Nebraska technology accomplishments

Dear Fellow Nebraskans:

I want to highlight several successful projects launched in the last year that have helped more Nebraskans access their state government and put more efficient operations in place for state workers. Our goal is to provide improved access, increased accountability and transparency, while also resulting in greater efficiency and lower costs.

This week, I want to acknowledge the outstanding work of Brenda Decker, Chief Information Officer for the state and her staff. The Office of the Chief Information Officer played a key role in developing the following technology projects, and many others, for our state.

2009 began with the introduction of web streaming for each of Nebraska's three branches of government. The Nebraska Legislature was already streaming live coverage of legislative debate online and the menu of available options was expanded last January to include Nebraska's executive and judicial branches.

Partnering with Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET), the Office of the Chief Information Officer provided the technical support to provide live web streaming that gives our citizens the opportunity to view cases as they are argued before the Nebraska Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, news conferences from my office, testimony before legislative committees, and legislative floor debate.

The collaboration between the three branches of government, the expertise of our technology staff and the support provided by NET has resulted in an unprecedented access to the real-time discussions that occur in our State Capitol. It is the most comprehensive network among U.S. statehouses today. On any given day, the Legislature is viewed over this network by over 700 connections and the Supreme Court hearings are viewed by over 150 entities across Nebraska, the United States and around the world.

To access web streamed events from the State Capitol, visit www.Nebraska.gov and click on the 'Capitol Live' link in the top right corner of the state Web site.

An even bigger task was the work to merge various email systems into one centrally managed network. Consolidating email onto one system involved migrating more than 15,500 email accounts that had been using different email systems on at least 20 separate platforms. State agencies including those that are part of my cabinet, independent agencies and the Nebraska Court System made the switch a 20 month period. The result is that employees of more than 80 state agencies, boards and commissions are now using one email system.

A major factor driving the project was the opportunity to lower the cost of providing state email. In addition, a centralized system allows for additional redundancy and security measures. Using a single platform has reduced training and support costs. It has also provided new functionalities, such as the ability to share calendars.

For citizens, the benefit is being able to have direct contact with state employees. Virtually every address follows the same pattern: first name and last name separated by a period, with all addresses ending in '@Nebraska.gov.'

Whether you contact me at Dave.Heineman@Nebraska.gov, or another state employee, the common naming scheme recognizes that each of our employees works for the State of Nebraska. We have different responsibilities but the work of state government benefits the people of our state.

Both projects required very close collaboration from our Chief Information Officer and her capable team. These are two examples of the many ways state government is becoming more focused on our customers, the citizens of Nebraska. I appreciate their work.