The NYS Forum, Inc.

Spotlight - Pathway to Excellence
NYS Department of Taxation & Finance
Tax Analytics Solution Center

The May 16th Spotlight - Pathway to Excellence Predictive Analytics session featured a team from the NYS Department of Taxation & Finance Tax Analytics Solution Center. Drawing a crowd of over 130 members, the event featured an insightful presentation demonstrating the development of a customizable self-service data analytics system.

The Business Innovation & Emerging Technologies Workgroup and Data Analytics Community of Interest hosted the event at the NYS Forum office in Albany. Presenters included: Ed Oberting, Business Systems Analyst 4, NYS Department of Taxation and Finance, Richard Cletus, Project Director, NYS Office of Information Technology Services, Revenue and Transportation Cluster, Business Solutions and also featured an introduction from Nonie Manion,...

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Culture of Innovation in NYC Government Series
NYC Facilities Explorer - Interactive Planning Tool

The May 2nd "Culture of Innovation" in NYC Government Series event featured a team from the New York City Department of City Planning who presented and showcased their successful use of open source technology for a "build versus buy" project model. The event spotlighted their project, "NYC Facilities Explorer - Interactive Planning Tool"

The NYC GIS and Innovation & Emerging Technologies Workgroups hosted the event to a crowd of roughly 80 members at the NYC Department of Transportation in downtown Manhattan. Presenters included: Hannah Kates, Product Manager, NYC Department of City Planning...

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The Albany Capital District IIBA Chapter's
Albany Business Analysis Development Day:
Moving to the Next Level

The Albany Chapter of the IIBA will be hosting its Professional Development Day 2017 on June 16, 2017.

Business Analysis and its practitioners are at the very focal point when organizations grapple with change: Analyzing the current situation, preparing recommendations, and assisting the organization to make the transition, and evaluating effectiveness of the solution.  We need to work with the organizations' staff and leaders to make it happen.

Professional Development Day offers a track focused on improving project-level skills and another one that focuses on the skills needed to work at the enterprise/organizational level. Hear from keynote speakers about, when facing failure or a setback, the importance of keeping calm, evaluating the situation, and finding the path forward.

Also hear from professionals who will help improve our skills through hour and 15 minute long workshops throughout the day.  The workshops will be led by practicing experts with real-world skills.  The sessions will dig deep into specific areas - offering practical and instantly useable skills, tools, and techniques.

Event Information

To Register...

Please visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2017-albany-business-analysis-development-day-moving-to-the-next-level-tickets-31858006154? for more details and to register.
As a member of the forum, you receive a $30 discount. Please contact the Forum office at info@nysforum.org to receive the promo code

Intelligent Transportation Collaboration
Session 1: An Introduction to Intelligent Transportation

"Intelligent transportation" is all around us: in our cars, on the roads, with new and innovative applications being conceived and deployed on a regular basis. The proliferation of Intelligent Transportation technologies are impacting many government functions, such as revenue collection, public safety, cybersecurity protection and the citizen experience.

An understanding of Intelligent Transportation solutions is important to the policy, security and the technology sectors of government. The new architectures, evolving standards and the eventual system...

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The Project Management Institute, Upstate New York Chapter, Inc.
Annual Professional Development Day

The Project Management Institute, Upstate New York Chapter, Inc. will be hosting its Annual Professional Development Day on Thursday, May 18, 2017 from 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM.

Certified Speaking Professional Jeff Tobe, M.Ed., CSP, was chosen by readers of Convention & Meetings Magazine as one of the top 15 speakers in North America. He is one of the most sought after speakers in the PM world after his successful keynote at PMI International.

Online registration and payment available at the PMI UNY Web Site

Please visit http://pmiuny.org/ for more details and to register.

Blockchain - Government Adoption

The NYS Forum NYC Innovation & Emerging Technologies and NYC Security Workgroups co-hosted an event entitled "Blockchain - Government Adoption" on March 8th, 2017 at the NYC Law Department in downtown Manhattan. The event, attended by roughly 60 in-person/dialed in members, proved to be an extremely constructive and informative presentation that put a Spotlight on ...

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Joint PMI / Upstate Chapter and NYS Forum Project Management Workgroup Meeting

Secure-by-Design - The New Normal

CCRS Category: Technical

Overview: This presentation will discuss how organizations can "build security in by design" through governance and considering security risk & appropriate controls at each stage of the system development/procurement life cycle. Whether you play from the business or IT side of the organization, integrating security into development and procurement life cycles will enable you to identify potential risks early and assure appropriate measures are implemented to manage security-related risk.

This paid event will take place on the evening of Wednesday, March 15, 2017.  Please visit the following link to register and purchase tickets:

https://www.pmiuny.org/index.php/general-events/march2017dinnermeeting

Albany Workgroup February 2017 Meetings

On February 7th and 8th, 2017, The NYS Forum hosted Workgroup meetings throughout the day. The individual workgroup meetings gave NYS Forum members the opportunity to learn more about each of the Workgroups, meet the Workgroup members and Co-Chairs, experience a Workgroup topical discussion, and share ideas on topics that members felt were important to them and their organization. Informative and knowledge-share topics were planned for each Workgroup meeting.

Pictures taken at the event may be viewed on our facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/TheNYSForum/

Thanks to all of those who attended and presented.

The NYS Forum February ITCR Meeting

The February 2017 ITCR Meeting assembled a panel of ITCR members who discussed their analysis and commentary on Governor Cuomo''s proposed 2017-18 Budget.

Items that were discussed included:

• an overview of the Executive Budget, major initiatives and OITS budget
• funding for initiatives and any other opportunities that there may be for technology companies
• timetable, next steps on implementing the budget and the politics of it all.

Featured Panelists:

• Ruth Walters, The Walters Group
• Art Brown, Arthur Brown LLC
• Chrissy Rutigliano, The Roffe Group P.C.
• Todd Vandervort, The Vandervort Group LLC

Pictures taken at the event may be viewed on our facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/TheNYSForum/

Thanks to all of those who attended and presented.

Preparing For & Mitigating Information Technology Disruption During Emergencies

The NYS Forum IT Procurement Workgroup hosted an event entitled "Preparing for & Mitigating Information Technology Disruption during Emergencies" on December 20th, 2016.  The event proved to be a constructive and informative presentation lead by staff from the NYS Office of General Services, the Office of the State Comptroller, and the Town of Mamaroneck. The interactive, half-day event walked attendees through...

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Effective Use of Data and Analytics 4.0
Launching Your Data Project

The NYS Forum Business Innovations & Emerging Technologies Workgroup hosted an event entitled "Effective Use of Data and Analytics 4.0 - Launching Your Data Project" on December 8th, 2016. The event proved to be a constructive and informative presentation that addressed a pressing need in government: effective use of data...

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Culture of Innovation in NYC Government Series
NYC School Finder

The November 17th Culture of Innovation in NYC Government Series event featured a team from the New York City Department of Education who presented and showcased their employment of an innovative fast build process that created a digital online tool version of the print NYC High School Directory, "NYC School Finder".....

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The NYS Forum & NYSICA

The New York State Internal Control Association (NYSICA) held their 4th Annual Fraud, Integrity and Controls Conference November 10th at MTA Headquarters, New York City.  The NYS Forum Information Security & Business Continuity workgroups coordinated speakers on the topic of Security Risk for NYSICA.

Comprehensive and informative presentations from Bill Harrod, CA Technologies, Threat, Vulnerability and Risk Compliance and John Verry, Pivot Point Security, Third Party Risk Management were delivered.

Presentation

Human-Centered Design

A phenomenal presentation by a team of experts from the New York City Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications was held on October 26, 2016. "Human-Centered Design" brought in an audience of roughly 80 attendees (in person and on web) at the NYC Department of Law....

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2016 Geospatial Summit

The NYS GIS Association will hold the 2016 NYS GeoSpatial Summit on Friday, October 21, 2016, at the DB Pfizer Auditorium within the New York University Bern Dibner Library of Science and Technology in downtown Brooklyn, New York. This one-day event, with an evening reception the night before, will feature seven excellent keynote speakers who will give talks on a variety of topics. In addition to learning about cutting edge geospatial technology and implementations, attendees will also have opportunities to network with colleagues and GIS professionals from across New York State.

Want to learn more?

Visit the Summit website to register and for more information (lodging, sponsorship opportunities, speaker bios, etc.) http://geosummit2016.nysgis.net/

2016 Albany 9 Hole Golf & Networking Event

A great time was had by all those who attended the "Albany 9 Hole Golf & Networking Event" held at Eagle Crest Golf Club in Clifton Park, NY. Good weather made for an afternoon of golf and networking.

Pictures taken at the event may be viewed on our facebook page:
www.facebook.com/pg/TheNYSForum/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1118947334807051">

2016 NYC 9 Hole Golf & Networking Event

A great time was had by all those who attended the "NYC 9 Hole Golf & Networking Event" held at Dyker Beach Golf Course in Brooklyn, NY. Good weather made for an afternoon of golf and networking.

Pictures taken at the event may be viewed on our facebook page:
www.facebook.com/pg/TheNYSForum/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1117424991625952">

Drupal User Group September Meeting

On September 28, 2016, The NYS Forum Web and Accessibility Workgroup held their Drupal User Group September Meeting led by Eric Steinborn, Web Developer, NYS Office of the Attorney General. This month's meeting featured a live stream of DrupalCon which was hosted in Dublin, Ireland...

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NYS Forum Day at the Races

Members of The NYS Forum enjoyed a fun day at the Saratoga Race Track. The weather was hot, but a great time was had by all. It made for a fun afternoon of mingling, networking, and placing bets at the capital regions favorite summer locale!

A slide show of pictures taken at the event may be viewed on our facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/TheNYSForum/videos/1066854173349701/

Albany Capital District IIBA:
Professional Development Day 2016
Become a Corporate Sponsor

The Albany Chapter of the IIBA will be hosting its Professional Development Day 2016 on June 17, 2016.

They are currently looking for corporate sponsors!

Below, please find the Sponsorship Agreement Form, levels, and information about the Development Day.  If you are interested in becoming a sponsor for the event contact Debbie Granelli at vp_sponsorship_dev@albanyny.iiba.org

Sponsorship Agreement Form
Sponsorship Levels
Event Information

Culture of Innovation in NYC Government Series
CityPay
Citywide Payments & Receivables Services

In the fifth event of a series focusing on recognizing and building a "Culture of Innovation" in NYC government; The NYC Innovation & Emerging Technologies Workgroup hosted an audience of roughly 50 attendees (in person and on web) at the NYC Department of Law.

The fifth event highlighted the innovative and unique manner in which NYC Department of Finance has developed the Citywide Payments & Receivable Services (CPRS) program...

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2016 Annual Professional Development Day

There are still seats available for the 10th anniversary of PMI's Professional Development Day. This year we have planned for a very dynamic speaker with a focus on Leadership Skills for Project Managers. You do not need to be a project manager to attend as project management is performed everyday by most people.

Want to learn more?

Please go to PMI's Upstate NY Chapter website http://www.pmiuny.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=359&Itemid=0 for details and to register.
Please plan on joining this worthwhile conference and obtain 7-8 PDUs.

Below, please find the 2016 PDD Brochure for more information.

Click here for the 2016 PDD Brochure

REGISTER for the 2016 NYS Purchasing Forum and Trade Show
May 18 & 19, 2016

On May 18 & 19, The 2016 NYS Purchasing Forum and Trade Show offers government purchasing professionals free training on timely and relevant procurement-related topics. The Trade Show offers an opportunity to learn from and interact with a variety of businesses including contractors, government organizations, minority and women-owned businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned businesses, NYS food producers, and small businesses...

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Culture of Innovation in NYC Government Series
LinkNYC

In the fourth event of a series focusing on recognizing and building a "Culture of Innovation" in NYC government; The NYC Innovation & Emerging Technologies Workgroup hosted an audience of roughly 50 attendees (in person and on web) at the NYC Department of Law.

The fourth event highlighted the innovative and unique manner in which NYC has developed the LinkNYC project...

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Project Management and the
Vision for the NYS Office of Information Technology Services

On April 7th, The NYS Forum Project Management Workgroup hosted an event entitled "Project Management and the Vision for the NYS Office of Information Technology Services". This session was led by Chris Lloyd, Chief Portfolio Officer for the NYS Office of Information Technology Services (ITS). Chris spoke to a massive audience of close...

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Trending Emerging Technologies Benefiting Government
Application Container Technology

On March 29, 2016, The NYS Forum NYC Innovation & Emerging Technologies Workgroup hosted an event entitled "Trending Emerging Technologies Benefiting Government Application Container Technology". Tej Tenmattam, Principal Solution Specialist, Oracle Corp., Sriram Vasantha, Development Manager, NYC Department of Sanitation, and Bernard Clairmont, Sr. Principal Consultant, CA Technologies, spoke to the crowd of...

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Culture of Innovation in NYC Government Series

In the first event of a series focusing on recognizing and building a "Culture of Innovation" in NYC government;  The NYC Innovation & Emerging Technologies Workgroup hosted an audience of roughly 80 attendees (in person and on web) at the NYC Department of Transportation.

The first event highlighted the award winning New York City Census FactFinder (CFF)...

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New York State Comptroller's Office
Business Continuity from Emergency to Recovery

On March 17, 2016, The NYS Forum Business Continuity Workgroup hosted a panel presentation on the Office of the NYS Comptroller''s (OSC) Emergency Management Plan. The event spotlighted the process of preparing for an unexpected...

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Can't Make the NYS FORUM April Event Featuring Chris Lloyd, NYS Chief Portfolio Officer?

NYS PM Work Group is joining the Upstate NY Chapter of the Project Management Institute to provide Chris with another opportunity to share the Vision Plan for ITS, the Future in Project Management Disciplines in NYS.

This paid event will take place on the evening of Wednesday, March 16, 2016.  Please visit the following link to register and purchase tickets:

www.pmiuny.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=357&Itemid=0

The Rules of Business Rules

The NYS Forum Business Analysis/Architecture Workgroup hosted an event entitled "The Rules of Business Rules". The February 24th event featured an insightful presentation followed by a lively panel discussion...

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NYS Forum SharePoint Community of Practice

On February 23, 2016, The NYS Forum SharePoint Community of Practice group hosted an event to continue the knowledge share amongst NYS staff for the utilization of SharePoint by NYS agencies...

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Office 365: Approaches, Challenges and Successes

On February 17th, The NYS Forum Project Management Workgroup hosted an event entitled Office 365: Approaches, Challenges and Successes. This session was led by Christopher J. Ford, MSIS, PMP. The seasoned...

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REGISTER for the 3rd Annual President's Forum on Data
February 25, 2016

On February 25, 2016, the University at Albany President's Forum on Data brings together national leaders and scholars in advanced data analytics (ADA) with UAlbany's ADA network and partners. This year's Forum will  explore how data analytics is transforming homeland security and emergency management with a focus on three areas:  emergency preparedness and public security; extreme weather resiliency; and public health readiness and response....

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Effective Use of Data and Analytics 3.0
Infrastructure Implementation & Support for Meaningful Analysis

On February 4, 2016, The Business Innovations & Emerging Technologies Workgroup hosted another session in the Effective Use of Data Analytics series. This event featured a number of presenters and panelists who addressed a number of subtopics all relating to the steps necessary for preparation and implementation of data...

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311 Mobile: Transitioning from Waterfall to Agile

On December 2nd, The NYC Project Management Work Group hosted an event entitled 311 Mobile: Transitioning from Waterfall to Agile. This session was led by DoITT Senior Project Manager, Alberto Ng. The senior Scrum Practitioner,...

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The NYS Forum Presents at New York City Technology Forum

On Tuesday, November 10, 2015, The NYS Forum took part in the 18th annual New York City Technology Forum in Brooklyn, NY. With an audience of roughly 30, The Forum educated attendees on who they are, what they do, and how they can take advantage of this workforce focused private/public partnership.

Peter Chynoweth, Sr. Vice President, CMA Consulting & Board Officer, The NYS Forum, Joe Merces, Chief Information Officer, Department of Law, New York City & Board Officer, The NYS Forum, and Joan Sullivan, Executive Director, The NYS Forum, presented on how participating in The NYS Forum has promoted exchange of information, practices and experiences, advanced and enhanced the NYS IT practices and its current push to reach New York City IT professionals (public and private sector).

Pictures taken at the event may be viewed on our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.901015289933591.1073741846.110915512276910&type=3&uploaded=10

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2015 Data Breach Investigations Report

The NYS Forum Information Security Workgroup hosted the event "2015 Data Breach Investigations Report". The October 22nd event featured the co-founder of the Verizon Business Investigative Response Unit and an active senior investigator, Christopher Novak...

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St. Catherine's 2nd Annual Running SCCCared 5K Run/Walk

The NYS Forum participated in the St. Catherines 2nd Annual Running SCCCared 5K Run/Walk, on Saturday, October 17th at The Crossings of Colonie. It was a great day to come together to support the community!

Pictures taken at the event may be viewed on our facebook page:
www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.891662994202154.1073741843.110915512276910&type=3&uploaded=7

The NYS Forum host NYC Workgroup Kickoff Meetings

New York City Government and the NYS Forum IT Corporate Round Table (ITCR) members met October 7 and 8, 2015 at the Metro Tech Center in Brooklyn, NY for the NYC Workgroup kickoff meetings.  The attendees engaged in a stimulating dialogue on the subjects they...

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Writing for the Web

Kristen Albright, IT Specialist 2, NYS ITS, Health and Human Services Cluster was joined by Kathy Farrell, Web Manager, Office of Integrated Technologies, SUNY Empire State College, to present the ever popular half-day seminar, "Writing for the Web"

To an audience of roughly 80 attendees, Kristin and Kathy discussed the growing importance of well-written and easy-to-read content and how its importance is even greater than the need for cutting-edge web technology. Through lecture, group discussions, and hands-on exercises, attendees learned what usability research says about how people read content on web pages and what they can do to make their web pages easier to read.

• The needs of skilled and unskilled readers;
• Clarity and conciseness;
• How to phrase headings and links; and
• How to organize information more effectively.

Pictures taken at the event may be viewed on our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.884644544903999.1073741839.110915512276910&type=3&uploaded=9

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9 Hole Golf & Networking Event

A great time was had by all those who attended the "NYS Forum 9 Hole Golf & Networking Event" at Eagle Crest Golf Club in Clifton Park. Good weather made for an afternoon of golf and networking.

      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      Pictures taken at the event may be viewed on our facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.886515048050282.1073741841.110915512276910&type=3&uploaded=22

The NYS Forum Annual Meeting

On Thursday, September 24, The NYS Forum hosted its 29th Annual Meeting, at the Radisson Hotel in Albany, NY. The Forum welcomed over 200 government and corporate partners to the event. New York State and New York City is going through an IT transformation, the details of which are of great interest to all of the attendees. With the many historic changes undergoing...

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Effective Use of Data and Analytics

On September 17th, Business Innovations & Emerging Technologies Workgroup hosted an event spotlighting the Effective Use of Data and Analytics. This event featured a number of presenters and panelists who addressed a number of subtopics in a pressing need in government: effective use of data. This session brought together an audience...

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Work Breakdown Structures:
The Foundation for Project Management Excellence

On September 17th, The NYS Forum Project Management Workgroup hosted an event entitled Work Breakdown Structures; The Foundation for Project Management Excellence. This session was led by the co-author of Work Breakdown Structures:...

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Mobile Enabled Government:
The Realization of Efficiency

On September 10th, The NYS Forum hosted a NYC EVENT entitled Mobile Enabled Government: The Realization of Efficiency. Brad Kramer - Sr. Business Technology Architect, CA Technologies and Jim Van Avery - Managing Director and Program Manager, CMA Consulting Services spoke to the crowd of roughly 40 attendees (in person and webinar).

The presenters shared their stories of governments'' efforts to deliver effective and more efficient services using state of the art mobile enabled applications. The event proved to be a success and provided great information. Talking points included: how digital and mobile solutions help government enable both citizens and workers realize true self service and employee enablement. How mobile technologies enable government workers to more effectively perform their jobs and better engage citizenry. How ROI is computed for these types of applications? How one can get started in moving towards mobile enabled government?

The event was extremely constructive and turned into an invigorating and captivating exchange of information and ideas providing much food for thought and plans for action.

Pictures taken at the event may be viewed on our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.875617509140036.1073741835.110915512276910&type=3

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New York Citywide Program

The NYS Forum has officially launched its New York Citywide program!

Educational Events, Communities of Practice, and Enterprise Learning are all developed in response to what NYC government leadership and staff are interested in.Priorities are driven by YOU!

The July 22, 2015 event was a successful effort in introducing the The NYS Forum and how it operates. Attendees helped to spread ideas and worked together to contribute to the development of upcoming New York City programs.

Participants were able to hear, first-hand, from other Forum Work Group Co-Chairs about how they operate and what their preliminary program plans are.

Pictures taken at the event may be viewed on our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.855605477807906.1073741833.110915512276910&type=3

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What the Internet of Things Today
Means for Government Tomorrow

The NYS Forum Business Innovation & Emerging Technologies Workgroup hosted an event entitled "What the Internet of Things Today Means for Government Tomorrow". The July 14th featured nationally-recognized speaker, Dr...

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The NYS Forum's first NYC session:
What's the Real Story on Cloud?

For the first session of the NYS Forum in New York City, the maiden event was held at the NYC Department of Law. The July 14, 2015 event was the result of a survey sent out in May to the CIO''s of city agencies requesting what they felt were topics of interest. The survey showed there was a consistent theme...

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ITS uniteNY Network Consolidation

The NYS Forum Project Management Workgroup hosted an event entitled "ITS uniteNY Network Consolidation". The June 23rd event was originally planned to be led by JR Katinas, NYS IT Consultant Project Manager. However, Vijay Madala of...

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***BREAKING NYC NEWS***

Hot off the Press!!!

Made effective on May 2, 2015,The NYS Forum is proud to announce it has entered into a membership agreement with the New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) to provide...

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The NYS Forum has officially relocated

The NYS Forum has officially relocated! We are now located in a much larger space on the 2nd floor of the same building location, 24 Aviation Road. We have created a video for you to view the constuction process and the changes that were made

Click here to view the video...

Evolution of Business Process

The NYS Forum Business Analysis / Architecture Workgroup held a May 27, 2015 event at the Albany Marriott titled "Evolution of Business Process". Two guest speakers headlined the event and presented to a crowd (in person and on web) of...

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ITS Data Center Consolidation

The NYS Forum Project Management held a May 21, 2015 event at the Holiday Inn titled "ITS Data Center Consolidation". To a crowd (in person and on web) of roughly 100 members, Chris Keating, Project Manager 2, NYS office of Information Technology Services, lead a Project Spotlight session discussing...

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Is Your Project Vulnerable?
Reducing Security Risks with SSDLC

On May 4th, 2015, The NYS Forum Project Management and Information Security Workgroups hosted an event discussing Web Security and combating security risks with Secure Systems Development Lifecycle (SSDLC).

The Monday afternoon event at the Albany Marriott titled "Is Your Project Vulnerable? Reducing Security Risks with SSDLC", featured...

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Introducing ITIL
Best Practices for IT Service Management

Hosted by The NYS Forum Service & Operations Management Workgroup and attended by an audience (in person and on web) of nearly 200 participants, the Friday April 30th event "Introducing ITIL: Best Practices for IT Service Management" was...

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Cloud Computing Security:
What you need to consider when moving to the cloud

The NYS Forum Information Security, IT Procurement and Business Innovation Workgroups joined forces to present, Cloud Computing Security: What you need to consider when moving to the cloud?

This dynamic presentation was led by an impressive panel of experts: Ian Morrison, Cloud Solution Strategist, Microsoft; Gary Alterson...

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Help Fred Smith Tackle Cancer!

As many of you are aware Fred Smith of Advizex, formerly of P&J Computers was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in June 2014.  Two efforts are underway to help Fred and his family with ongoing medical expenses associated with his battle...

For more details...

Key Concepts: Managing Technology Programs in Large, Complex Organizations

On April 9th, The NYS Forum Project Management Workgroup hosted an event spotlighting the management and running of large and complex technology programs.

The Thursday afternoon event at the Holiday Inn went off successfully with an informative presentation by QED National...

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Making it LEAN

On February 26th The Project Management Workgroup hosted an event spotlighting the philosophy/method of LEAN Management. This panel was led by Andy Clark, Anne Marie Rainville and Shoshanah Bewlay who focused on the meaning of the LEAN system...

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Surviving Project Change Orders
Project Management Workgroup gets interactive

The rescheduled event from the January 27th snowstorm went off successfully with a presentation by a number of Project Management leaders as well as an interactive session that provided great insight on managing change orders. The February 12th event at the Albany Marriott hosted by the Project Management Workgroup was titled Surviving Project Change Orders: How to Prepare, Estimate, and Implement Change Orders.

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Large Turnout for Enterprise Operation

Hosted by The NYS Forum Service & Operations Management Workgroup and attended by an audience (in person and on web) of nearly 300 participants, the January 29th update from the New York State Office of Information Technology Services (NYS ITS) Enterprise Operations with a focus on End User Services was

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IT Transformation - Office 365

On November 21st the Project Management Workgroup hosted a Project Spotlight event entitled: IT Transformation-Office 365.  The panel made up of both leaders from ITS as well as NTT Data outlined the goals, challenges and accomplishments of this monumental project.

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A Bird's eye view of Security in NYS

On November 19th the Security Workgroup hosted an event entitled: A Bird's eye view of Security in NYS.  At that session Deb Snyder, Acting NYS CISO and her team outlined what their organization was doing to ensure that NYS's Information Technology Services are protected.

Case Studies Procuring Technology as a Service

On October 24th The IT Procurement and the Innovation and Emerging Technologies workgroups co-hosted the third in a series: Case Studies Procuring Technology as a Service.  This panel discussion included four experts from our Corporate partners who shared what other public sector entities have done to clear the procurement hurdles to take advantage of Cloud while also learning about real world challenges, issues and benefits of adapting to this new service delivery model.

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Integrating QA and Release Management into Project Management

On October 23rd The Project Management and Business Analysis/Architecture Workgroups co-hosted an event entitled Integrating QA and Release Management into Project Management Dan Donnelly, the Director, NYS ITS Portfolio Management Office, Human Services Cluster focused on tools and techniques project Managers use to ensure testing and quality assurance are not forgotten on a project.  He clarified some misunderstandings about testing and provided best practices employed by his cluster.

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What's the question? The art of Collaborative-constructive questioning

On October 7th leaders from the Office of Information Technology Services lead a training session entitled: What's the question?  The art of Collaborative-constructive questioning.  In that session participants learned why creating a highly effective work environment where everyone contributes regardless of their level within the organization requires openness and risk taking. It also requires certain developed skills. Whether you are the top leader or a new recruit, asking the right questions and listening for all the answers is the key to developing organizational ownership.

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Using a Phased Approach to Gain Early Wins in a Complex Multi-Year Implementation

On June 16th, The NYS Forum Project Management Workgroup hosted an event spotlighting the NYS Pesticide Administration Database project.

The featured presenter was NYS ITS Environment and Energy Cluster Project Manager, Christina Pagano.  Ms. Pagano is the project manager for a NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) project to re-write and re-engineer a pesticide tracking  system originally development by Cornell University.  This complex project has been segmented into five phases, in order to support a successful system implementation.

During the event Ms. Pagano provided valuable information on managing a complex multi-year project by combining a traditional waterfall design and analysis with an Agile approach for the system development and delivery.  Ms. Pagano fielded numerous questions throughout the discussion and valuable dialog resulted with event attendees.

How Business Analysts can Support Project Managers in the Development and Management of the Business Case

The NYS Forum Business Analysis/Architecture Workgroup and the Project Management Community of Practice joined forces to present:  How Business Analysts can Support Project Managers in the Development & Management of the Business Case.

This dynamic presentation was led by an impressive panel of experts:  Sara Holmberg, Director of Enterprise Portfolio & Program Management Office, NYS ITS; Michael Roberts, Director of Project & Program Management, NYS ITS, TED Cluster; and Dave Nagy, Senior Principle Consultant, NTT Data, Inc.  The session was kicked off by Nancy Mulholland, Chief Portfolio Officer, NYS ITS.

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Procuring Technology as a Service Session 101: Defining "As A Service" and "Cloud" and How These Models are Emerging

The NYS Forum IT Procurement Workgroup presented this first in a series of four procurement sessions.  Geared to all levels of expertise, Defining "As A Service" and "Cloud" and How These Models are Emerging, was designed to start with the basics.  Subsequent sessions will build to an in-depth discussion and understanding of how our procurement models and techniques must change to keep up with this technology delivery model. Read more...
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Project Spotlight: MeasureIT - Measuring What Matters in Information Technology

On March 17th, The NYS Forum Project Management Workgroup hosted an event spotlighting the project MeasureIT - Measuring What Matters in Information Technology.

The featured presenter was NYS ITS Director of IT Performance Management, Tom Wegener.  Mr. Wegener is responsible for helping the New NYS ITS develop, deploy and sustain a comprehensive performance management program driving continuous improvement in IT service delivery.  During the event Mr. Wegener provided an overview of the MeasureIT project and addressed numerous audience questions pertaining to the various challenges and treasures of his efforts.

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PMO Leadership Network: NYS ITS EPMO, Roles, Responsibilities and Upcoming Plans

The NYS Forum Project Management Work Group hosted a meeting of the PMO Leadership Network. The topic for the meeting was the NYS ITS Enterprise PMO, Roles, Responsibilities and Upcoming Plans.

The event, held on January 29th, featured a presentation given by the NYS Office of Information Technology Services' Director of the Enterprise Program Management Office, Alison Pingelski. Alison's presentation provided an excellent overview of NYS enterprise projects and was followed by a lively Q&A / Open Discussion. In attendance were various representatives of the NYS ITS Cluster and Operations PMOs, the Office of the Attorney General, the Office of the State Comptroller, and the corporate members of the NYS Forum's Project Management Work Group.

For more information about the PMO Leadership Network, please contact:
Russell Kiernan (QED National) rkiernan@qednational.com
or
Pamela Forrest (NYS ITS) pamela.forrest@its.ny.gov

ITS Finance, Regulation and Gaming Cluster Update

The NYS Forum IT Corporate Roundtable (ITCR) held its first meeting of this new fiscal year on Thursday, October 24th at the Fort Orange Club.  We were honored to have Dr. Daniel Chan, Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Finance, Regulation and Gaming (FRG) Cluster of the NYS Office of Information Technology Services join us as our guest speaker.
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Big Data can Bring Big Value

Hosted by The NYS Forum Innovation and Emerging Technologies Workgroup and attended by nearly 100 people, the September 4 Big Data can Bring Big Value event was a big success.  Kishor Bagul, NYS's Chief Technology Officer from NYS Office of IT Services kicked off the presentations sharing his insight on Big Data.

The event moderator, Dr. Vipin Chaudhary, Professor of Big Data Research from the University at Buffalo, followed with an introductory overview of big data including research and practical experiences he has encountered during his career on the topic. Panelists included  Steve Horn, Dell Consulting Project Manager; Scott Sampson, IBM Director of Information Management & Big Data; Sid Frank, KPMG Director; Ted Coyle, Oracle Senior Sales Consultant; and Pat Herbert, SAS Principle Systems Architect for Big Data, all of whom shared their most interesting use case for Big Data.

The team of panelists participated in a discussion exploring the important changes and challenges enabling big data efforts and successes. They shared their thoughts around framework relevance, data governance, data stewardship and data quality, as well as new tools, techniques and technologies (i.e predictive analytics, cloud computing, metadata, etc.) playing a role in making big data analytics a reality.

The presentation and reference materials may be viewed at: http://www.nysforum.org/events/ET_9_4_2013/

Inheriting a Project Already in Progress

The NYS Forum Project Management Work Group hosted its summer PM Community of Practice session entitled "Inheriting a Project Already in Progress".  The event, held on June 27th, featured an insightful presentation followed by a lively panel discussion.

The presentation, given by QED National's, Ed Salviolo, addressed different types of inherited projects, discussed methods for dealing with various scenarios, and offered "keys to success" for transitioning projects.

The panel discussion, facilitated by Chris Foster, PMP, of CGI, featured:

• Brenda Breslin, PMP - Director, Project & Program Management, NYS ITS - Health & Human Services
• Vivian Conboy, PMP - PMO Director, NYS ITS - Dept of Health
• Ed Salviolo - Director of Data Center and Storage Solutions, QED National

This panel of Project Management experts discussed their diverse experiences in management of inherited projects and fielded questions by Chris Foster as well as audience members.

The presentation and reference materials may be viewed at: http://www.nysforum.org/events/PM_6_27_2013/

Service Management Introduced

The Service and Operations Management Workgroup held its first event on June 20, 2013, titled: "Service Management Introduced".  About 150 people attended either in person or via the web.  They represented more than 20 State agencies and more than a dozen private companies, and all corners of the State.  The goal of this session was to provide a high level introduction on IT Service Management (ITSM) and share information regarding the current NYS Service Management Program status and plan.

The event kicked off with a presentation by Margaret Hanlon from HP on "Availability".  It included a discussion of how many "9's" is good enough, and differences in the criticality of system availability as related to the needs of the customers.  She was followed by Sriram Damaraju from KPMG who spoke on IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and how it relates to Service Management.  Sri provided several examples of processes and functions across the service life cycle.

The final presentation featured Duane Averill, Director or Service Management for ITS and Greg Wheeler, ITSM Lead for ITS with an "Overview and Status of the NYS ITSM Initiative".  They concentrated on the seven core critical processes which ITS will be putting in place over the next several months, with a brief statement on our current status and a more in depth presentation of our vision and goals in each area.

The event concluded with a Q & A session where ITS -COO, Kim McKinney and ITS - CTO, Nancy Mulholland joined in to provide answers and more information.  Several more events are planned in the coming months.

The presentation and reference materials may be viewed at: http://www.nysforum.org/events/ServiceManagement_6_20_2013/

Writing for the Web: Clear and Concise

Kristen Albright, NYS ITS Health and Human Services Cluster was joined by Kathy Farrell, Office of Integrated Technologies, SUNY Empire State College, to present the importance of writing for the web in a clear and concise manner on June 12, 2013.  Kristen is also one of three co-chairs of The NYS Forum Web and Accessibility Workgroup which hosted the event.

Kristen and Kathy led 138 professional staff charged with developing and maintaining New York State government's web pages through this informative process.  Back by popular demand, this half-day seminar included group discussion and hands-on exercise covering:

• The needs of skilled and unskilled readers;
• Clarity and conciseness;
• How to phrase headings and links; and
• How to organize information more effectively.

Clear and Concise was part one of this three-part Writing for the Web series.  Part two, Writing Accessible Applications and Part three, Taxonomies, Website Grouping and Content Patterning are in the planning stages and will be announced soon.

The presentation and reference materials may be viewed at: http://www.nysforum.org/events/WA_6_12_2013/index.aspx

Effective Approaches for Mobile/Web Design, Development and Management

Innovative approaches to technology and service delivery are happening in New York State government and The NYS Forum's May 30 event assembled over 200 participants to learn about some exciting activities and recent trends and discuss their implications. Attendees heard from and questioned a  panel of speakers comprised of the NYS-ITS responsive web design "code-sprint" team and Dries Buytaert, founder of the Drupal content management system.

Kishor Bagul, NYS Chief Technology Officer, opened the event by highlighting the importance of innovation and new thinking around technology and uses of technology in New York State. He then turned the discussion over to Luke Charde, Craig Patik, and Eric Steinborn, three members of a cross-cluster NYS-ITS team who undertook an unconventional 3-week Responsive Web Design "coding sprint" to establish principles, patterns, and standards for mobile web design and development within NYS government. They detailed their experience which resulted in the Excelsior Web Framework available at http://github.com/nys-its/excelsior/wiki.

The session was capped off with a presentation on Open Source Development, Content Management Systems, and the current and future direction of the digital world by Dries Buytaert, whose Drupal web platform is used by 2% of the world's websites, including the White House and the New York State Senate. Dries highlighted several key trends such as personalized digital experiences and the importance of  community in  development efforts. All in all, it was an invigorating and  captivating exchange of ideas providing much food for thought and plans for action.

Effective Use of Organizational Change Management Webcast
Recorded on March 28, 2013
(1 hour)

As New York State continues to make progress in implementing significant reforms in government operations, the practice of organizational change management offers tools that enable government leaders to respond to different levels of acceptance.

Designed to equip NYS Executives and their staff with a tool to assist in managing change effectively and in a disciplined manner, this webcast focuses on: 1) developing a model for organizational change that is repeatable and practical; 2) helping diagnose and leverage resistance to advance an agenda; and 3) sharing the experiences of other organizations that have addressed the challenges of organizational change.

Transformational change is a challenge for everyone and ensuring that our leadership has the resources to address the organizational issues is as important as the implementation of the new processes and protocols.

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RFP Best Practices in Information Technology Procurements

On March 6th, over 150 public and private sector buyers and sellers were on hand to discuss approaches, opportunities, challenges and ideas to help achieve mutually successful information technology procurements through effective Requests for Proposals (RFPs).

Leo Pfohl, Vice President of Genesys Consulting Services, welcomed the attendees and thanked all the panelists for giving of their time to address this important topic.  John Traylor, Chief Procurement Officer for the State of New York, provided introductory remarks and discussed the overall transformation underway in New York State government and the desire to be more efficient and effective in carrying out their mission.  New York State is learning about and adopting best practices from the private sector and from other governments.  Traylor noted that this event was a perfect opportunity to support that effort.

Facilitators Peter Chynoweth, Vice President of CMA, and Mark Kleinhenz, Purchasing Team Leader of NYS OGS, led the panelists and attendees through a very interactive discussion of topics relevant for issuers of and respondents to RFPs.  The morning session was focused on RFP Process & Administration Best Practices and included topics related to RFP Development, RFP Post-Release issues, and RFP Post-Proposal Receipt matters.  The afternoon agenda included in-depth discussion of topics related to Risk Mitigation and Terms and Conditions in addition to other contractual subjects.

(read more, photos and related links)

Project Origination and the Development of a Business Case

The key to a successful project is planning.  Will your project get you what you need?  Is your product what the consumer needs? How long is it really going to take?  These questions and many more were addressed during Jon Haverly's often humorous presentation on the development of a business case.  He used examples of product failures to illustrate his points and convinced the audience that the time spent in planning pays great benefits in the final results.  Sara Holmberg walked the audience through the new ITS Enterprise Project Management oversight process. Both presenters responded to a number of questions from the audience.  A number of suggestions were received for future presentations.  Jon and Sara's presentation can be viewed at: http://www.nysforum.org/events/PM_12_4_2012/

Annual Planning Session

The new Forum Executive Director, Joan Sullivan, welcomed over 100 government and corporate partners to The NYS Forum 2012 Annual Planning Session.  New York State is currently going through an IT transformation, the details of which are of great interest to all of our attendees.  We'd like to extend a special "thank you" to Mahesh Nattanmai, Unit Chief of the IT Budgeting and Strategy Unit of the NYS Division of the Budget, who provided a presentation addressing the status of the various IT enterprise projects currently underway and the challenges that lie ahead.
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Open Data - Open Government

What does open data - open government mean for New York State government entities? How do government entities deal with the ever growing groundswell to open data and the expectations for more, accurate and usable data? How and what needs to be considered as entities dive into the open data/open government pool?

On September 13th, The NYS Forum was pleased to welcome Robert J. Freeman, Executive Director, NYS Committee on Open Government; James Hendler, Head Computer Science Department, Tetherless World Constellation Professor, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; and John Kaehny, Executive Director, Reinvent Albany.
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Continuous IT Co$t Optimization - Doing More With Le$$

On August 22, The NYS Forum was host to providing a learning experience about trends, observations and proven strategies for IT cost optimization. Government agencies are challenged with the need to balance reduced costs during times of fiscal constraint with the goal of not only sustaining service delivery, but improving business operations.
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The Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act

The NYS Forum IT Greening Work Group hosted a webinar on August 21, entitled The Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act.
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Hurricane Irene Lessons Learned - Cloud Trends - Recovery Thoughts

The NYS Forum Emerging Technologies and Business Continuity Work Groups cohosted a NYS Executive Forum on August 16th in the Huxley Theater of the NYS Museum in Albany, NY.  Presenters came together to share the challenges and lessons learned from the back-to-back effects of the 2011 Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.
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IT & Data Governance: Process and Implementation Strategies for Success

The New York State Forum Emerging Technologies work group hosted The NYS Executive Forum on July 12 which focused on IT and data governance and the strategies for a successful process and implementation.
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Business Process Redesign & Lean Management

NYS is undergoing a significant transformation on many levels. Just over one year ago, Governor Cuomo established the NYS SAGE Commission to improve the efficiency and quality of government services. Three objectives are identified in the SAGE Report: Improve Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Accountability. Business Process Redesign and Lean Management practices are referenced as strategies/practices to achieve these objectives.  
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Leadership and Transformation

On June 20th, The NYS Forum IT Corporate Roundtable was honored to have Commissioner RoAnn M. Destito address its members with a general overview of the transformation changes currently underway. Commissioner Destito is leading transformational changes at the Office of General Services (OGS) as it implements programs in support of Governor Cuomo's vision to change the way government does business and make it more effective, efficient, and responsive to the needs of citizens.  Destito is intensifying OGS' focus on procuring services and commodities at best value and maximizing the use of state-owned and leased office space.  Destito is the first woman to be confirmed as OGS Commissioner.
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Procurement Changes in NYS Article VII

On May 11, The NYS Forum IT Procurement Work Group brought together a panel of public and private sector subject experts to speak to the significant procurement changes recently passed in Article VII of the 2012-2013 New York State Executive Budget.
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Update on the Strategic Progress of SLMS

The New York State Governor's Office of Employee Relations (GOER) has implemented an enterprise learning management system (SLMS) for use by all agencies to manage and deliver training.  On April 27, Moses Kamya, Ph.D., CIO, Director Statewide Learning Management System, GOER, provided an overview of the SLMS to The NYS Forum IT Corporate Roundtable members at the Ft. Orange Club in Albany, NY.

SLMS supports training for State employees and will also meet the needs of agencies whose mission is to provide training for external constituents such as first responders.  The system will replace several stand-alone learning management systems that exist in state agencies today utilizing disparate standards for training administration and management, online course development, and delivery.  SLMS is being implemented in phases with all agencies expected to come online by September 2013.  
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CTG: A Global Resource in Public Sector IT

The mission of the Center for Technology in Government (CTG) at the University at Albany is to foster public sector innovation, enhance capability, generate public value, and support good governance.  On March 23rd, Theresa Pardo, Center Director and Meghan Cook, Program Manager, provided an overview of CTG to members of The NYS Forum IT Corporate Roundtable.  The basic building blocks of CTG include:  problem-solving applied research; formal academic research; executive advice and education; and formal education.
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NYS's Enterprise Shared Services Initiatives

The Huxley Theatre of the NYS Museum was the place to be the morning of Friday, March 2.  Ronald L. Greenberg, First Deputy Director of the NYS Division of the Budget addressed nearly 100 NYS Forum IT Corporate Roundtable members and government CIOs.  Those in attendance got a sneak peek at NYS's Enterprise Shared Services Initiatives that are being developed to transform New York State's back-office operations in the areas of Procurement, Real Estate, Business Services Center, Statewide IT Transformation, Call Center Consolidation and E-Licensing.
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Health IT and New York State's Health Care Transformation Strategy

On January 27, The NYS Forum IT Corporate Roundtable provided a platform for Rachel Block to speak to the Health IT and New York State's Health Care Transformation Strategy.  The audience comprised nearly 80 ITCR members and select representatives of NYS Chief Information Officers.

Rachel Block, Deputy Commissioner for Health IT Transformation, NYS Department of Health is the lead on New York State's effort to adopt wide-scale changes to Health IT and encourage wide-scale adoption of technologies, common practices and guidelines.  Deputy Commissioner Block has overseen development and implementation of New York's statewide health information technology strategy since May 2009.  She was the founding executive director for the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC), a statewide multi-stakeholder organization committed to advancing health information technology adoption and use in New York from 2006-2009.  
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The NYS Executive Forum: IT Transformation & Strategic Sourcing in NYS

On January 13th, Daniel C. Chan, Acting NYS Chief Information Officer and Acting Director of NYS Office for Technology and John C. Traylor, Director of Enterprise Shared Services at the  NYS Division of the Budget, presented to nearly 400 attendees at the Clark Auditorium in the NYS Museum.  
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The NYS Executive Forum: Statewide Financial System (SFS): Transforming the Way New York State Does Business

On Friday, October 14, members of the New York Statewide Financial System (SFS) Program addressed an audience comprised of government and corporate attendees interested in learning how New York State is transforming the way it does business. SFS featured presenters included Michael McDermott, Change Manager; Alison Pingelski, Deployment and Business Lead; Connie Rowe, Deployment Manager; and John Corbett, Assistant Director Bureau of State Expenditures, NYS Office of the State Comptroller.  
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Operating IT as a Business Within a Business

State government entities have made significant progress in adopting governance processes to prioritize and manage IT projects. Despite progress, agency IT organizations are often viewed as unresponsive and offering services that are not aligned with the needs of the business. These perceptions are exacerbated by increasing demands to reduce agency budgets. As government entities face these challenges is it reasonable to expect that they can also balance supply and demand for IT services, add value and satisfy their customers?

On September 9, 2011 attendees at The NYS Executive Forum: heard from Kevin Belden, Deputy Comptroller - Chief Information Officer, NYS Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) on how to Create an Internal IT Economy that supports operating IT as a business within a business. Belden presented tangible and humorous examples to examine the value and impact of consumer/provider relationships, accountability in the general marketplace and the benefit of adopting similar practices in the public sector.  
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