2003 - 2004 Annual Report

Innovations in information resource management to support government

A Message from the Chair

September 2004

Dear Members, Colleagues, Friends:

To paraphrase an old adage, "the enterprise is greater than the sum of its parts." The Forum's significant record of success in 2003-2004 is attributable, in large measure, to our sharpened internal and external enterprise focus. The Forum became stronger as an organization, expanding its capacity and capabilities by leveraging the collective talents of multiple interests working together as an enterprise in a spirit of collaboration and cooperation to accomplish common goals. And, by aligning its mission and priorities to State's technology direction, The Forum increased its stature as a strong and valued contributor to New York's enterprise technology agenda.

The Forum Grows as an Enterprise

This year, The Forum's Committees took on a more central role in the planning and execution of all that we do. With a diversity of representation from state, local and corporate sectors, The Forum's Committees brought a wealth of knowledge, fresh perspectives and a high level of energy to the table. The Committees' project-based and results-oriented approach, coupled with their "can do" attitude, provided a recipe for overwhelming success as evidenced by a marked increase in the number of programs delivered and an incredible doubling of the program participation over the previous record year.

Membership in The Forum's IT Corporate Roundtable grew by nearly 50% during the year. Roundtable participation in Forum activities, and the increasingly active role Roundtable members play as Committee co-chairs, strengthened The Forum's public-private partnership and contributed substantially to the success of The Forum's Committees.

This year also marked an important milestone with the addition of the New York State Interdepartmental Committee on Electronic Data Processing (ICEDP) as a Standing Committee of The Forum. With ICEDP's focus on information technology operational issues, the merger creates a stronger organization and improves coordination between all groups and the State CIO's Office.

The Forum Expands its Contribution to the Enterprise

Our Strategic Planning Session last year was rooted in the proposition that our success in contributing to the State's enterprise technology agenda is a key measure of The Forum's viability. In this regard, I believe we've succeeded beyond our greatest expectations.

This year witnessed enhanced relationships and alignment with the Office of the CIO, the Office of Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure Coordination, and the Office for Technology. Our linkages with these important organizations were strengthened substantially resulting in productive, collaborative projects and program offerings. We collaborated with the CIO's Office to support their agency CEO/CIO briefing as well as their IT Peer Review initiative, setting the stage for continued productive interactions between CIO Council Committees and The Forum. We continued our partnership with OCSCIC as cosponsors of the annual Cyber Security Conference, achieving another milestone of record setting attendance and exhibitors. To expand the reach of our education and training programs, The Forum instituted use of virtual communication mediums and leveraged that capability in our collaboration with OCSCIC to develop the National Cyber Security Webcast series. And, we assisted OFT in the development of policy and standards for accessibility of web-based information and applications.

Local government plays a critical role in the State's enterprise technology strategy. Local government participation in Forum programs increased dramatically this year and will continue to grow in the future as we expand our use of webcasts to bridge the communication gap. Moreover, The Forum is building its local programs on existing local statewide conferences to provide yet another avenue to ensure that our programs are responsive to local needs.

In closing, I'm reminded of the leadership wisdom that says "an empowered organization is one in which individuals have the knowledge, skill, desire, and opportunity to personally succeed in a way that leads to collective organizational success." I would like to personally thank The Forum membership; the Executive Committee; The Forum Committees; the IT Corporate Roundtable; my fellow officers, Joanne Riddett and Celia Hamblin; Greg Benson, our Executive Director; Rebecca Buchner, our Executive Assistant; and Milena Ivanova, our Technical Coordinator. Your brilliance, dedication, and unwavering commitment to the enterprise illustrate the truth behind this wisdom. The State's technology agenda has benefited greatly from your efforts and I truly appreciate the opportunity you gave me as Forum Chair to share in your success.

Sincerely
Mike Donovan
Chair, 2003-2004

Our Mission

It is the mission of the New York State Forum for Information Resource Management ("The Forum") to promote policies and practices for effective, equitable and secure use and management of information resources in New York state government at all levels.

Our Initiatives

• Education and training for all levels of organizational leadership and staff
• Identification and promotion of best practices
• Policy-related research and analysis
• Development of tools for IT leadership and staff
• Enhancement of effective communications

Highlights of the 2003-2004 Program Year

NOTE: Data reported reflects status as of August 31, 2004 and projections related to initiatives pursued through the end of The Forum's program year (September 30, 2004).

Strengthening and Building New Alliances

The Forum programs draw upon the expertise, creativity and support of a variety of partners. Without these productive alliances, the organization's programs for New York state and local government IT leadership and staff simply would not exist. Given the extraordinary level of program participation this year, The Forum wishes to acknowledge the contributions of the following partners who cohosted or cosponsored 2003-2004 programs:

• Albany Area Chamber of Commerce
• Albanybizwomen.com
• Albany, New York Cold Fusion User Group
• Albany, New York Macromedia User Group
• Albany, New York PowerBuilder User Group
• Alliance of Technology and Women
• American Society for Public Administrators, Albany Chapter
• Association of Towns of the State of New York
• Benton Foundation
• The Business Council of New York State, Inc.
• Capital District:
  • ASP.NET Developers User Group
  • Computer Enthusiasts of New York
  • Java Developers Network
  • Network Users Group
  • Oracle User Group
  • Palm User Group
  • Visual Basic User Group
• Center for Economic Growth
• CDW-G
• CGI-AMS
• Clough, Harbour and Associates
• Computer Associates
• EDC Center for Media and Development
• Ernst and Young
• Group Jazz
• Gartner
• Government Law Center, Albany Law School
• Hewlett Packard
• Hudson Valley Community College
• ITT Technical Institute
• Keane
• Lally School, RPI
• Microsoft
• Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center
• National Cyber Security Division, Department of Homeland Security
• NYS Office of the Chief Information Officer
• NYS Office of Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure Coordination
• NYS Office of General Services, Procurement Services Group
• Northeast ADA & IT Center, Cornell University
• NYS Office of the Advocate for Persons with Disabilities
• Project Management Institute-Upstate New York Chapter
• Taubman Center for Policy, Brown University
• School of Business, University at Albany
• XML Developers Network of the Capital District

In addition, as an organization in 2003-2004 The Forum…

• Maintained and expanded the relationship with the Office of the CIO to: (1) enhance communications, (2) support articulation and alignment of Forum committee work with CIO Council committees, and (3) develop and offer agency CEO/CIO education seminars on IT-related matters.
• Developed a productive relationship with the newly formed NYS Office of Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure Coordination resulting in programs for members in a variety of forms (statewide conference, presentation to the Forum's Executive Committee, Open Forum interview with the Office director, support of state agency security training with OCSCIC and the development and offering of a national webcast series).
• Developed a strong relationship with OFT specifically designed to provide training and education support to agencies seeking to effectively implement the June 2004 revised OFT accessibility policy.
• Established relationships with IT corporate leadership resulting in ten new members of the IT Corporate Roundtable.
• Engaged in supportive activities for the creation of a state Project Management job title series.

"The Forum Accessibility Committee's focus, expertise and assistance on this issue was extremely valuable to the Office for Technology as we developed the new State policy and standard."
Julie Leeper, Director of Strategic and Executive Services, NYS Office for Technology

Affording Quality and Timely Educational Opportunities

The most significant development in this member service area was the initial use of virtual delivery mechanisms to expand outreach and participation beyond The Forum's traditional onsite, face to face format. From the initial pilot test with NYS local government to the national cyber security webcast series developed in conjunction with the Office of Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure Coordination and the international e-government for all (www.egov4all.org) virtual conference with the Benton Foundation (EDC), all virtual events proved to be an extremely popular and effective delivery mechanism. The proportion of 2003-2004 participants in traditional vs. virtually delivered educational programs shown in Fig. 1, illustrates the powerful potential of this delivery mechanism for providing improved outreach for Forum programs. This new means of delivering programs was also key to the doubling of program participants in 2003-2004 over the previous record year. The growth in program participation is shown in Fig. 2.

Other pertinent facts include:

• The 2003-2004 level of educational program participation achieved a 100% increase over the previous, record year.
• Participation in virtual program offerings represented 40% of the 2003-2004 total.
• More educational programs were offered in 2003-2004 than ever before.
• Corporate participation in the development and offering of educational programs was greater than ever before.
• Local government participation in Forum programs was up and programs are being built on existing local statewide conferences (e.g. Association of Towns of the State of NY, NYSCATE, NYS Archives, etc.), virtual offerings and linkage with the CIO Intergovernmental Communications Committee to further this outreach.
• An unprecedented level of partner support for The Forum's educational programs was achieved for 2003-2004.
• Deployment of virtual mediums for offering education and training contributed substantially to the dramatic increase in Forum program participation.

"The results of the 2003-2004 program year are something to be proud of. The Forum's combination of both public and private sector energy and resources is certainly an example of the whole being much greater than the sum of the parts. The unique partnership between the IT Corporate Roundtable and The Forum provides a great resource to share ideas and issues, resulting in more effective management of IT resources in New York State Government."
Kenneth Damato, Public Sector IPG Account Manager, Hewlett Packard and Co-Chair IT Procurement Committee

Research and Publication/Tool Initiatives

Research and publications produced during the 2003-2004 program year reflected both the traditional pursuits common to The Forum (The Directory and conference proceedings) but also signify a clear commitment to providing useful tools for members. The accessibility curriculum made available online and on a CD, the peer review checklist developed in conjunction with the CIO Council and the "essential questions" developed for agency CEOs are illustrative of the tools that emerged through collaborative efforts with others that were geared to address timely and practical issues and needs. This balance of stable, traditional publications and dynamic tool development is indicative of the rich variety of initiatives inherent to the work of The Forum and its committees in response to New York's IT leadership and staff.

Research, publication and tool development work completed in 2003-2004 included:

• A curriculum and related resources geared to address web site accessibility was developed and made available online and on a CD by the IT Accessibility Committee.
• A NYS Project Development Resource Matrix tool to identify subject matter experts in a wide range of topics related to project management was created by the Project Management Committee.
• A list of "essential questions" for agency CEOs to ask their respective CIOs was developed and distributed as part of the CEO Technology Briefing conducted in conjunction with the Office of the NYS CIO.

• A "peer review" checklist was developed by The Forum's Project Management Committee in conjunction with the CIO Council and Office of the NYS CIO.
• Research resulting in the publication of the second edition of Managing Information in New York State: A Directory.
• The eGovForAll virtual conference summary was completed and published in conjunction with the Benton Foundation/Education Development Center.
• A case study document of The Forum's IT Corporate Roundtable was developed and published in conjunction with State Tech magazine, produced by CDW-G.
• A detailed set of guidelines for corporate involvement in The Forum were developed and incorporated as a key element in the IT Corporate Roundtable "Welcome Kit."

Key Forum Events in 2003-2004

• The Annual Security Conference was held in conjunction with the NYS Office of Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure Coordination with a record number of exhibitors.
• The e-government for all virtual conference undertaken in conjunction with the Benton Foundation attracted over 1,300 participants from over 85 nations.
• The ICEDP Annual Conference was conducted.
• A national Cyber Security Webcast series was developed and offered in conjunction with the OCSCIC and the Department of Homeland Security.
• The Forum was an active partner in the Tech Valleydeveloped TechaPalooza in October 2003 and again in September 2004.

"The trip from New York City to Washington, DC to attend this discussion was well worth it. The diverse points of view and suggested approaches presented by the panel were extremely enlightening and provided a variety of creative program ideas that I've simply not heard or seen anywhere else."
Nathaniel Bryant, Executive Director, Expanded Access, on having attended the public release of the e-government for all research paper produced by The Forum, The Benton Foundation and the Taubman Center for Public Policy at the National Press Club in Washington, DC

"The peer review process is a valuable tool to ensure project success, mitigate risks, and leverage State best practices and existing capabilities."
Joann Dunham, NYS Client Executive, Keane, Inc. and Co-Chair Project Management Community of Practice Committee

"The Forum has been instrumental in helping the IT Accessibility Committee open a dialog with the Office for Technology and coordinate its awareness and training efforts with the Office for Technololgy's new IT Accessibility Policy and Standards initiative. As a result, we've been able to focus on policy and standard support activities that are receiving high marks from web developers in the New York public sector."
Debi Orton, Manager of IT, Governor's Office of Employee Relations and Co-Chair IT Accessibility Committee

Forum Committees

The work of Forum committees has grown substantially in the last few years. Indeed, the committees and their committed leadership and members have emerged as an essential core strength of The Forum. In 2003-2004 the accomplishments of the committees far surpassed previous years. This only occurred because of the committed leadership of these important groups. Though ongoing committee work and minutes of meetings are posted on The Forum's website, it is important to repeat here that several committees achieved noteworthy outcomes during 2003-2004:

The Project Management Community of Practice Committee was instrumental in working with the NYS Office of the CIO to create the peer review process applicable to IT expenditures in excess of $250,000.

The IT Accessibility Committee contributed to the revised state accessibility policy issued by OFT in June 2004 and is assisting with the follow-up technical support to be afforded to state agencies to include the development of a resource repository that includes an educational curriculum geared to build competencies for those responsible for creating and maintaining state web sites.

The Business Continuity Planning/Security Committee worked in partnership with the NYS Office of Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure Coordination to develop and offer a nationl cyber security webcast series which will continue next year.

The IT Corporate Roundtable provided members and co-chairs to Forum committees that enabled and enriched the achievement of many of the key 2003-3004 outcomes.

Administrative Operations

Efficient pursuance of proactive services aligned with member and state priorities is the central objective of The Forum's administration. In that context, Forum staff strive to enhance assets and achieve the highest return on all fiscal and human investments. To that end, in 2003-2004:

• Strategies implemented to navigate through the state's fiscal crisis achieved overall growth in revenue flow in spite of the public agency membership revenue decline of over 14%.
• 2003-2004 event sponsorship revenue surpassed the previous (2002-2003) record level by 32% and was key to offsetting the reduced agency membership revenues encountered due to the state fiscal crisis.
• Nonagency member program support revenues, from all sources, exceeded 50% of total Forum income for the first time.
• Basic operating costs were maintained at the previous 15% reduced level.
• The Forum's cash flow horizon was extended to over 24 months.
• The newly instituted (late in 2002-2003) website credit card capacity generated income representing over 5% of gross revenues.
• The merger of ICEDP as a Standing Committee of The Forum was achieved.
• Improvements in The Forum's web site to promote information sharing and access to tools was undertaken and continues.

"The impact of the IT Corporate Roundtable on Forum activities continues to grow. Their involvement has reinvigorated The Forum committees. This is a great example of the public and private sectors working together."
Robert G. Kelly, Director of IS, Division of Housing and Community Renewal and Co-Chair, IT Corporate Roundtable

Thanks to all who made 2003 - 2004 a success!

2003 – 2004 Executive Committee

Chair, F. Michael Donovan, State Police
Vice Chair, Joanne Riddett, Thruway Authority
Secretary/Treasurer, Cecelia Hamblin, Department of Labor

James Bell, Senate
Walter Bikowitz, Office of General Services
Thomas R. Bodden, Association of Towns of the State of New York
JoAnn P. Bomeisl, Insurance Department
Terri Daly, Office for Technology
Sharon Dawes, Center for Technology in Government
Leigh Favitta, Dormitory Authority
Stanley France, Schoharie County
Robert Freeman, Department of State, Committee on Open Government
Jeffrey S. Grunfeld, Office of the State Comptroller
Christine Haile, SUNY at Albany
Roman Hedges, Assembly
Karl Kelly, Division of Military & Naval Affairs
Robert G. Kelly, Division of Housing & Community Renewal
Paul Maguire, Office of Alcoholism & Substance Abuse Services
Kim S. McKinney, NYS Local Government IT Director's Association
Michael Mittleman, Chief Information Office
Janice Morris, Department of Civil Service
Nancy Mulholland, Workers' Compensation Board
Gene Pezdek, Department of Environmental Conservation
Alexander Roberts, Division of Criminal Justice Services
Franklin Slade, Department of Civil Service
Timothy Spencer, Division of the Budget
David Walsh, State Education Department

Staff
Gregory M. Benson, Executive Director
Rebecca J. Buchner, Executive Assistant
Milena Ivanova, Technical Coordinator

IT Corporate Roundtable

Co-Chair & The Forum Liaison, Robert G. Kelly, Division of Housing & Community Renewal
Co-Chair, Stephen Frank, Oracle Corporation

Accenture, LLP
Akamai Technologies, Inc.
Aon Group
AT&T
CDW-G
CGI-AMS
CMA
Computer Associates
D & D Consulting, Ltd.
e-Biz Docs, Inc.
EMC Corp.
Gartner
Hewlett Packard
IBM
IIC
IMG
Jay Dee Systems, Inc.
Keane
Microsoft
Nortel Networks
Novell
New York State Technology Enterprise Corp. (NYSTEC)
Oracle
SAS Institute, Inc.
Sybase, Inc.
Symantec
Veritas

"In taking our direction from the Executive Committee and its chair Michael Donovan, the IT Corporate Roundtable members have co-chaired and participated in Forum Committees which have conducted numerous educational sessions throughout the year that have focused on emerging technology trends and corporate best practices. We believe that a great deal of this information has been utilized by the IT leaders of New York State to develop more efficient state procedures and to more effectively align government services with the needs of the citizens of New York State."
Stephen Frank, Regional Vice President, Oracle and Co-Chair, IT Corporate Roundtable

Contact us
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