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NEBRASKA INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY COMMISSION
Wednesday, June 27, 2007, 9:30 a.m.
University of Nebraska-Kearney
Nebraskan Student Union-Chancellor's Dining Room
1013 West 27th Street , Kearney, Nebraska
MINUTES

MEMBERS PRESENT:
Lieutenant Governor Rick Sheehy, Chair
Linda Aerni, Chief Executive Officer, Community Internet Systems
Pat Flanagan, Information Services Manager, Mutual of Omaha
Lance Hedquist, City Administrator, South Sioux City
Dr. Dan Hoesing, Superintendent, Laurel-Concord, Coleridge, & Newcastle Public Schools
Mike Huggenberger, Director-Netlink, Great Plains Communications
Dr. Doug Kristensen, Chancellor, University of Nebraska-Kearney
Dr. Janie Park, President, Chadron State College
Trev Peterson, Attorney, Knudsen, Berkheimer, Richardson, and Endacott, LLP

CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL, NOTICE OF MEETING, & OPEN MEETINGS ACT INFORMATION

Lieutenant Governor Sheehy called the meeting to order at 9:35 a.m. There was a full quorum present to conduct official business.

Lieutenant Governor stated that the meeting notice and agenda were posted to the NITC website and the Public Meeting Calendar website on June 21, 2007. As required by statute, a copy of the Nebraska Open Meetings Act was available at the end of the meeting table.

Commissioner Kristensen welcomed the Commissioners and guests to the University of Nebraska-Kearney campus.

APPROVAL OF FEBRUARY 22, 2007 MINUTES

Commissioner Kristensen moved to approve the February 22, 2007 minutes as presented. Commissioner Hequist seconded. Roll call vote: Sheehy-Yes, Aerni-Yes, Flanagan-Yes, Hedquist-Yes, Hoesing-Yes, Huggenberger-Yes, Kristensen-Yes, Park-Yes, and Peterson-Yes. Results: Yes-9, No-0. Motion carried.

PUBLIC COMMENT

There was no public comment.

INFORMATIONAL UPDATES

LB 1208 Implementation - Network Nebraska, Brenda Decker
The Northeast schools connections bids were closed. The bid did not come in as low as anticipated. Imperial schools may have to pay more that the other schools. Most all schools will pay approximately $1,500 a month. An RFR for the video equipment has been released. Most of the Northeast Nebraska schools have opted not to buy off the state contract. They are not required to buy off the contract. Installation is scheduled to start July 2nd. Over 90 sites will need to be installed and operational before the school session begins in August. More detailed information on LB 1208 is available on the Network Nebraska website.

One of the issues of discussion has been what to and who is responsible when there is a problem with the network. There are several entities involved such as the Educational Service Units, the schools, the State of Nebraska, service providers, etc. One option that is being discussed is a statewide ticket system.

A RFP for the Phase 2 of LB 1208 will be released in August. Phase 2 will connect schools in the 308 area code. The Office of the CIO will need letters of intent from each school district in order to bid on their behalf. The project is preparing for discussions regarding pricing advantages that could be given back to the Northeast Nebraska school districts.

In addition to the RFP’s for LB 1208, the RFP for the Network Nebraska backbone network will go out to bid soon. The State is attempting to aggregate demand. Commissioner Hoesing commented that the Northeast Nebraska school districts have been in discussions with the Public Service Commission regarding their concerns with the QWEST bid, as well as providing assistance to the schools. The local telephone companies affected the cost. The Northeast school districts have also been meeting with the telephone companies. Schools with Quest service will pay $1,500 month with other school districts with a different provider pay up to $2,800/month. Postalization rates for all schools would be beneficial. The LB 1208 incentives to the schools won’t be available until 2 more years.

Lieutenant Governor Sheehy commented that these issues should be addressed by the Distance Education Council.

Public Safety Wireless Update, Brenda Decker: The Legislature funded a Public Safety Wireless System for the State of Nebraska. This effort will occur over the next 8 years and will be headed by the Office of the CIO and the NITC. The Office of the CIO received funding to build the infrastructure. The Office of the CIO will be working with NEMA, law enforcement, Games & Parks, and local government. There are Homeland Security federal grant funds available to states for local governments. This will help assure that local government efforts coincide with federal homeland security efforts. There are 10 regions in the State of Nebraska. Regions are counties that collaborate to share standards protocol, resources, etc. Anything purchased from these monies would be used by the State so that regions will be able to connect with each other within the State as well as with other states. The goal is to have interconnectivity and interoperability with the State’s network. The first meeting held was with the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) who already has a system in place. A meeting with the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) is being planned. NPPD is getting a new system. OPPD and NPPD would become one region. An RFI will be released in August. The Office of the CIO will provide the NITC with regular updates.

2007 Annual Information Technology Services Report. The report will be completed by June 30th. Commissioners will be sent a copy.

2007 Statewide Technology Plan. The plan was approved at the last NITC meeting and has been posted to the NITC website.

UPDATE: RECOMMENDATIONS ON TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS FOR THE FY2007-2009 BIENNIUM
Rick Becker, Government I.T. Manager

Commissioners were given a chart with an updated funding status for the I.T. projects reviewed by the NITC for the FY2007-2009 Biennium.

REPORT - COMMUNITY COUNCIL REPORT
Anne Byers, Community Information Technology Manager

Membership: At the February meeting, the NITC established an eHealth Council. Several of the Community Council members represented telehealth. The Community Council Chair recommended asking these members decide if they want to continue serving on the Community Council as well. They all felt that the eHealth Council better served their interest. At the May 18th Community Council meeting, membership was on the agenda as an action item. After much discussion, it was decided that the Community Council include a Work Force Development sector in their membership. A nomination committee was established. With the approval of the NITC, the council is recommending the following slate of nominees to serve as members of the Community Council:

Mitch Arnold, Preferred Partners, LLC.
Jason Barelman, Wayne State College
Dean Folkers, Department of Education
Darla Heggem, Twin Cities Development, Scottsbluff-Gering
Bethanne Kunz , Valley County Economic Development
Joan Modrell, Department of Labor
Caleb T. Pollard, Nebraska Department of Economic Development
Angie Ramaekers, Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce
Rivkah Sass, Omaha Public Library
Dan Shundoff, Intellicom, Kearney

Commissioner Flanagan moved to approve the membership nominations of new Community Council members as presented. Commissioner Park seconded. Roll call vote: Sheehy-Yes, Peterson-Yes, Park-Yes, Kristensen-Yes, Huggenberger-Yes, Hoesing-Yes, Hedquist-Yes, Flanagan-Yes, and Aerni-Yes. Results: Yes-9, No-0. Motion carried.

Commissioner Flanagan stated that he would like to see the Community Council to continue the work force development effort in order to keep I.T. graduates here in Nebraska.

Update: Podcasting Across Nebraska: Participating communities in the Podcasting Across Nebraska project are developing podcasts. South Sioux City and the North Platte/Lincoln County Convention and Visitors Bureau have each developed several podcasts. Central City and Fulterton will become part of the Hiway 14 Association Podcast. The association plans to do podcasts on the Santee and Ponca tribes as well. The Panhandle Public Health District plans to do podcasts on the West Nile, nutrition, and the hazards of underage drinking. They have a student who is a filmmaker assisting with the podcasts.

REPORT - EHEALTH COUNCIL REPORT
Anne Byers, Community Information Technology Manager

Charter: The eHealth Council held their first organizational meeting on May 21st. Lieutenant Governor Sheehy presided over the first part. The following Co-chairs were appointed: Kimberly Galt, Keith Mueller, and Dan Greiss. The council charter was discussed at the meeting. The eHealth Council is recommending staggered terms for voting members only. The eHealth Council is recommending the Council Charter to the NITC for final approval.

Discussion occurred regarding the elected officials term. The Commissioners recommended that Ms. Byers draft language regarding the elected officials as ex-officio non-voting members.

Commission Hedquist moved to approve the eHealth Charter as submitted with an amendment that the elected officials serve as ex-officio members and be appointed annually by the NITC. Commissioner Aerni seconded. Roll call vote: Aerni-Yes, Flanagan-Yes, Hedquist-Yes, Hoesing-Yes, Huggenberger-Yes, Kristensen-Yes, Park-Yes, Peterson-Yes, and Sheehy-Yes. Results: Yes-9, No-0. Motion carried.

Membership: Bios that were submitted late were distributed to the Commissioners. Ms. Byers stated that the membership slate is well balanced and represented. There was good attendance at the first meeting. With the approval of the NITC, the council is recommending the following slate of nominees to serve as members on the eHealth Council:

State of Nebraska/Federal Government representatives:

Steve Henderson, Office of the CIO
Senator Mick Mines, Nebraska Legislature
Dennis Berens, HHSS, Office of Rural Health
Congressman Jeff Fortenberry, represented by Marie Woodhead

Health Care Providers:

Daniel Griess, Box Butte General Hospital, Alliance
Dr. Delane Wycoff, Pathology Services, PC
Dr. Harris A. Frankel (alternate)
Joni Cover, Nebraska Pharmacists Association
September Stone, Nebraska Health Care Association
Bill Bivin, Nebraska Health Care Association (alternate)
John Roberts, Nebraska Rural Health Association

eHealth Initiatives representatives:

Donna Hammack, Nebraska Statewide Telehealth Network and St. Elizabeth Foundation
Ken Lawonn, NeHII and Alegent Health
Harold Krueger, Western Nebraska Health Information Exchange and Chadron Community Hospital
C.J. Johnson, Southeast Nebraska Behavioral Health Information Network and Region V Systems

Public Health representatives:

David Lawton, HHSS, Public Health Assurance
Jeff Kuhr, Three Rivers Public Health Department, Fremont
Rita Parris, Public Health Association of Nebraska, alternate
Kay Oestmann, Southeast District Health Department
Shirleen Smith, West Central District Health Department, North Platte, alternate
Dr. Keith Mueller, UNMC College of Public Health

Payers and Employers:

Steve Grandfield or Susan Courtney, Blue Cross Blue Shield
Ron Hoffman, Jr., Mutual of Omaha
Mary Steiner, HHSS Finance and Support, Medicaid

Consumers:

Nancy Shank, Public Policy Center
Alice Henneman, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Lancaster County
Jim Krieger, Gallup

Resource Providers, Experts, and Others:

Henry Zach, HDC 4Point Dynamics
Marsha Morien, Center for Biosecurity (alternate for Henry Zach)
Kimberly Galt, Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Health Professions

Commissioner Peterson moved to approve the eHealth membership nominations with the amendment that the elected officials serve as ex-officio members. Commissioner Park seconded. Roll call vote: Huggenberger-Yes, Hoesing-Yes, Hedquist-Yes, Flanagan-Yes, Aerni-Yes, Sheehy-Yes, Peterson-Yes, Park-Yes, and Kristensen-Yes. Results: Yes-9, No-0. Motion carried.

Commissioner Flanagan informed the Commissioners that Mutual of Omaha will be exiting the eHealth Council after a year because his office will not be underwriting. The member on the list will serve on the council for a year and will propose a replacement.

eHealth Clearinghouse: The clearinghouse is available from the NITC website. It his hoped that the council members will share information about eHealth initiatives in the state, as well as nationally.

REPORT - EDUCATION COUNCIL REPORT
Terry Haack, Chair

The Education Council has met twice since your last meeting on February 22nd. Agenda items and topics of discussion included the following:

Two portfolio management systems were presented – one used by the University of Nebraska Computing Services Network under the direction of Walter Weir and a Project management software used by the State CIO’s office to plan and monitor large enterprise I.T. projects.
Renovo Software provided a presentation on the statewide videoconferencing clearinghouse and scheduling system that was awarded by the State to Qwest/Renovo
Omaha Public Schools provided a presentation about their credit recovery program and the use of Angel software to deliver learning objects that originated from the National Repository of Online Courses (NROC). The Education Council is appreciative that the NITC Technical Panel has chartered a work group to research and recommend standards for the deployment of content and course management systems across the State.
LB 1208 discussions and updates. K-12 and higher education entities appreciate the work of the CIO’s and University’s office to manage and help oversee the LB 1208 network upgrade.

Membership: The council would like to recommend the following slate of nominees for the 2007-09 membership renewals/replacements expiring June 30, 2007 for the higher education sector:

Yvette Holly, UN System
Chuck Lenosky, Independent Colleges & Universities
Mike Chipps, Community College System
Stan Carpenter, State College System

The council would like to recommend the following slate of nominees for the 2007-09 membership renewals/replacements expiring June 30, 2007 for the K-12 sector:

Bob Uhing, Educational Service Units DEC
Craig Pease, Administrators
Art Tanderup, Public Teachers
Joe LeDuc, Nonpublic Teachers

Commissioner Park moved to approve the Education Council membership nominations. Commissioner Kristensen seconded. Roll call vote: Hoesing-Yes, Huggenberger-Yes, Hedquist-Yes, Kristensen-Yes, Flanagan-Yes, Park-Yes, Aerni-Yes, Peterson-Yes, and Sheehy-Yes. Results: Yes-9, No-0. Motion carried.

The Nebraska Information Technology Commission Education Council would like to recognize Dr. Jack Huck, Mr. Rich Molettiere, and Mr. Ed Rastovski for their many years of distinguished service to the Education Council, in the interest of advising the Commission on matters of education technology initiatives, funding, and policy.

LEGISLATIVE PERFORMANCE AUDIT
[Note: This agenda item may require the Commission to hold a closed session (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 84-1410).]

Don Arp and Angie McClelland of the Legislative Council arrived to the meeting to discuss the Performance Audit with the Commissioners. This agenda item was moved up in the agenda.

Commissioner Hedquist moved that the NITC go into closed session to discuss matters relating to the draft performance audit report prepared by the Performance Audit Section of the Nebraska Legislative Council. Closed session is necessary because, by statute [Neb. Rev. Stat. § 50-1210], the contents of the draft report may not be released to anyone outside the agency. Commissioner Flanagan seconded. Roll call vote: Kristensen-Yes, Hoesing-Yes, Park-Yes, Hedquist-Yes, Peterson-Yes, Flanagan-Yes, Sheehy-Yes, Aerni-Yes, and Huggenberger-Yes. Results: Yes-9, No-0. Motion carried.

The Commission went into closed session at 11:07 a.m.

The Commission came out of the closed session at 11:43 a.m.

Commissioner Hedquist moved to accept the draft Legislative Performance Audit Report and that the NITC will work with the Committee’s recommendation. Commissioner Park seconded. Commissioner Kristensen offered a friendly amendment that the Commission authorizes the Lieutenant Governor to respond to the Committee’s recommendations on behalf of the Commission. Commissioners Hedquist and Park accepted the amendment. Roll call vote: Aerni-Yes, Flanagan-Yes, Hedquist-Yes, Hoesing-Yes, Huggenberger-Yes Kristensen-Yes, Park-Yes, Peterson-Yes, and Sheehy-Yes. Results: Yes-9, No-0. Motion carried.

REPORT - STATE GOVERNMENT COUNCIL REPORT
Rick Becker, State Government I.T. Manager

The Council has recommended amending Section 6.2.2.10 of their charter to read as follows:
“Two (2) representatives from the general public with extensive IT experience, to be appointed by the Commission.”

Commissioner Kristensen moved to approve the State Government Charter Amendment. Commissioner Peterson seconded. Roll call vote: Hedquist-Yes, Park-Yes, Peterson-Yes, Flanagan-Yes, Kristensen-Yes, Hoesing-Yes, Huggenberger-Yes, Sheehy-Yes,and Aerni-Yes. Results: Yes-9, No-0. Motion carried.

Cyber Security Conference, Steve Henderson. The conference was held on April 18th with approximately 130 participants. There are other state organizations interested in co-sponsoring next year’s conference. Lieutenant Governor Sheehy stated that Mr. Henderson has been assisting with the agency directors discussions regarding disaster recovery and business resumption and would like to include cyber security in these discussions.

Email, Brenda Decker. The State Government Council has implemented and support the shared services concept. Email has been an item of discussion. Currently, there are 13 email systems in Nebraska state government. A couple of years ago, the NITC approved a business email system and a basic email system. One of Governor Heineman’s goals is to implement one email system for all of state government. The Office of the CIO brought in a consultant to talk with agencies, Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange providers. Agencies, boards and commissions have been informed that the State of Nebraska will be moving to a Microsoft Exchange platform and that it will be implemented through the Office of the CIO. This enterprise unified email system effort will be save the state $500,000 annually once implemented. The office is working cooperatively with the Secretary of State regarding information sharing and record keeping. It is anticipated that it will take at least 24 months to implement the whole state. Agencies will have two pricing option arrangements: 1) a license can be purchased over six years and pay approximately $10/month per mailbox, or 2) purchase the license upfront with end of year monies and pay approximately $7/month per mailbox. The number of staff supporting the current email systems is conservatively estimated at 20 persons in the agencies. After implementation of the new platform, it is estimated to be only 4-5 people for the state.

REPORT - TECHNICAL PANEL REPORT
Walter Weir, Chair

The Technical Panel has held three monthly meetings since the last NITC meeting. The Retirement Systems have provided monthly progress reports. The Technical Panel established a Learning Management System Standards Work Group. Kirk Langer, Technical Panel member, is chairing the work group.

The Technical Panel has recommended approval of the following four standards and guidelines.

STANDARDS & GUIDELINES: REMOTE ADMINISTRATION OF INTERNAL DEVICES

Standard: It is the responsibility of all State of Nebraska agencies to strictly control remote access from any device that connects from inside the State of Nebraska network to a desktop, server or network device elsewhere within the State of Nebraska network (e.g. from a 10.x.x.x device to a 10.x.x.x device) and ensure that employees, contractors, vendors and any other agent granted remote access privileges adhere to common methods of secure remote administration which shall include but are not limited to:

Use of strong authentication mechanisms (e.g., strong passwords, public/private key pair, two factor authentication, etc.)
Utilize device host access (by IP address) lists to restrict remote access
Use of secure protocols that provide encryption of both passwords and data (e.g., SSL, HTTPS) when reasonable and appropriate, rather than insecure protocols (e.g., Telnet, FTP).
Grant permissions to only those with a job related need.
Implement the ‘Principle of Least Privilege’ to those who are granted permissions.
Reset factory default device passwords and regularly change any default accounts or passwords for the remote administration utility or application.
Disable remote capabilities of devices or device accounts if remote access is not employed by the agency.

Purpose: The purpose of this document is to define standards for agencies that connect from any State of Nebraska network or device to any State of Nebraska network or device.
Objectives include:

Provide guidance to State of Nebraska agencies employees, contractors, vendors and any other agent that access any State of Nebraska network or device.
Provide a high level of security through industry standards and best practices.
Ensure a solution that is scalable to meet the current and future needs of state agencies, their employees, clients and customers, and business partners.
Meet federal security requirements for remote access control.

Commissioner Flanagan moved to approve the Remote Administration of Internal Devices Standard. Commissioner Park seconded. Roll call vote: Park-Yes, Flanagan-Yes, Peterson-Yes, Aerni-Yes, Kristensen-Yes, Sheehy-Yes, Hedquist-Yes, Huggenberger-Yes, and Hoesing-Yes. Results: Yes-9, No-0. Motion carried.

STANDARDS & GUIDELINES: MINIMUM SERVER CONFIGURATION

Standard: The State of Nebraska recognizes the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as the adopted author of deployment configurations that provide minimum baselines of security for servers on the State of Nebraska network. As such, all state agencies, boards and commissions will comply with NIST standards, guidelines, and checklists as identified in Appendix A. NIST provides instructions, recommendations, and considerations to assist readers in deploying servers in a secure method. All State of Nebraska System Administrators should examine NIST documents when installing and or configuring servers. The documents are not all inclusive, but rather meant as a means of prompting and guiding Administrators through the installation process.

Purpose: The purpose of this standard is to establish base configurations and minimum server standards on internal server equipment that is owned and/or operated by the State of Nebraska. Effective implementation of this policy will minimize unauthorized access and other IT security related events to the State of Nebraska’s information and technology systems.

Commissioner Peterson moved to approve the Minimum Server Configuration Standard. Commissioner Kristensen seconded. Roll call vote: Peterson-Yes, Aerni-Yes, Sheehy-Yes, Kristensen-Yes, Park-Yes, Hedquist-Yes, Hoesing-Yes, Flanagan-Yes, and Huggenberger-Yes. Results: Yes-9, No-0. Motion carried.

STANDARDS & GUIDELINES: SMTP ROUTING STANDARD

Standard: All inbound and outbound SMTP traffic will be routed through the State of Nebraska’s SPAM/Anti-Virus appliance that is managed by the Office of the CIO

Purpose and Objectives: All inbound and outbound SMTP traffic must be routed through the State of Nebraska’s SPAM/Anti-Virus appliance to ensure that email and attachments within emails are properly scanned for viruses, SPAM, and that all content complies with State of Nebraska policies including privacy concerns.

Commissioner Hedquist moved to approve the SMTP Routing Standard. Commissioner Flanagan seconded. Roll call vote: Flanagan-Yes, Aerni-Yes, Huggenberger-Yes, Peterson-Yes, Sheehy-Yes, Park-Yes, Hedquist-Yes, Kristensen-Yes, and Hoesing-Yes. Results: Yes-9, No-0. Motion carried.

STANDARDS & GUIDELINES: DNS FORWARDING STANDARD

Standard: All outbound (Internet) DNS traffic must be forwarded through the State of Nebraska’s internal DNS servers.

Purpose and Objectives: All outbound (Internet) DNS traffic must be forwarded through the State of Nebraska’s internal DNS servers that are managed by the Office of the CIO.

Commissioner Aerni moved to approve the DNS Forwarding Standard. Commissioner Park seconded. Roll call vote: Sheehy-Yes, Peterson-Yes, Park-Yes, Kristensen-Yes, Huggenberger-Yes, Hoesing-Yes, Hedquist-Yes, Flanagan-Yes, and Aerni-Yes. Results: Yes-9, No-0. Motion carried.

GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY COLLABORATION FUND GRANT – NEBRASKA GEOSPATIAL DATA SHARING AND WEB SERVICES NETWORK
Steve Henderson, I.T. Administrator for Planning and Project Management, and Larry Zink, GIS Coordinator

This proposal is a request is for partial startup funding of a two-year project to establish the Nebraska Geospatial Data Sharing and Web Services Network and to lay the foundation for its long-term sustainability. This project is a collaborative interagency, intergovernmental project to develop an enterprise-level GIS/Geospatial Data Sharing Network and Web Services portal for Nebraska. Geospatial data is data that contains information about the physical location (street address, latitude/longitude, etc.) of data elements and can be mapped and/or integrated with other data based on common or proximate locations. This geospatial data portal will facilitate interactive data access and exchange between state, local, federal agencies, the private sector and the general public. The project will provide for both private/secured and open data access protocols for specific datasets.

Commissioner Flanagan moved to approve the Nebraska Geospatial Data Sharing and Web Services Network Government Technology Collaboration Fund Grant. Commissioner Hequist seconded. Roll call vote: Sheehy-Yes, Aerni-Yes, Flanagan-Yes, Hedquist-Yes, Hoesing-Yes, Huggenberger-Yes, Kristensen-Yes, Park-Yes, and Peterson-Yes. Results: Yes-9, No-0. Motion carried.

Mr. Henderson, Mr. Zink and the GIS Steering Committee were acknowledged for their work with this collaborative effort.

OTHER BUSINESS

There was no other business to discuss.

ADJOURNMENT

With no further business, the meeting was adjourned.

Meeting minutes were taken by Lori Lopez Urdiales and reviewed by the staff of the Office of the NITC.

Meeting Minutes