Pennsylvania Among Top States in 2014 Digital States Survey

HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania is a leading state in the use of technology to better serve citizens, save money and achieve policy goals, according to the Center for Digital Government's 2014 Digital States Survey.

Pennsylvania is among five states that earned a grade of A-. Pennsylvania also was recognized for outstanding performance in the health and human services (4th place) and finance, administration, procurement and human resource management (5th place) portions of the survey.

"As one of the top technology states in the nation, Pennsylvania is setting the standard for serving citizens and improving government operations," said Governor Corbett. "This recognition further solidifies Pennsylvania's place as a technology leader and innovator among states." 

The Digital States Survey is a comprehensive, biennial study that examines best practices, policies and progress made by state governments in information technology. The 2014 survey focused on highlighting best and emerging practices that can be shared across borders. 

Key accomplishments over the past two years include:

• Modernizing the commonwealth's telecommunications infrastructure, saving $27 million annually;
• Partnering with Harrisburg University of Science and Technology to offer leadership development programs to government IT professionals;
• Launching Pennsylvania's first transparency portal, PennWATCH, at www.pennwatch.pa.gov;
• Adopting cyber security best practices from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and National Governors Association; and
• Implementing an electronic new hire onboarding process, saving $1 million per year.

Pennsylvania is also in the process of consolidating state data centers into a secure cloud environment and adopting an "on demand" service model.  Under this model, agencies will have the flexibility to increase and decrease computing power to meet peak demand periods. 

The state is also modernizing its websites to meet the demands of today's mobile users and increasing online services, which are more convenient to citizens and cost effective for government.

"Technology has the potential to connect people to information and services in ways that were difficult to imagine even a few years ago," Tony Encinias, chief information officer for the commonwealth, said.  "We thank the Center for Digital Government for recognizing our continued efforts to make government more efficient, cost effective and convenient for Pennsylvanians."

Only three states, Missouri, Michigan and Utah, earned higher grades in this most recent survey.  

The Center for Digital Government is a national research and advisory institute focused on IT policies and best practices in state and local government. For more information, visit www.centerdigitalgov.com .

Media contact: Dan Egan, Office of Administration, 717-772-4237

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor