This summer has been busy at ITS, including onboarding and hiring 43 new employees as part of Phase 4 Modernization in June. It is a tremendous milestone that would not have been possible without agency teamwork, both internally, but also with our partners at consolidated agencies that included Division of Lands, Liquor, Military, Department of Lands, State Historical Society and the new State Public Defender’s office. Sitting with new staff during orientation onboarding was exciting and the energy was evident. We have a good team and the momentum is here to build upon our successes.
Innovative Readiness Training
Also in June, the ITS security team participated in the Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) event in conjunction with the Idaho National Guard. The efforts and information shared during the week-long event, culminating with a briefing to Idaho Governor Brad Little is a testament to how far ITS has come in terms of being viewed as a partner in elevating Idaho’s cybersecurity posture.
Cyber Fusion
Recently, I traveled with Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Jerred Edgar and representatives from the Idaho Military Division and the Idaho National Guard to North Carolina. The purpose of that visit was to observe a joint task force exercise, review their Cyber Fusion capabilities and share the work that Chief Edgar leads related to the Innovative Readiness Training. We are preparing to play a role in Idaho’s Cyber Fusion effort in conjunction with Office of Emergency Management to support the ‘whole of state’ like cities, counties and other municipalities, as our cyber threats continue to grow. Seeing a state that is ahead in some areas was educational for Idaho.
Finally, I want to extend a thank you to every one of you for your support and feedback sharing what’s going well, and what we can build upon as we continue to advance Idaho’s information technology needs. As always, if you have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me.
