Information Technology Services, Office of

Agency Web Site: https://its.ny.gov/

Mission

The Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) provides centralized technology services to customer agencies, sets the State’s technology standards, and coordinates and governs statewide technology-related initiatives improving the efficiency of New York State government. ITS' mission is to create and deliver innovative solutions that foster a technology-enabled government to best serve New Yorkers. ITS is also charged with leading the State’s transformation efforts, by consolidating fragmented infrastructure and networks, expanding enterprise solutions, and redesigning the delivery of services - enabling agencies to focus on their core missions.

Organization and Staffing

ITS is managed centrally by the State’s Chief Information Officer (CIO), who oversees the agency’s operations and strategic direction. ITS is broken down into several program areas that provide project development and application maintenance for customer agencies, networking and end user services, and cyber security related functions. Most ITS staff are primarily information technology specialists, project managers, and business or financial analysts.

Budget Highlights

The FY 2021 Executive Budget recommends $1 billion in all funds appropriations. This reflects a $150 million increase from FY 2020, attributable to a new Federal Capital Fund appropriation that will facilitate Federal reimbursement for development costs related to the Integrated Eligibility System.

The Executive Budget recommends a workforce of 3,451 FTEs, which remains flat from the previous fiscal year.

Program Highlights

Data Center Services

This program supports the operation of the Statewide Data Center, including associated service costs, such as server and storage installation, disaster recovery services, hardware and software maintenance and equipment refresh. Program staff install, monitor and maintain hosted agencies' computing platforms and physical and virtual storage.

End User Services

This program supports shared enterprise service offerings, such as device management and replacement, standard software package management, internet access, network printer access, and account management. Program staff are responsible for email, voice, and mobile support, as well as help desk services.

Computer Applications Support

This program maintains agency specific applications and IT systems. Program staff are responsible for developing, troubleshooting, installing, security patching, and maintaining agency applications. Investment requests for new applications go through a governance process to ensure strategic alignment and enterprise collaboration with standardized technologies.

Security and Quality Control

This program supports the development and implementation of cyber security policies and standards. Program staff are responsible for developing and maintaining cyber security software, policy creation and enforcement, and auditing internal controls. Additionally, ITS continues to phase out legacy hardware and software that pose operational and cyber risk to the State’s technology environment.

Network Services

This program supports hosted agencies’ ability to connect and access data and communications systems, including phones, internet, network drives, and servers. Program staff install optical fiber connections and manage the local area network (LAN), which connects workstations and devices to applications hosted in the State’s data centers.

Central Administration

This area supports the ITS Executive Office and their support staff, Finance, Legal Counsel and Enterprise Project Management.

Training

This area supports the education and development of current ITS employees by providing certification and advanced training courses deemed critical to the agency. ITS partners with academic institutions and industry leaders to offer career opportunities in key skillset areas that are pertinent to current, in-demand technologies.

Note: Most recent estimates as of 01/29/2020