VITA and Northrop Grumman successfully moved mainframe processing from downtown Richmond to the new Commonwealth Enterprise Solutions Center in Chester over the weekend.

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VITA and Northrop Grumman opened the Southwest Enterprise Solutions Center (SWESC), which will create more than 400 new, high-tech jobs in rural Lebanon, Russell County. Guest speakers at the ribbon-cutting ceremony included Governor Tim Kaine, former Governor Mark Warner, Senator Phillip Puckett, CIO Lem Stewart and Northrop Grumman Vice President and President of the IT Sector Jim O'Neill. The SWESC is the second of two data center facilities opened in the last six months as part of the nation's largest public-private partnership. The SWESC will provide help desk, back-up data center and enterprise security services.

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Read about the IT Infrastructure Partnership

The December Service Bulletin features the "Greatest Hits," or most widely read issues, of 2007; topics range from information security to the Statewide Alerting Network and Citizen Alerting System and the Virginia Geographic Information Network.

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A meeting of the Commonwealth's Information Security Officers Advisory Group (ISOAG) was held on Wednesday, Dec. 12 from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. Participants at the Commonwealth Enterprise Solutions Center and included 71 representatives from the executive, judicial and legislative branches of government as well as higher education, independents and localities. Keynote presentations were made by Brittany Schaal, Virginia Department of Emergency Management; Bob Moore, ABC; Emily Seibert, VITA; and Dave Foster, DGS. Other topics included presentations on the Information Risk Executive Council and IT Transformation. The session was hosted by the Commonwealth Chief Information Security Officer Peggy Ward and VITA. The next meeting is January 8, 2008 from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

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Mainframe computing services – the processing and storage of computer applications and critical information – for state government will move from downtown over the weekend of Dec. 15-16. This move will result in reliable and secure computing services.

The Information Technology Investment Board's Executive Evaluation and Governance Committtee will meet at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 18, at the Commonwealth Enterprise Solutions Center in Chester. The meeting will be held in the Chesterfield Conference Room.

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Directions to CESC

The Holiday 2007 Edition of Information Security Tips explains the security risks around online shopping. The volume of individuals doing their shopping online continues to increase, especially during the holiday season. While online shopping may provide benefits for consumers, there are also risks. Included in this special edition are tips to follow for a safe online shopping experience. The Virginia Office of Commonwealth Preparedness and VITA have partnered with federal officials to provide this monthly newsletter featuring information security information. The newsletter provides information related to specific security standards for state employees and general information that home computer users will find valuable in protecting against cyber attacks.

Read the Holiday 2007 Edition of Information Security Tips

Agency strategic plans for the 2008-2010 budget biennium are now live on the Virginia Performs Web site. In conjunction with the Department of Planning and Budget, VITA completed reviews and CIO approval recommendations for the IT portion of the agency strategic plans. In order to view agency IT strategic plans, check the Information Technology box within the Report menu of Virginia Performs to view the IT Summary Section; access the link to Appendix A generated from ProSight for any approved plans. IT strategic plans still pending approval as well as those exempt from the process will be noted when the Appendix A link is accessed.

View the 2008-10 Agency Strategic Plans.

The December issue of "Network News" features valuable information including the upcoming formal move of mainframe IT processing from downtown Richmond to the newly built Tier III Commonwealth Enterprise Solutions Center (CESC) in Chester, the ribbon cutting for the Southwest Enterprise Solutions Center (SWESC) in Lebanon, Russell County, publication of the Commonwealth Project Management Standard and CIO approval of agency IT strategic plans. Network News provides staff at state agencies and institutions with a window into VITA and its programs and services.

The December issue of Information Security Tips explains the security risks around phishing and how it is used as a form of identity theft where the intent is to steal valuable personal data, such as credit card numbers, passwords, account data or other information. The Virginia Office of Commonwealth Preparedness and VITA have partnered with federal officials to provide this monthly newsletter featuring information security information. The newsletter provides information related to specific security standards for state employees and general information that home computer users will find valuable in protecting against cyber attacks.

The November Service Bulletin highlights the many services available through the Virginia Geographic Information Network, which can be your platform to easily integrate data layers and launch intriguing new mapping applications to improve efficiency and citizen service. Also included is an invitation to attend the next meeting of the Commonwealth Information Security Officers Advisory Group.

A meeting of the Commonwealth's Information Security Officers Advisory Group was held on Wednesday, Nov 14 from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.. The ISOAG was held at the Commonwealth Enterprise Solutions Center and included 68 representatives from the executive, judicial and legislative branches of government as well as higher education, independents and localities. Keynote presentations were made by Will Goldschmidt, Office of the Governor on the Virginia Enterprise Applications Project and Ariel Billmeyer, Library of Virginia on electronic records. Other topics included presentations on Identity and Access Management, Web Security, Southwest Enterprise Solutions Center and IT Security Guidelines. The session was hosted by the Commonwealth Chief Information Security Officer Peggy Ward and VITA.

The Center for Digital Government released results of the seventh annual 2007 Digital Cities Survey which examines how cities use technology to create a seamless environment between local government and constituents. Lynchburg, VA was ranked in a tie for first place in its respective population category. Other Virginia cities recognized include: City of Richmond, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Roanoke, Charlottesville and Blacksburg. The National League of Cities (NLC) partners with the Center to promote the Digital Cities Survey.

Commonwealth Chief Information Security Officer Peggy Ward was recognized as one of only two national finalists in the Government category for the Information Security Executive of the Year Awards at a reception in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 5. Joy Hughes, Chief Information Officer and Vice President, Information Technology at George Mason University, was named a national finalist in the education category. The Information Security Executive of the Year Awards (ISE Awards) program recognizes the individuals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in the field of information security and honors exemplary achievement and excellence in managing enterprise-wide Internet and network security systems.

On November 1, 2007 the 2007 RTIP Update was delivered to the Governor's Office, Cabinet Secretaries and members of the IT Investment Board. In addition, the report was posted on the VITA Web site on the IT Investment Board Web page.

The November issue of "Network News" features valuable information including a preview of upcoming enhancements to audio and data conferencing services, Agency Performance Manager role and contact information, RTIP submission and CIO review of agency IT plans, revision to the Commonwealth Project Management Standard and services available through Virginia.gov. Network News provides staff at state agencies and institutions with a window into VITA and its programs and services.

The October Service Bulletin highlights the state contract with Virginia.gov for Web store and payment portals and the new Virginia.gov logo. Also included in this issue is a recent presentation to the House Appropriations Committee on the status of the IT Infrastructure Partnership with Northrop Grumman.

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A meeting of the Commonwealth's Information Security Officers Advisory Group was held on Tuesday, Oct. 23 from 9:00 a.m. - Noon. The ISOAG was held at the Commonwealth Enterprise Solutions Center and included 95 representatives from the executive, judicial and legislative branches of government, higher education, independents and localities. Topics included presentations on Cyber Security Awareness, IT Asset Movement, Computer Crimes and Data Breach Notifications. The session was hosted by the Commonwealth Chief Information Security Officer Peggy Ward and VITA.

The November issue of Information Security Tips discusses ways to help children learn more about information security and how to be safe when using computers and the Internet. The Virginia Office of Commonwealth Preparedness and VITA have partnered with federal officials to provide this monthly newsletter featuring information security information. The newsletter provides information related to specific security standards for state employees and general information that home computer users will find valuable in protecting against cyber attacks.

CIO Lem Stewart provided an update on the progress of the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) and the Commonwealth's Information Technology Infrastructure Partnership with Northrop Grumman to the House Appropriations Committee on Oct.15. Mr. Stewart presented the status of state government IT prior to the formation of VITA and an update on the partnership.

The Governor's Technology Awards program is changing! This annual recognition program has been a part of the COVITS event for several years. Beginning this year, the awards program will become an important part of the new Virginia Digital Government Summit, which will be held in early spring 2008. This is a timing change only and allows entrants and judges the opportunity to avoid summer conflicts. A call for entries and more information will be released in late 2007. If you have any questions, contact VITACOMMS@vita.virginia.gov.

The Information Technology Investment Board (ITIB) will meet on Thursday, Oct. 18th from 1-4 p.m. at CESC. In addition, the Executive Evaluation and Governance Committee will meet from 10:30 a.m.- Noon. The sessions will be one day for more effective and efficient meetings as a result of changes made by Chairman James F. McGuirk II.

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has selected 11 state IT initiatives in 10 categories to receive 2007 Recognition Awards for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Information Technology in State Government. NASCIO's Recognition Awards Program, in its 19th consecutive year, features several categories, with emphasis placed on recognizing programs that exemplify best practices, support the public policy goals of state leaders, assist government officials to execute their duties and provide cost-effective services to citizens. The Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Forestry, won in the category of Information Communications Technology Innovations for their Integrated Forest Information Resource System.

The October issue of "Network News" features valuable information including an online Toolkit to assist you during Cyber Security Awareness Month, a career fair in Russell County to staff the Southwest Enterprise Solutions Center, a change to the Information Technology Investment Board (ITIB) meeting structure, national IT awards for state agencies, a transformation update and upcoming AITR and ISOAG meetings. Network News provides staff at state agencies and institutions with a window into VITA and its programs and services.

The September Service Bulletin highlights state contracts for emergency notification systems and a toolkit to assist agencies in promoting October as Cyber Security Awareness Month. Also included in this issue is recognition of Virginia’s local Best of the Web winners.

Information Technology Investment Board (ITIB) sessions will be one day for more effective and efficient meetings as a result of changes made by Chairman James F. McGuirk II. Meetings where action is required by established committees will be held in the morning and the full ITIB meeting in the afternoon, reducing the two-day meeting to one day. The changes take effect with the October 18 ITIB meeting.

The October issue of Information Security Tips discusses Botnets and how they are a significant problem on the Internet. They are a growing source for staging denial of service attacks, stealing personal information for identity theft, sending out email-based phishing attacks and spam. The Virginia Office of Commonwealth Preparedness and VITA have partnered with federal officials to provide this monthly newsletter featuring information security information. The newsletter provides information related to specific security standards for state employees and general information that home computer users will find valuable in protecting against cyber attacks.

TThe Virginia Information Technology Agency (VITA) and Northrop Grumman are sponsoring their first Small, Women and Minority (SWaM) owned business conference. The conference will be held Wednesday, September 26, 2007 from 9:00 a. m. until 2:00 p.m. at the Commonwealth Enterprise Solution Center located at 11751 Meadowville Lane, Chester, Virginia.

The 2007 Annual Report for the Virginia Information Technology Infrastructure Partnership is now available. The report, "Improving Technology and Wiring Virginia for the 21st Century," reviews the accomplishments and challenges during the first year of the IT Infrastructure Partnership, and looks at the vision for the future. The report covers July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007 marking the first year of VITA and Northrop Grumman embarking on the ground-breaking project to transform state government IT services in the Commonwealth.

Secretary of Technology Aneesh P. Chopra today announced that Virginia’s Web site and three state agencies have received prestigious Digital Government Achievement Awards from the Center for Digital Government. The Center recognized the state’s official Web site, www.virginia.gov, managed by the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA), as a top Best of the Web winner. The Council on Virginia’s Future and the Departments of Transportation and Mines, Minerals and Energy were agency winners in the national competition.

The Information Security Officers Advisory Group meeting on September 13 featured opening remarks by the Librarian of Virginia, Dr. Sandra G. Treadway, a Records Retention Presentation by Amy Judd, Library of Virginia, as well as an overview of the Commonwealth Document Management Initiative by Herb Ward, Department of Environmental Quality. The meeting had 95 participants from the judicial, legislative and executive branches of state government including higher ed as well as independent agencies and localities. The event was hosted by the Library of Virginia with special thanks to Jane Williamson.

Governor Timothy M. Kaine has announced an appointment to the Wireless E-911 Services Board. The Governor's appointment is Chief Ronald Mastin of Culpeper County, fire chief for Fairfax County. The Board was created in 1998 to administer the Wireless E-911 Fund. The funding is used by local 9-1-1 centers and wireless carriers to deploy life-saving, enhanced 9-1-1 location technologies. The next E-911 Board meeting will be held September 26th in Roanoke at the Hotel Roanoke.

VITA's Project Management Division has scheduled the next Commonwealth Project Manager Overview Training class for September 18 at CESC from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM. The class is targeted to agency project managers who need the overview class to become qualified to manage major or non-major IT projects. Contact George Williams at george.williams@vita.virginia.gov for more information.

The Governor's Technology Awards program is changing! This annual recognition program has been a part of the COVITS event for several years. Beginning this year, the awards program will become an important part of the new Virginia Digital Government Summit, which will be held in early spring 2008. This is a timing change only and allows entrants and judges the opportunity to avoid summer conflicts. A call for entries and more information will be released in late 2007. If you have any questions, contact VITACOMMS@vita.virginia.gov.

The September issue of "Network News" features the upcoming opening of the Southwest Enterprise Solutions Center in Russell County, IT security assessments, a SWaM conference, ARMICS contracts, an IT Infrastructure Partnership update, upcoming project manager training, security officer meetings and a unique partnership between agencies. Network News provides staff at state agencies and institutions with a window into VITA and its programs and services.

Walter J. Kucharski is one of this year’s winners of AICPA Outstanding CPA in Government Award. The awards were announced at the AICPA National Governmental Accounting and Auditing Update Conference on August 20, 2007. Mr. Kucharski has been the Auditor of Public Accounts for the Commonwealth of Virginia since November 1984 and is an Ex-Officio Member of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), the Compensation Board and the Information Technology Investment Board (ITIB) for VITA.

The Commonwealth's Information Technology Investment Board officially submitted the 2007 Recommended Technology Investment Projects (RTIP) including recommended priorities for funding such projects. The is the fifth year that the ITIB has submitted the RTIP report to the Governor of Virginia and the Chairs of the Senate Finance Committee and the House Appropriations Committee. In consideration of the shift in the Department of Planning and Budget (DPB) agency strategic planning dates for the next budget biennium to the fall, the 2007 RTIP development process consists of two phases. The September 1, 2007 Code of Virginia mandated list has been developed based on preliminary information gathered from the agencies through July 2007. An update to the September prioritization will be delivered on November 1, 2007 to incorporate Secretariat and agency priorities that may shift during the strategic planning.

Governor Timothy M. Kaine has announced four re-appointments to the Virginia Geographic Information Network Advisory Board. The re-appointments include:

• The Honorable Constance Brennan, member of the Nelson County Board of Supervisors, of Nelson County;
• W. Page Cockrell, vice president and general manager of the Hampton Roads office at Hurt & Proffitt, Inc., of Virginia Beach;
• Stanford Hovey, president of S.T. Hovey Consulting, Inc., of Urbanna; and
• The Honorable John D. Jenkins, member of the Prince William Country Board of Supervisors, of Prince William County.

The Virginia Geographic Information Network (VGIN) is the lead public agency in the Commonwealth for spatial data and GIS. VGIN’s mission is to facilitate the cost-effective development and use of spatial data, GIS, and related technologies in organizations throughout the Commonwealth.

Governor Timothy M. Kaine has announced an appointment to the Wireless E-911 Services Board. The Governor's appointment is Robert E. Layman III of Chesterfield County, implementation engineer/RF engineer at AT&T. The Board was created in 1998 to adminster the Wireless E-911 Fund which is generated from a 75-cent surcharge on every wireless telephone device in the Commonwealth. The funding, which amounts to about $45 million a year, is used by local 9-1-1 centers and wireless carriers to deploy life-saving, enhanced 9-1-1 location technologies

The August Service Bulletin highlights VITA contracts for Agency Risk Management and Internal Control Standards (ARMICS) for all state agencies and institutions as an important part of Governor Kaine's performance management initiatives. Also included in this issue is Virginia’s partnership with Google, and tips for avoiding online posting of sensitive information.

Read the August Service Bulletin.
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VITA's Project Management Division has scheduled the next Commonwealth Project Manager Overview Training class for September 18 at CESC from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM. The class is targeted to agency project managers who need the overview class to become qualified to manage major or non-major IT projects. Contact George Williams at george.williams@vita.virginia.gov for more information.

The September issue of Information Security Tips discusses internet hoaxes and urban legends that come in the form of chain letters and malicious emails. The Virginia Office of Commonwealth Preparedness and VITA have partnered with federal officials to provide this monthly newsletter featuring information security information. The newsletter provides information related to specific security standards for state employees and general information that home computer users will find valuable in protecting against cyber attacks.

Virginia Secretary of Technology Aneesh P. Chopra today announced a partnership between the Commonwealth of Virginia and Microsoft Corp. that will make it easier for educational campus officials to communicate important public safety information with parents, students, faculty and area residents through Microsoft’s Virtual Earth platform for geospatial mapping.

A meeting of the Commonwealth's Information Security Officers Advisory Group was held on Wednesday, August 8th from 9:00 a.m. - Noon. The ISOAG was held at the Commonwealth Enterprise Solutions Center and included representatives from the executive, judicial and legislative branches of government, higher education, independents and localities. Keynote Speaker was Richard Seweryniak, Digital Forensic Examiner for the Virginia State Police. The session was hosted by the Commonwealth Chief Information Security Officer Peggy Ward and VITA.

The July issue of "Network News" features the announcement of keynote speakers for COVITS 2007, a change in the Governor's Technology Awards program, availability of two new contracts for IT research and advisory services, and several updates on the IT Infrastructure Partnership. Network News provides staff at state agencies and institutions with a window into VITA and its programs and services.