. Mr. Winkle seconded the motion. All were in favor. Motion was carried by voice vote.

Michael Winkle arrived at 1:45 p.m.

State Patrol - Web Site Development Project:

The proposed technology is appropriate, based on available information.
The project is feasible within the proposed time frame and budget.
A key constraint to the success of the project is the availability of technical expertise to make operational databases accessible to Internet queries.
Some of the benefits of the project, such as access to crime statistics and alcohol crash data, do not seem to be part of the project scope.
Security will require active management to be effective.

Mr. Schafer moved to adopt and approve the review comments. Ms. Decker seconded the motion. All were in favor. Motion was carried by voice vote.

Crime Commission - Enhanced Access to DMV Files Project:

The proposed technology is appropriate, based on available information.
The project is feasible within the proposed time frame and budget.
Security requires active management to be effective.
No budget details provided.

Mr. Schafer moved to adopt and approve the review comments. Mr. Winkle seconded the motion. All were in favor. Motion was carried by voice vote.

Crime Commission - Shared Access to Local Data:

The proposed technology is appropriate, based on available information.
The project is feasible within the proposed time frame and budget.
Security requires active management to be effective.
No budget details provided.

Ms. Decker moved to adopt and approve the review comments. Mr. Weir seconded the motion. All were in favor. Motion was carried by voice vote.

Library Commission - Providing Digital Access to State Government Publications on Microfiche:

The complexities of imaging requires further details on the technical configuration in order to assess feasibility. This includes indexing and the impact of the project on existing computing infrastructure.
No budget details provided.

Mr. Winkle moved to adopt and approve the review comments. Ms. Decker seconded the motion. All were in favor. Motion was carried by voice vote.

State Treasurer - Providing Information Regarding Child Support Collections and Payments Project:

The proposed technology is appropriate and the proposed project is feasible, assuming the project is limited to developing Web access to information. Interfaces to other systems are assumed to be outside the scope of the project.
The project requires close coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services and the vendor working on the SDU system regarding issues relating to exchanging data between systems, hardware sizing, and security requirements.
The sensitivity of information may require more security than a PIN.
No budget details provided.
More detail will eventually be needed on how public access affects security and existing computing infrastructure.

Mr. Weir moved to adopt and approve the review comments. Mr. Winkle seconded the motion. All were in favor. Motion was carried by voice vote.

Nebraska Energy Office - Convert Loan Program to Electronic Process:

The proposed technology is appropriate, based on available information.
The project is feasible within the proposed time frame and budget.

Mr. Beach moved to adopt and approve the review comments. Mr. Winkle seconded the motion. All were in favor. Motion carried by voice vote.

Brand Committee - Install Brands on Website:

The proposed technology is appropriate, based on available information.
The project is feasible within the proposed time frame and budget.

Mr. Winkle moved to adopt and approve the review comments. Mr. Weir seconded the motion. All were in favor. Motion was carried by voice vote.

Game & Parks Commission - Interactive Internet Mapping:

The Technical Panel finds that although there is limited experience within state government offices regarding this particular application, the company that makes this software is very reputable.
There is every reason to believe the budget and timeline is sufficient.

Mr. Weir moved to adopt and approve the review comments. Ms. Decker seconded the motion. All were in favor. Motion carried by voice vote.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln - E-Commerce Tools for Reseach:

After discussion of the UNL E-Commerce Tools for Research Project, the following resolution(s) was made:

The proposed technology is appropriate, based on available information.
The project is feasible within the proposed time frame and budget.

Mr. Schafer moved to adopt and approve the review comments. Ms. Decker seconded the motion. All were in favor. Motion carried by voice vote.

Surveyor's Office - Develop a Web site for Survey Records:

The complexities of imaging requires further details on the technical configuration in order to assess feasibility. This includes indexing and the impact of the project on existing computing infrastructure.
The proposed technology is appropriate, based on available information.

Mr. Beach moved to adopt and approve the review comments. Mr. Schafer seconded the motion. All were in favor. Motion was carried by voice vote.

Department of Water Resources and UNL - Data Storage of Geologic Logs from Water Wells Registrations:

The proposed technology is appropriate, based on available information.
The project is feasible within the proposed time frame and budget.

Mr. Schafer moved to adopt and approve the review comments. Mr. Winkle seconded the motion. All were in favor. Motion was carried by voice vote.

Wheat Board - Establish a Web site:

After discussion of the Wheat Board Project, the Technical Panel made the following resolutions:

The proposed technology is appropriate, based on available information.
The project is feasible within the proposed time frame and budget.

Ms. Decker moved to adopt and approve the review comments. Mr. Winkle seconded the motion. All were in favor. Motion was carried by voice vote.

SECURITY ARCHITECTURE WORKING GROUP:

After discussion of the charter, the group recommended that Steve Schafer, Chief Information Officer, should be the sponsor and that the facilitator should be someone from Information Management Services. Mr. Conroy will speak to his staff and provide this information to Mr. Schafer. Membership suggestions included local government representation for inclusion at a later date. Mr. Winkle will ask for recommendations from the Education Council for K-12 representation and will speak to Alan Wibbels about recommendations for an ESU representation.

Mr. Schafer moved to adopt the charter and establish the Security Architecture Working Group. Mr. Weir seconded the motion. Roll call vote: Decker-Yes, Beach-Yes, Schafer-Yes, Winkle-Yes, and Weir-Yes. Motion carried.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

The Educational Technology 2010 Conference will be held February 24-25, in Grand Island. Several panel members will be attending.

The Nebraska Higher Education Information Technology Panel, will be meeting on February 25th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Nebraska Center for Continuing Education. The Technical Panel has been asked to present an update and information on Statewide Technology Plan.

Mr. Weir would like the Technical Panel to have presentations on what is happening in technology. Communication will be sent to members to solicit topics of interest. Mr. Weir would like to present information available from the Gartner Group through the University of Nebraska.

Mr. Schafer asked for feedback regarding the technical review process. Mr. Winkle would like to invite Tom Rolfes, Education I.T. Manager, to demonstrate the Education in Excellence grants review process. The Technical Panel tasked the CIO/NITC staff to develop a tool for reviews.

Mr. Weir informed the panel that concerns have been raised about LB 1349 and the roll of the NITC and the Technical Panel in Section 8. For LB 1245, development of a statewide student information system, Mr. Weir recommended that it be hosted in a neutral location, possibly the Department of Administrative Services, Information Management Services.

Mr. Schafer moved to adjourn. Mr. Winkle seconded the motion. All were in favor. Motion was carried by voice vote. The next meeting will be held on March 14th, 9 a.m. at Varner Hall.

Minutes taken by Lori Lopez Urdiales, Administrative Assistant, and reviewed by Steve Schafer and Rick Becker, Office of the CIO/NITC.

Meeting Minutes