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• May 5, 2011: ConnectME Authority Sponsors Event -- Broadband Summit 1.0 Another example of ConnectME’s exceptional efforts to implement game changing improvements for all of Maine’s homes and businesses.
• May 5, 2011: Maine Revenue Services Wins 2011 Outstanding Technology Award for MERITS First place national award for advanced technology that liberates the agency and better serves the public.
• May 5, 2011: Maine.gov Website Receives Top 10 Recognition Governor LePage responds saying that we should be proud.
• May 5, 2011: Maine’s Office of Data Research & Vital Statistics Scanning Project Improvements on the way for efficient but century old records search process.
• May 5, 2011: Statewide Map of Broadband Availability Work is in progress to develop a nation-wide, searchable map of where broadband is available.
• April 4, 2011: Boat Registration Renewal The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife makes boat registration renewals quick and easy.
• April 4, 2011: Duplicate Vehicle Registration Requests Available Online Individuals and businesses can now easily obtain duplicate registrations online.
• April 4, 2011: ITIL Concept – The Service Catalog: A Directory of IT Services Maine’s Office of Information Technology announces new, improved online listing of available services.
• April 4, 2011: New Logo for the Office of Information Technology OIT announces the logo contest winner.
• March 2, 2011: Dept. Health and Human Services Launches CSEME Phase 1 The new CSEME application replacing legacy NECSES system reduces annual costs, improves business functionality and increases data collaboration.
• March 2, 2011: Have You Reserved Your Maine State Campground? Improved system allows campers to view site description, make reservations and print permits 24x7.
• March 2, 2011: Online One Stop Background Check Launched New system enables customers to perform a variety of background investigations in one simple transaction.
• March 2, 2011: Service Management - The Natural Output of ITIL Best Practices Meeting customer needs, resolving problems, improving processes and lowering costs.
• March 2, 2011: Video Conferencing at County Jail Sites Efficiencies include reduction in transportation costs and reduced security concerns.
• February 1, 2011: Application Deployment Certification: New Guidelines Application Deployment Certification policy has new process and guidelines.
• February 1, 2011: Concluding DevCon X More than 150 participated in the tenth Developers’ Conference.
• February 1, 2011: Department of Corrections Launches a New Search Service A free and convenient way for law enforcement to search for information.
• February 1, 2011: ITIL Service Management: The Value Proposition of the OIT OIT government partnerships have seen improvements to the range and quality of services.
• February 1, 2011: Governor Paul LePage Unveils Official Website The goal of the website is to make Governor LePage and Maine government more accessible to the public.
• February 1, 2011: Maine Revenue Services – TRIPS Project TRIPS to replace aging MIPS by next fall.
• December 29, 2010: Maine Department of Corrections Online Money Deposit Service A new electronic money transfer service at Maine.gov that is convenient for users and saves staff time.
• December 29, 2010: Managing Change with ITIL Processes Best practices, tips and techniques to assist as organizations evolve.
• December 29, 2010: Announcing DevCon X The tenth Developers’ Conference will be held on Jan. 19, 2011.
• December 29, 2010: Maine Adult Education Office Harnesses Broadband for Students and Teachers A grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration will expand the Maine Adult Regional Technology Initiative -- MARTI
• December 29, 2010: The OIT Infrastructure Architect Re-defining the role and priorities of OIT’s infrastructure architect as one legend retires and another steps up.
• December 1, 2010: Digital Summit Summary A final look back at the 2010 Digital Summit.
• December 1, 2010: OIT on the move An update on the replacement facility for 26 Edison Drive (EDOC)
• December 1, 2010: Service Management with the Customer in Mind Balancing services and customer needs in the Enterprise.
• December 1, 2010: Snowmobile Registrations Announcing 24/7 online renewal for snowmobiles.
• November 1, 2010: MERIT Awards OIT honors the outstanding employees and projects of 2010.
• November 1, 2010: Application Systems Inventory A consolidated repository of State systems.
• November 1, 2010: ITIL: Best Practices and New Technology Understanding how new products are introduced into the enterprise.
• November 1, 2010: Maine.Gov DataShare – Calling for Your Data Improved search capabilities enables easier access for the public.
• November 1, 2010: Maine Receives $3.2 Million in Broadband Stimulus Grant funding to ConnectME Authority will facilitate multiple projects.
• November 1, 2010: Maine State Library Launches New Website for State Staff A web tool enabling one-stop shopping to Library resources.
• November 1, 2010: OIT Employees of the Month DAFS recognizes five OIT employees.
• November 1, 2010: Pilot Broadband Project in Washington County Ten blueberry farmers and lobster fishers needed.
• October 1, 2010: New Data Center and New Office Space Update Current information regarding state data center and OIT administrative office moves.
• October 1, 2010: Maine.gov Wins Several Prestigious Awards Governor Baldacci boasts pride for the Maine.gov portal.
• October 1, 2010: Public Access Wireless Network Change Service receives security and management improvements.
• October 1, 2010: SPIRIT to Replace Legacy WIC System DHHS WIC system to be improved.
• October 1, 2010: How ITIL Relates to GPS An analogy relates technology to organizational management.
• October 1, 2010: Radio Tower Site Approved on Mount Blue (Avon) New tower design enthusiastically endorsed.
• October 1, 2010: Coastal Towns to Get Free High-Resolution Elevation Data Stimulus funds assist municipalities with resource planning.
• October 1, 2010: Your Opinion Matters Stimulus funds expand high speed INTERNET access in Maine.
• September 1, 2010: The 8th Annual Maine Digital Government Summit Wednesday, October 6, 2010, Augusta Civic Center.
• September 1, 2010: Customer Satisfaction Surveys Part 2: Weekly and Monthly Reporting Feedback matters... and we take it seriously.
• September 1, 2010: Department of Labor: Maine Automated Payment System Department of Labor rolls out a winner.
• September 1, 2010: Guidelines for Effective Meetings Suggestions to make the most of time and participants.
• September 1, 2010: Maine Public Library Information Commons Project Maine libraries receive $1.36M to expand broadband.
• September 1, 2010: Practice Good E-Manners and Management during Meetings A reminder that multi-tasking can sometimes have a downside.
• August 2, 2010: Phone Conferencing Use and Etiquette Things to consider and remember when teleconferencing.
• August 2, 2010: ITIL Service Improvement Metrics... and feedback... matter.
• August 2, 2010: INFORME Mobile Portal Maine.gov for Smart Phones.
• August 2, 2010: Data Center and Office Space Update Keeping readers advised of happenings for both projects.
• August 2, 2010: Concluding DevCon IX The ninth Developers’ Conference attracted more than 200 participants.
• June 1, 2010: Announcing DevCon IX The ninth DevCon focuses on system deployment certification.
• June 1, 2010: Automated Commercial Vehicle Screening System Maine goes high tech at the Kittery weigh station.
• June 1, 2010: Barcodes and Their Benefits Barcoding of documents speeds processes and assures accuracy.
• June 1, 2010: Career Center Web Site Redesign The Department of Labor unveils a new Career Center Web Site.
• June 1, 2010: Newsletter Takes a Summer Break No July edition of the OIT newsletter.
• June 1, 2010: Security Vulnerability Assessment Tools OIT uses a variety of tools to increase data and system security.
• May 4, 2010: ITIL and IT Best Practices Organizational importance of work processes.
• May 4, 2010: Maine Automated Child Welfare Information System (MACWIS) A profile of a complex system at the Department of Health and Human Services.
• May 4, 2010: Proposed New MSCommNet Tower on Mt. Blue Another new tower to be added to service area.
• May 4, 2010: New Application Hosting Location Policy A new policy regarding where applications will be hosted.
• May 4, 2010: The Newest Reality Game - Security and Identity Challenges Know what you are providing for information and to whom you are providing it.
• May 4, 2010: State of Maine Recognized for Environmental Accomplishments OIT recognized for getting it done... and done properly.
• May 4, 2010: Government Organizations Avoid Greenhouse Gas Emissions Northeast region recognized for environmental efforts.
• March 31, 2010: ARRA Reporting Update Maine's website wins a Sunny award!
• March 31, 2010: Partnership Leverages Internal Resources Maine CDC and OIT utilize In-house applications support.
• March 31, 2010: OIT Issues 2009 Annual Report Opportunities and challenges presented.
• March 31, 2010: What If? Unusual demands on telecommuting resources.
• March 31, 2010: Automated Commercial Vehicle Screening Weigh stations go 21st century.
• March 31, 2010: National Broadband Plan and Maine Plan reinforces ConnectME efforts underway.
• March 31, 2010: What Government Partners Say OIT recognized for getting it done.
• March 31, 2010: ITIL Problem Solving Continuous Service Improvement
• March 31, 2010: Facilities Update Forward movement on data center and office space.
• March 31, 2010: Updating Profile Information in the GAL This process and many other forms available.
• March 2, 2010: Congratulations to CIO Dick Thompson Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers
• March 2, 2010: New Policies & Procedure Adopted COTS Policy, Waiver Policy, IT Acquisitions/Investments Policy, Enterprise DNS Resolution Procedure.
• March 2, 2010: The Network Never Sleeps and Never Takes a Day Off Remote access during State shut-down days
• March 2, 2010: ITIL, Footprints and Continuous Improvement Footprints work flow tracks performance.
• March 2, 2010: 100 Percent of Calls Answered! Call Center achieves goals.
• March 2, 2010: C.N.A. Registry Portal Reduces demand on staff.
• March 2, 2010: Campground Reservations Make your reservation or cancellation online.
• March 2, 2010: Network Routing Switch Upgrades Higher level of redundancy, reliability and speed.
• March 2, 2010: OIT Staff Relocations Anthony Avenue vacated and new positions assumed.
• February 2, 2010: ITIL like an IPod Functionality and design.
• February 2, 2010: Newsletter Feedback Input on the new generation of USGS maps.
• February 2, 2010: What are Your Interests? We want to hear from you.
• February 2, 2010: Maine.gov Needs Analysis Awareness, usage and desired new services queried.
• February 2, 2010: Everyone has JavaScript, Right? Considerations when developing.
• February 2, 2010: InforME Annual Report 2009 - 20 new services.
• February 2, 2010: Maine Integrated Health Management System (MIHMS) Full implementation scheduled for spring 2010.
• February 2, 2010: Help Shape Broadband Service in Maine Test your internet speed online.
• February 2, 2010: Maine Revenue Service IT helps realize a return on investment, first in a series.
• January 5, 2010: Concluding DevCon VIII Full house for application security vulnerability scanning.
• January 5, 2010: New Generation of USGS Maps Maine benefits from Federal release.
• January 5, 2010: PlanetPress Suite Components offer more efficient print process.
• January 5, 2010: Who has adopted ITIL? Relation to other process frameworks.
• January 5, 2010: Book a Librarian Consulting available to citizens and agencies.
• January 5, 2010: "Y2Thirteen" Narrowbanding Radio communications clock is ticking.
• January 5, 2010: IBM Operating System Upgrade Successful Detailed planning and proven methodology aid in success.
• January 5, 2010: Funds for Broadband Expansion $25.4 million to expand high-speed Internet service.
• January 5, 2010: Pay Court Fines and Fees Online Judicial Branch expands service offering.
• December 1, 2009: VM Server Consolidation Project Initial migration Feb. 2010.
• December 1, 2009: What is ITIL? How it helps OIT.
• December 1, 2009: Pandemic Planning OIT’s preparedness.
• December 1, 2009: Death Registration System Testing in place.
• December 1, 2009: Enterprise IT Activity Auditing, Tracking, and Logging Proof of concept being developed.
• December 1, 2009: Building Committee Status Finalization of space needs.
• December 1, 2009: Ten Years of Maine.gov 28,000 transactions to 2 million.
• December 1, 2009: Telemarketer Calls on My State Cell? What you can do about it.
• December 1, 2009: Digital Government Summit Feedback Statistics and comments.
• December 1, 2009: Break-in Radio Tower Site Security to improve.
• October 30, 2009: Maine ARRA Reporting Complete OIT, agencies, the Controller’s Office, Service Centers and DAFS Commissioner collaborate.
• October 30, 2009: Richard Thompson, CIO, Receives Award NASCIO Meritorious Service.
• October 30, 2009: MERIT Award Winners 2009 OIT employees recognized for excellence.
• October 30, 2009: Announcing DevCon VIII Application Security Vulnerability Scanning.
• October 30, 2009: Ethernet over Copper Project New transport architecture successfully tested.
• October 30, 2009: MSCommNet - Statewide Radio Network Upgrade Outreach sessions yield bountiful harvest.
• October 30, 2009: MEGUG Utilities Meeting Call for topics/presentations.
• October 1, 2009: Annual Agency Business Meetings Acquaint agencies with important improvements in IT services.
• October 1, 2009: OIT - Partnership Epitomized Behind the scenes common sense.
• October 1, 2009: MSCommNet Outreach Sessions You’re invited, sessions around the state.
• October 1, 2009: New Data Center Advances to bid stage.
• October 1, 2009: Introducing My Pay MS-TAMS paperless payroll.
• October 1, 2009: Online Duplicate Vehicle Registration Further reduction of a manual process.
• October 1, 2009: GIS Work Force Survey Developing a work force.
• October 1, 2009: What's New? Changing to once a month newsletter release.
• September 15, 2009: Maine.gov Wins Two Awards Best of the Web – Government Achievement.
• September 15, 2009: OIT to Adopt ITIL Framework Improving organizational governance and structure.
• September 15, 2009: MSCommNet Relocates Same great service, new location.
• September 15, 2009: Integrator Award MSECCA online charitable giving website is recognized.
• September 1, 2009: CERTS NASCIO Recognition Award Outstanding Achievement - Information Security & Privacy
• September 1, 2009: Maine.gov Feedback Survey Planning for the future.
• September 1, 2009: Amended DAFS IT Policy Employees required to sign acknowledgement form.
• September 1, 2009: MSCommNet Project Giant step forward.
• September 1, 2009: PDF Document Accessibility Revisited Eleventh in a series about accessibility and office documents.
• August 17, 2009: MERIT Awards Nominate a team or individual for recognition!
• August 17, 2009: 7th Annual Maine Digital Government Summit Innovation, Managing in Challenging Times, New Technologies, Web 2.0.
• August 17, 2009: Maine Celebrates 10 years of E-Government Governor Baldacci declares July 13th eGovernment Day.
• August 17, 2009: Any Deer Permit Lottery Application System Newly Enhanced - Available Online.
• August 17, 2009: Heard a Good Book Lately? Maine State Library - books now available in downloadable audio format.
• July 15, 2009: Free Wireless Access Over 200 Maine libraries offering free access.
• July 15, 2009: MRS - Using Technology to Improve Tax Processing Tax refunds go from 6 to 12 weeks, to 9 days.
• July 15, 2009: OIT Employees of the Month DAFS recognizes three OIT staff.
• July 15, 2009: DevCon VII The seventh semi-annual Developers' Conference.
• July 15, 2009: State E-Governance Survey Ranks Maine #1 Service & citizen participation put Maine over the top.
• June 15, 2009: Maine Wins EPA Award OIT and Department of Purchases partner for success.
• June 15, 2009: New OIT Policies and Procedure Adopted Payment Card Policy, Internal Audit Policy and Procedure for Secure ID Cards.
• June 15, 2009: Library of Congress and Maine.gov Web Archiving preserves nation's cultural artifacts and provides enduring access.
• June 15, 2009: Boat Registration Renewal System Now Available Online.
• June 15, 2009: New OIT Internet Website OIT launches improved interface, new look and feel.
• June 15, 2009: Reader Response What's new reader shares thoughts.
• May 29, 2009: May 29, 2009 Notification Regarding Advice of Deposit Printing Error
• May 15, 2009: Strength Is Born of Adversity - Pandemic Flu Contingency Planning Preparedness requires a coordinated team effort
• May 15, 2009: Municipal Official Lookup Application MMA publication available electronically to state agencies
• May 15, 2009: Maine.gov Media Gallery One stop shop for agency web media needs
• May 15, 2009: Third Round ConnectME Grants Application deadline approaching
• May 15, 2009: Thanks from the CIO What's New summer schedule
• May 1, 2009: Federal Stimulus/Recovery Reporting Update Agencies face additional data reporting requirements
• May 1, 2009: Fortis Document Management Where Are We Now?
• May 1, 2009: New Variations on the Theme of Phishing Keep yourself out of harms way
• May 1, 2009: Medical Doctor and Physician Assistant Licensee Data Now available online, 24x7
• May 1, 2009: A New System for the DHHS RFP: Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program
• April 15, 2009: OIT Organizational Structure Creation of a single, responsive agency to manage IT.
• April 15, 2009: OIT Utilizes Juniper to Hold Webinar Organizational structure draws online crowd.
• April 15, 2009: GASB 51 and Internally Generated Software Application project costs to be classified as capital assets.
• April 15, 2009: Accessibility of Computer Applications Rider IT and product validation
• April 15, 2009: Limit Attacks on Your Windows Home Computer With one simple configuration change.
• April 1, 2009: Collaborative Web Mapping MEGIS collaborates to provide free and openly-available platform for sharing aerial ortho-photos.
• April 1, 2009: MSCommNet Update Tyco Electronics awarded contract.
• April 1, 2009: OIT Procurement Process Improvement effort underway.
• April 1, 2009: Phishing for Passwords A real-life, real-Maine experience.
• April 1, 2009: Online Conservation Easement Registry Formal tracking system launches.
• April 1, 2009: Reader Response What's new reader shares thoughts.
• March 17, 2009: Federal Stimulus/Recovery OIT’s role in presenting the State’s efforts.
• March 17, 2009: Top 9 IT Security Threats and Solutions for 2009 And what we’re doing in Maine State government.
• March 17, 2009: Reader Responses What's New readers share their thoughts.
• March 17, 2009: Moose Permit Lottery Newly enhanced application system now available online.
• March 3, 2009: Adventure on Deboullie Mountain Radio operations rescue the Can-Am races.
• March 3, 2009: 2009 MMA Technology Conference Optimizing Technology for Cost Effectiveness
• March 3, 2009: Mobile.maine.gov Recognized Ten fold increase since 2006.
• March 3, 2009: Unified Carrier Registration Online Service complies with federal requirements.
• February 17, 2009: Call Center Business Recovery Exercise New process leads to zero abandoned calls.
• February 17, 2009: Back to Zero – Footprints Software Utilization Project Business rules and processes seek to increase performance and produce meaningful metrics.
• February 17, 2009: Debunking Internet Hoaxes Tool set: good judgment, skepticism and checking the facts.
• February 17, 2009: MSECCA Volunteers and administrators benefit from enhancements to the online donation program.
• February 17, 2009: DHHS News Highlights achieved during the fall of 2008 into the winter of 2009.
• February 3, 2009: Third Party Software Usage on Blackberry Devices Input sought from users regarding business needs.
• February 3, 2009: Conferencing Capabilities Options exist for audio, web and video conferencing.
• February 3, 2009: Back to Zero – Footprints Software Utilization Project OIT customer support examines lessons learned.
• February 3, 2009: InforME Issues Annual Report Maine.gov web portal growing strong.
• February 3, 2009: MPUC Website Re-Design Improved navigation, accessibility compliance and user friendly features incorporated.
• January 15, 2009: DevCon VI The sixth semi-annual Developers' Conference was held on December 17.
• January 15, 2009: Web Enabled Conferencing Expanded Share files, share desktops, give presentations, collaborate on documents and chat securely.
• January 15, 2009: Building Committee Status RFI for data center, RFP for office space.
• January 15, 2009: Cyber-Shop Safely Staying safe and secure when shopping from home.
• January 15, 2009: Unclaimed Property Leveraging IT to address Treasurer's Office business challenge.
• December 16, 2008: Web Architecture Committee State's internal and external web presence to be streamlined.
• December 16, 2008: ConnectME Update Broadband expansion continues as a major initiative in Maine.
• December 16, 2008: HireME - Online Job Application Recognized nationally as one of five outstanding e-government services.
• December 16, 2008: Enhanced Licensing System for Hunting and Fishing One of Maine.gov’s most popular services kicks it up a few notches.
• December 16, 2008: New Legislative Tracking Database Agencies work together in customizing an internal resource.
• December 16, 2008: Reader Responses What's New readers share their thoughts.
• December 16, 2008: 2009 What's New will premier on January 15th. Thank you and best wishes for a safe and happy holiday.
• December 2, 2008: Maine Job Bank Services Now Available Online Budget cuts lead to new labor venue that matches employees with employers.
• December 2, 2008: Information Security Awareness Training - Available Online Soon Beginner and advanced security awareness training coming the intranet.
• December 2, 2008: Terminator Team in Action Removal of terminated state employees/vendors from systems is automated.
• December 2, 2008: Online Interactive Title Request Service Upgrade New data fields are available to subscribers.
• November 14, 2008: Announcing DevCon VI The sixth semi-annual Developers Conference will be held on December 17.
• November 14, 2008: New Interstate Offender Tracking System ICOTS completely changed the operations of the 'Interstate Compact'.
• November 14, 2008: Online Fleet Trailer Registration BMV replaces manual process for fleet renewals.
• November 14, 2008: Measuring Quality - What are Key Performance Indicators OIT discusses methods toward finding the right measures.
• November 14, 2008: New OIT Policy and Standard Adopted Architecture Compliance Policy and Blackberry Mobile Device Standard
• October 31, 2008: Maine.gov Ranked One of the Best by the Brookings Institution Web standards provide a consistent look and feel and access for all parties.
• October 31, 2008: The Geolibrary in 2008 GEOPortal; internet gateway to geographic spatial data in Maine.
• October 31, 2008: Email and Voice Mail Retention Guide The what, when, why, and how to decide what you hold onto.
• October 31, 2008: Accessibility and Office Documents Tenth in a series of articles with an overview of major Learning Management Systems.
• October 15, 2008: MERIT Award Winners 2008 Maine Excellence Recognition In Technology awards were announced at the Maine Digital Government Summit.
• October 15, 2008: Bogus Emails, Scams, and Phishing On the surface, the email looks pretty legitimate.
• October 15, 2008: Core Technology Status and News Core Technology Services has developed a web page that brings together the status information from most of OIT's core systems into a single view.
• October 15, 2008: Server Consolidation Server Consolidation and Standardization are one of the key initiatives for calendar year 2008.
• October 15, 2008: Redaction Protecting confidential information within public documents.
• October 1, 2008: Maine.gov, the Best of the Web Awards Most Winning State 2nd place in this year's Center for Digital Government's "Best of the Web".
• October 1, 2008: Digital States Survey Maine rates as one of the top 25 tech-savvy states.
• October 1, 2008: Maine Demographic, Workforce and Technology Realities in a New Century Ron Crouch; "Knowledgedisseminator" is keynote speaker at the Digital Government Summit.
• October 1, 2008: Data Center Access Procedures OIT steps up data center security.
• October 1, 2008: Public Health Data Available With the Click of a Mouse Nothing as good, as quick, as comprehensive in other states.
• September 16, 2008: New Rider B-IT There is now a dedicated rider of terms and conditions for I.T. contracts.
• September 16, 2008: GASB 51 Governmental Accounting Standards Board on capitalizing software and other intangible assets.
• September 16, 2008: IBM "Optimization Assessment" of IT Infrastructure Services OIT has contracted with IBM Consulting Services, for an "Optimization Assessment" of IT infrastructure services.
• September 16, 2008: Reader Response to Alternate Work Schedules MSEA and state management work together toward a solution.
• September 16, 2008: Urchin Web Analytics Now at InforME Agency web coordinators have new tool for real time web analytics.
• September 16, 2008: Accessibility and Office Documents Ninth in a series of articles about accessibility and office documents with a focus on future trends in technology.
• September 2, 2008: FTP Service Discontinued on October 1, 2008 Several alternatives available to service agency needs.
• September 2, 2008: Pilot Program for Alternative Work Schedules Alternative work week schedules and teleworking are in effect.
• September 2, 2008: 6th Annual Maine Digital Government Summit Overview Opening remarks by Governor Baldacci.
• September 2, 2008: MERIT Awards Nominate a team and/or an individual for this year’s Maine Excellence Recognition In Technology award.
• September 2, 2008: Don't Believe Everything You Read Emails with fake news headlines are the latest scams to be aware of.
• September 2, 2008: Online Absentee Ballot Request Service The enhanced service now offers three ways to request an absentee ballot.
• August 15, 2008: Setting the Bar Even Higher Awesome, Fast, Efficient, and Courteous... the Customer Support Call Center.
• August 15, 2008: 6th Annual Maine Digital Government Summit Mark you calendar: October 6, 2008.
• August 15, 2008: Legislative Wrap-up 123rd 2nd Session A synopsis of the legislative bills for this past session (123rd/2nd) that were assigned to or monitored by OIT.
• August 15, 2008: Accessibility and Office Documents Seventh in a series of articles about accessibility and office documents with a focus Web 2.0, social networking and blogs.
• August 15, 2008: DHHS Internal Audit DHHS works toward developing processes to perform federally mandated self audits.
• July 15, 2008: DevCon V The fifth semi-annual developers’ conference was held on June 18, 2008.
• July 15, 2008: Relocation of InforME Office and Data Center Beginning in late July, InforME will have a new home at CMCC.
• July 15, 2008: Accessibility and Office Documents Seventh in a series of articles about accessibility and office documents with a focus Web 2.0, social networking and blogs.
• July 15, 2008: Core Technology’s Agency Listening Tours Asking the agency business customers how we’re doing, and how we can improve service.
• July 15, 2008: Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards Compliance Assurance of InforME’s ability to process credit card transactions securely.
• July 15, 2008: What's New Summer Schedule In the month of August, only one edition will be released, on the 15th.
• June 16, 2008: ConnectME Authority Announces Second Round of Grants Targeted to areas of the state that have no form of broadband or high-speed internet service available.
• June 16, 2008: New InforME Contract Offers More eGovernment Services To State Agencies
• June 16, 2008: Expansion of Online Services for Notaries Public Notaries Public are easier to find than ever before.
• June 16, 2008: Register Watercraft Online Governor Baldacci signs ceremonial bill toward increasing the amount of government services available online.
• June 16, 2008: Security Pilot for Blackberry Devices After first round of feedback, pilot continues.
• June 16, 2008: What is a Data Breach? 227 million records nationwide have been involved in a breach since February 2005.
• June 16, 2008: What's New Summer Schedule In months of July and August, only one edition will be released, on the 15th of each month.
• June 2, 2008: DHHS Adopts Strategic Vision for Eligibility Processing A high-level guide for future systems development.
• June 2, 2008: Cyberbullying Internet harassment, who does it affect?
• June 2, 2008: Accessibility and Office Documents Sixth in a series of articles about accessibility and office documents with a focus on media.
• June 2, 2008: What's New Summer Release Schedule
• May 15, 2008: Ask the CIO A new section to "What’s New" will feature a Q and A section with the Chief Information Officer, Richard B. Thompson.
• May 15, 2008: Announcing DevCon V The fifth semi-annual developers’ conference will be held on June 18, 2008.
• May 15, 2008: Voice of the Customer OIT is listening and responding to your feedback.
• May 15, 2008: Judicial Website Re-Design User group feedback drives a more user friendly and accessible layout.
• May 15, 2008: Online Driver’s License Renewals affected by new residency requirement.
• May 15, 2008: The Maine Geolibrary’s Fifty States Initiative An update on the GeoLibrary Strategic Plan and the Integrated Land Records Information System.
• May 1, 2008: Application Impact Analysis OIT identifies opportunities to improve written procedures, physical capabilities and testing processes.
• May 1, 2008: Don’t Be a Victim of Social Engineering Social engineers hope that victims will choose to play along rather than make waves.
• May 1, 2008: Document Management Recommendations Fortis and Orbit are chosen as the enterprise applications.
• May 1, 2008: DAFS Employees of the Month Two OIT employees have been recognized.
• April 15, 2008: New InforME Contract Details of the new contract released; web content management and streaming audio/visual just to name a few.
• April 15, 2008: Domain Naming Reminder How OIT assures that state services are delivered with a common look and feel through the internet portal at Maine.gov.
• April 15, 2008: E-Mail Alerts Go Mobile! OIT Customer Support Center Status Alerts now PDA enabled
• April 15, 2008: Blackberry Training Workshop – A Success! OIT will once again partner with Research In Motion to provide additional training.
• April 15, 2008: Nation's First Online Service for Contributions to the Clean Election Fund New service enables citizens to contribute to any candidate seeking public funding in the donor's voting district.
• April 15, 2008: Accessibility and Office Documents This is the fourth in a series of articles about accessibility and office documents.
• April 15, 2008: Newsletter Feedback Input on the Maine State Communications Network Project article from Houston.
• April 1, 2008: USGS Presents OIT with Benchmark Plaque The benchmark recognizes the leadership that OIT has provided for geospatial programs in Maine that support vital local, State, and national services.
• April 1, 2008: Core Technology Services – the “Core” of OIT Support Core Technology is part of the "enterprise" approach to the IT consolidation led by the Chief Information Officer.
• April 1, 2008: Building Committee Work Progresses Collection of information on current facilities and projected needs taking place with a space needs assessment report ready by mid April.
• April 1, 2008: Motor Vehicle Inspection Unit and the ALM System ALM System proves to be an invaluable tool in carrying out PFR’s mission of public protection through licensure, inspection, enforcement/complaint resolution, and discipline.
• April 1, 2008: Vishing Identity theft through your phone, email message or text message is on the rise.
• March 18, 2008: Accessibility and Office Documents This is the fourth in a series of articles about accessibility and office documents
• March 18, 2008: Homeland Security Grants to State Agencies The Maine Emergency Management Agency recently announced the award of approximately $227,000 in FY2007 Homeland Security grants to State Agencies.
• March 18, 2008: Reducing Non-Business Related Internet Usage Intercepting and re-directing web traffic to alleviate slow network response times.
• March 18, 2008: Maine State SDLC Policy and Procedure The Maine State Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) defines a standard method for the creation and upgrade of software applications.
• March 4, 2008: InforME Releases Annual Report Maine.gov added 21 new services in 2007, expanding Maine’s eGovernment services to nearly 375.
• March 4, 2008: Oracle Insight The goal was to identify obstacles and to highlight a number of ways that technology, people, and processes can come together to form solutions to help us deliver on strategic objectives.
• March 4, 2008: Non-State Device/Software Policy and Procedure Adopted Minimizing the security risks to the State’s network and data sources when conducting State of Maine business.
• March 4, 2008: Housekeeping Records Received via Email In the course of our work, our email inboxes receive many informational or status messages. Do we need to keep them? If so, for how long?
• March 4, 2008: OIT Security Tip of the Month Sophisticated web site attacks are increasing that exploit browser vulnerabilities, especially on trusted web sites.
• February 15, 2008: ADAM Group Expands Offerings The Application Development And Management Group has undergone some changes but is still delivering customer centric solutions.
• February 15, 2008: Maine.gov Adds Lobbyist Registration to its Line-up of Online Services This new service allows lobbyists and lobbyist associates to complete their annual registration online.
• February 15, 2008: What Am I Supposed To Do With All This E-Mail? Mandatory training is on the way.
• February 15, 2008: Portable Document Format (PDF) Files and Accessibility There is more to creating a usable PDF than choosing File, Print, and Adobe PDF.
• February 1, 2008: Dev Con IV About one hundred IT professionals participated in the premier opportunity to network and brainstorm among Maine State IT Developers.
• February 1, 2008: Maine Physicians Can Now Renew Licenses Online The Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine and InforME are pleased to offer Maine physicians the ability to renew their professional licenses online, quickly and easily, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• February 1, 2008: Two New Bricks The Strategic Architecture Committee currently seek your input on two recently published Bricks: Reporting Tools and Desktop Operating System.
• February 1, 2008: Teleconferencing Can Help Save State Tax Dollars Before you jump in the car and head out for a meeting, ask yourself, can we accomplish this with a con call?
• February 1, 2008: Deployment Certification Policy for Major Application Projects The Project Management Office (PMO) is currently working with project managers throughout the State and Core Technology Services to simply, and clarify, the processes related to the Deployment Certification Policy.
• January 15, 2008: Alternative Office Suite Findings from the committee appointed by the CIO to explore the feasibility of introducing open-source alternatives for office suites.
• January 15, 2008: OIT Audit OIT continues the process of identifying opportunities to improve specific internal controls as identified in the OPEGA report.
• January 15, 2008: ConnectME The ConnectME Authority has the goal of expanding broadband access in the most rural, unserved areas of the state that have little prospect of service from a traditional provider.
• January 15, 2008: Maine.gov Security InforME takes strict measures to ensure that transactions completed through InforME/Maine.gov are safe, private and secure, and that the data stored on InforME’s servers remains secure.
• January 15, 2008: Accessibility and Office Documents This is the second in a series of articles which continues the accessibility discussion on the use of standard office documents such as word processor documents, spreadsheets and presentational applications.
• December 18, 2007: Core Technology “All Hands” Meeting Dec. 18 All Core Technology Services staff are gathering for a first-ever “all hands” meeting on Tuesday, December 18. Each organization will make a presentation on their key functions, and give recognition to team efforts and significant accomplishments.
• December 18, 2007: Update - Enterprise Certificate Services and Identity Management Services The State of Maine Office of Information Technology (OIT) completed a year long managed project with the deployment on Wednesday, November 28, of a Certification Authority (CA).
• December 18, 2007: How are we doing? OIT Customer Survey completed, 1,322 employees responded.
• December 18, 2007: BGS Public Improvement Project Request Now Electronic The Bureau of General Services (BGS) and InforME are pleased to announce that the Public Improvement Project Request Form is now a web-based application.
• December 18, 2007: MERITS The rollout for the first phase of the replacement for MATS (Maine Automated Tax System) has begun.
• December 18, 2007: Accessibility and Office Documents Assuring that clients, customers or colleagues using various assistive technology devices can access the information contained in documents.
• December 18, 2007: Reimbursement of Personal Cell Calls Process Improved Paper cell phone bills converted to electronic email, reducing hours of work to minutes.
• December 3, 2007: OIT’s Number 1 Goal Partner with business people to align IT with business plans.
• December 3, 2007: USA Services Intergovernmental Newsletter How E-Government is changing society and strengthening democracy.
• December 3, 2007: Pre-Qualified Vendors List OIT recently adopted a simplified open enrollment process that allows interested vendors to qualify for selection to the list every month.
• December 3, 2007: Electronic Records Information Management (ERIM) Training This online "records" training focuses specifically on email and is being rolled out throughout state agencies over the next several weeks.
• December 3, 2007: Accessibility and Effective Communication Policy Adopted The purpose of the policy is to provide guidance to Executive Branch agencies and others in complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Maine Human Rights Act.
• November 15, 2007: Internet Usage at an All Time High! Utilization rates of the Internet are increasing to the point of negatively effecting response times.
• November 15, 2007: Scrutinized Maine’s data network monitoring capabilities featured as a cover story in Communication News, November 2007 edition.
• November 15, 2007: 2007 Maine Digital Government Summit Review The fifth 2007 Maine Digital Government Summit opened to a packed house and a welcome by Dick Thompson.
• November 15, 2007: MERIT Award Winners 2007 Maine Excellence Recognition In Technology awards were announced at the Maine Digital Government Summit.
• November 15, 2007: MRLEN Application Deployment The new application will help ensure that the research, licensing, management, and enforcement functions of DMR are successfully integrated in a way that will contribute to the sustainability of Maine’s marine fisheries.
• November 15, 2007: Security Strengthened State purchases Foundstone and AppScan tools.
• November 15, 2007: Wireless Security A new enterprise wireless security service for laptop users at State office locations will be deployed November 28 through December 17.
• November 1, 2007: Google Earth at DEP Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently moved the first Google Earth application into production on the Maine.gov website.
• November 1, 2007: InforME RFP Awarded The recent RFP process for the acquisition of InforME System Network Manager Services has concluded with an award to the incumbent, Maine Information Network (MIN).
• November 1, 2007: Strategic Architecture Committee Update The committee still continues to meet on alternate Thursdays and pursue its mission.
• November 1, 2007: Sign up for E-Mail Alerts Want to know how long that system outage is going to last... or learn about upcoming training classes?
• November 1, 2007: Policies, Standards and Procedures Adopted New policies, standards and procedures were recently adopted by the CIO.
• November 1, 2007: Maine's Geolibrary and The Fifty States Initiative There is a critical need to coordinate statewide GIS activities to eliminate waste and improve efficiency in government.
• October 15, 2007: InforME Board Oversees Maine.gov The InforME Board was created in 1998 and is the public/private long-term partnership that operates and manages the maine.gov portal. But who is on the Board, what exactly do they do and how to they interact with State government?
• October 15, 2007: CIO elected to the NASCIO Board of Directors Richard B. Thompson was named as one of the four 2007 – 2008 Directors for the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO).
• October 15, 2007: Office of Information Technology Strategic Plan Over the upcoming months, What’s New will publish the objectives and goals of the Strategic Plan.
• October 15, 2007: State.Me.Us In January 2005 the Governor directed the CIO to coordinate one-stop service delivery of government services. To that end Network Services, Enterprise Operations and the Office of the CIO are working to opportunistically replace state.me.us with maine.gov.
• October 15, 2007: Maine State Communications Network Project RFP responses have been received to find a vendor that will provide the turnkey systems integration services for design, engineer, furnish, installation, commission and migration to service of the Maine State Communications Network.
• October 1, 2007: Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory at Fort Knox State Historic Site made Accessible To ensure that the experience of this spectacular site and the Observatory tower would be accessible for all visitors, including people who are blind or who have other disabilities, State agencies teamed up to create multi-format tour materials.
• October 1, 2007: Maine Physicians Can Now Renew Their Licenses Online The Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine and InforME are pleased to offer a new professional license renewal service, which allows Maine physicians to renew their licenses online.
• October 1, 2007: OIT Building Committee Formed The current lease for the Edison Drive facility expires in 2012 and a committee has been formed to plan for a replacement facility.
• October 1, 2007: Infoblox and Radius – Improving Return on Investment and Security Two services are used daily in our environment by every user on the State’s WAN but are invisible to most people; Domain Naming Service and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol.
• October 1, 2007: Drawing Organizational Charts The Office of Performance Management and Administration recently undertook the effort of developing a fast, easy way in which to maintain organizational charts for OIT.
• September 17, 2007: 5th Annual Maine Digital Government Summit Mark you calendar: October 18, 2007.
• September 17, 2007: Project Management Office website is expanded A full-featured Project Management website is now available, which includes Project Management in 10 easy steps, project management training, a project dashboard, and much more.
• September 17, 2007: Cell Phone Service and Usage A brief update on usage, coverage, and reimbursement.
• September 17, 2007: Mapping Features on Maine.gov A new interactive mapping tool, Map It, was one of many recent enhancements to the award-winning Maine.gov website.
• September 17, 2007: Why Your Computer May Run Slowly Common reasons for slowness and what you can do about them.
• September 17, 2007: Best of the Web Maine’s on-line services website is ranked #2 in the “2007 Best of the Web” competition.
• September 4, 2007: MERIT Award Deadline Approaches! Nominate a team or individual by September 10th
• September 4, 2007: Creating an OIT Core Technologies Service Catalog The goal was to create a simple document that our customers could use to calculate cost and evaluate service options as they manage their IT needs.
• September 4, 2007: Maine Revenue Service Launches Sales & Use, Withholding and Service Provider Tax Registration Online
• September 4, 2007: New Change Management Procedure Core Technology Services has been developing and evaluating a new Footprints-based change management system (CMS).
• September 4, 2007: Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap Announces Expansion of Rapid Renewal and New Services
• September 4, 2007: Maine.gov Named One of Best by Brown University Maine was rated the third best state for eGovernment in the United States.
• September 4, 2007: Serving Our Country If employees reside within our organization who are awaiting deployment to Iraq, they need not worry about their jobs while representing us overseas.
• August 1, 2007: INFORME Director of Development Recognized for Outstanding Service Todd Tolhurst, the Director of Development for InforME, will be recognized Thursday, August 2, 2007 by the Department of Public Safety.
• August 1, 2007: AdvantageME Goes Live This application replaces the previous MFASIS accounting system and the Division of Purchases procurement system.
• August 1, 2007: MERIT Awards Within the Office of Information Technology (OIT) it is important to recognize and celebrate successes in information technology.
• August 1, 2007: Reorganization of Client Technologies Client Technologies, the part of OIT responsible for the customer support centers, PCs, laptops and general customer service, is reorganizing to better fit a statewide service model.
• August 1, 2007: Strategic Architecture Committee Update The Strategic Architecture Committee introduced to you in the May Newsletter, publishes the first of several documents for review and comment.
• July 16, 2007: Organizational Change Recent changes as a result of legislation, budget adjustments, and other changes to improve OIT as an organization.
• July 16, 2007: Enhancements to Maine.gov Web Site Launched The award-winning Maine.gov Web site has new features to improve citizen and business access to government information.
• July 16, 2007: Enterprise Backup Solution The Operations section of OIT Core Technologies has invested a great deal of effort in researching, evaluating, selecting and implementing an enterprise server backup solution.
• July 16, 2007: Did You Know – Policies Review the latest policies relating to security
• July 16, 2007: Microsoft Word Document Creation To make the smoothest possible transition from a Microsoft Word document to another use, it helps if the Word document is created in a clean, structured way.
• July 16, 2007: Global Information Assurance Certification Certification demonstrates OIT's commitment to ensuring that our information technology security personnel are kept up-to-date on current threats and trends in information security.
• July 3, 2007: DevCon III About seventy-five Maine State IT Developers participated in the third semi-annual Developers Conference.
• July 3, 2007: Generational eDemocracy in Maine The liberties we exercise today were earned by generations of forward thinking individuals.
• July 3, 2007: DHHS Computer System Wins National Award The Office of Integrated Access and Support (OAIS) was honored as a Laureate at the 2007 ComputerWorld Honors ceremony.
• July 3, 2007: E-Mail Records Storage and Management System Update More that 120 written questions has prompted a revision in the original schedule of milestone dates associated with this RFP.
• July 3, 2007: What's New Readers Comments and Questions The Newsletter Staff invites comments, questions, suggestions.
• June 1, 2007: InforME RFP Released The maine.gov web presence is the most visible aspect of this RFP.
• June 1, 2007: OIT Messaging Staff "Cans the Spam" OIT becomes even more effective in stopping unwanted messages by utilizing additional features in our existing software resources while ensuring that legitimate messages reach their destination.
• June 1, 2007: State of Maine Electronic Commerce How do we assure our customers a safe and secure interface with the State?
• June 1, 2007: The State of Maine Office of Information Technology Laptop Disk Encryption Project Status.
• June 1, 2007: InforME Open House, June 14, 2007 Meet the people behind the Maine.gov portal and find out how you can benefit from eGovernment!
• June 1, 2007: Browser-based Remote Access The Office of Information Technology has implemented a new remote access service, Juniper, available to users as of March 1, 2007.
• May 15, 2007: Bureau of Human Resources HireMe Job Application The Bureau of Human Resources (BHR), in partnership with InforME, has created an online State of Maine job application service.
• May 15, 2007: What is ESS? Employee Self Service (ESS) is a program which allows employees to have control over updating their personal information.
• May 15, 2007: Meaningful Images and GIS The widely held belief that Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications are exempt from State accessibility requirements is not true!
• May 15, 2007: Policy on Safeguarding Data on Remote Devices Chief Information Officer Dick Thompson has adopted a new policy and standard regarding safeguarding data placed on remote devices (laptops, cell phones, jump drives etc).
• May 15, 2007: New Wireless Services Contract A contract with US CELLULAR for cell phone and other devices has been prepared and should be signed soon.
• May 1, 2007: Archiving GIS Records Maine "sets the bar high".
• May 1, 2007: OIT Core Technology Services Change Control Technology organizations require a process to manage proposed changes to production systems.
• May 1, 2007: Strategic Architecture Committee The mission of an OIT task force launched in early March is to draft and communicate architectural directions for critical IT infrastructure, applications and procedures.
• May 1, 2007: Enterprise Certificate Services and Identity Management Services Update The need exists to replace OIT’s five year old Certificate Services Authority by the end of 2007 and the stakeholders group recognizes the benefits of doing so with an enterprise solution.
• April 17, 2007: GIS Stakeholders Group Chartered The State Chief Information Officer has chartered the GIS Stakeholders to replace the GIS Executive Committee to reflect the shift from a governance body to an advisory role.
• April 17, 2007: Maine.gov Rocks! The recently approved State of Maine Domain Name Management Policy seeks to moderate the use of World Wide Web domain names and reiterate the primacy of the Maine.gov brand for State services.
• April 17, 2007: Transportation Electronic Document Organization Control System The reduction of paper by 50% was a nice metric that showed the immediate results of DOT’s document management system project.
• April 17, 2007: OIT Staff Receive Training in Forensic Imaging Because of the increase in requests for Electronically Stored Information, OIT personal has received training in making forensic copies of computer hard drives in order to preserve the information as evidence for a court of law.
• April 3, 2007: Streaming Audio and Video at the State of Maine The Office of Information Technology is interested in supporting a shared service for streamed audio and video.
• April 3, 2007: Harmony Helps A Progress Report on State Government Internet presence.
• April 3, 2007: Project Management Office Model The PMO model as originally designed will undergo an update over the coming year.
• April 3, 2007: OIT's Radio Services Project The wireless radio communications network services is responsible for upgrades, maintenance support, and replenishment for radio voice and data services to all state government agencies.
• March 15, 2007: Enterprise Certificate Services and Identity Management Services The end result of this project will be an enterprise infrastructure or framework providing authentication and secure information exchange with the use of certificates.
• March 15, 2007: MeGIS/GeoLibrary Receives $50,000 Grant Meaningful land use planning and land-related economic development decisions have been significantly hindered by the unavailability of statewide property parcel data.
• March 15, 2007: Deploying Secure Applications The recently adopted Application Deployment Certification Policy requires that new major applications be tested not only for functionality, network performance, etc, but also for security.
• March 15, 2007: Trailer Registration Renewal Now Available Online All non-excise-taxable trailers that are registered in Maine can be now be renewed online with a credit card.
• March 1, 2007: New Agency Assignments for Some Information Technology Directors Since OIT is still in a stage of infancy, it is appropriate for organizational adjustments to be made.
• March 1, 2007: Daylight Saving Time This spring, the start dates and the end dates for daylight saving time (DST) in the United States will change to comply with the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
• March 1, 2007: Maine's GeoLibrary Overview of Accomplishments.
• March 1, 2007: Infoblox Providing stable DNS and DHCP services.
• March 1, 2007: Wireless Initiatives are underway to enhance our existing wireless LAN capabilities and expand the use of cellular data services.
• February 15, 2007: Email Box Limit Exceeded – Again! Unneeded email can be hiding in other places than your Inbox.
• February 15, 2007: Enterprise SQL Server 2005 The challenge is providing an infrastructure that is secure, reliable and developer friendly.
• February 15, 2007: Remote Hosting Policy This policy is intended to address the numerous vulnerabilities in the State’s web presence presented by the out sourcing of web hosting to commercial 3rd parties.
• February 15, 2007: OIT Places New Windows Media Server into Production The old server has been in use since 2000 for the purpose of broadcasting public hearings for the Public Utilities Commission via the Internet.
• February 15, 2007: Earlier Daylight-saving Time Microsoft Corp. warns users of Outlook calendaring.
• February 1, 2007: Microsoft VISTA Advisory for Home Users OIT has decided to not deploy or support Microsoft Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 at this time within State government.
• February 1, 2007: Customer Satisfaction Measurement A customer satisfaction survey, inviting customers to evaluate OIT’s service, was implemented in the Footprints Event Management System.
• February 1, 2007: Enterprise GIS Infrastructure Strategic Planning The GIS Executive Council has begun its Strategic Planning for the enterprise.
• February 1, 2007: On-Line E-MAIL Records Management Training A primary goal of the Records Management effort is for employees to understand the various distinctions of E-MAIL records.
• February 1, 2007: Statewide Data Dictionary In response to the Governor's IT Executive Order, as well as the OPEGA Audit for Maine State IT, a dedicated Data Dictionary Committee was launched last summer.
• January 16, 2007: Records Officers What do they do, take care of the turntables at the antiques store?
• January 16, 2007: Cellular Services Update The cellular services RFP team is working to re-bid the contract.
• January 16, 2007: Redesigned Governor’s Website Launched A newly redesigned website for Governor Baldacci launched on January 5, in conjunction with the Governor’s inauguration and release of the proposed budget.
• January 16, 2007: Information Technology Accessibility Much progress has been made in the acceptance of accessibility as an imperative.
• January 16, 2007: 2006 Annual Report for InforME InforME consistently seeks new opportunities for delivering online services to the citizens and businesses of Maine.
• December 15, 2006: OIT to Survey Help Desk Callers Customer Support Center staff will be monitoring the responses daily.
• December 15, 2006: Town Hall Meeting The CIO gave information to and answered questions asked by IT staff.
• December 15, 2006: AdvantageME System The go-live for date for AdvantageME is July 1, 2007.
• December 15, 2006: Holiday News Article Thank you and best wishes for a safe and happy holiday.
• December 15, 2006: Web Accessibility Survey In November, eGovernment services sponsored another survey of the webmasters to see what inroads had been made within the webmaster community.
• December 15, 2006: A New Look for the IT Policies Website The Office of Information Technology’s (OIT) Intranet and Internet policy websites have been reorganized.
• December 4, 2006: OIT Leadership Undertakes IT Strategic Planning Process The Office of Information Technology Leadership Team is working on an IT Strategic Plan to provide focus and direction for the organization.
• December 4, 2006: Reflection on Success The 2004 IT Management Plan was revisited.
• December 4, 2006: Maine Household TV and Monitor Recycling Program Used electronic products are the most rapidly growing problem in our waste stream due to their quantity and toxicity.
• December 4, 2006: Maine Educational Data Management System - Financial System (MEDMS Phase 3) The system is designed to provide the data needed for the Essential Programs and Services (EPS) Funding Model, to meet the federal financial reporting requirements.
• December 4, 2006: DOT Employee of the Month Recently Joe Couture an OIT employee was named Employee of the Month at DOT for October 2006.
• December 4, 2006: New Fleet Management System at MaineDOT Fleet Focus product from Maximus was selected.
• November 15, 2006: Secure Electronic Email In response to requests from federal financial regulators and demands from financial institutions, secure email, or email encryption, became mandatory for bureaus within the Department of Professional & Financial Regulation.
• November 15, 2006: Department of Environmental Protection Recognizes OIT Staffer as November Employee of the Month
• November 15, 2006: Department of Administration and Financial Services Recognizes OIT Agency IT Director as Employee of the Month
• November 15, 2006: Maine Education Data Management System MEDMS is a comprehensive central data warehouse designed to collect and report system wide school, staff, student and financial information for the Department of Education.
• November 15, 2006: Two New IT Policies Recently Adopted And what's next?
• November 1, 2006: Maine Department of Corrections to Implement a New Offender Phone System CORIS (Corrections Information System) helps the Department manage key areas of operations.
• November 1, 2006: Current Info on Town Officials available to State Agencies The Office of Information Technology has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Maine Municipal Association (MMA) to obtain an electronic copy of their database of municipal offices and officials.
• November 1, 2006: GIS Cooperation within State Government Efforts by the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Executive Council have been nationally recognized in a recent book by ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute).
• November 1, 2006: Maine State Police Mobile Data Terminals The Maine State Police just completed an RFP for Mobile Data Terminals in Cruisers.
• November 1, 2006: Website Readability A recent Brown University study indicated that nationwide State web portals have an average readability the 11th grade level. How did Maine do?
• November 1, 2006: OIT Surveys Web Coordinators/Masters The Office of Information Technology is performing a survey to collect information regarding efforts expended to create and maintain the State’s web presence.
• October 16, 2006: Awards Presented at the Annual Maine Digital Summit Dick Thompson, Chief Information Officer, presented two MERIT awards: an individual, and a team award.
• October 16, 2006: Quarterly AccMonitor Accessibly Reports Released The Office of eGovernment Services along with InforME has just completed the quarterly AccMonitor accessibility scan.
• October 16, 2006: Revised Continuity of Operations Plan for the Department of Environmental Protection The DEP has begun a re-write of the Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP).
• October 16, 2006: Enterprise Operations Initiatives During October’s Technology Exchange Forum the Enterprise Operations group reported on a number of interesting initiatives in their area.
• October 16, 2006: New OIT Freedom of Access Policy Chief Information Officer Dick Thompson provisionally adopted the Office of Information Technology Policy on Access to Data and Information on State Owned Computer Devices.
• October 2, 2006: So Just What Have We Accomplished?? A message from the Chief Information Officer, Dick Thompson.
• October 2, 2006: Intranet Server Migration The migration of the State's Intranet server, inet.state.me.us, to a new platform is currently under way.
• October 2, 2006: An Introduction to the Information Workers’ Security Handbook As business networks have become more complex and interconnected a new priority has emerged: securing the computer systems you use and the information that is stored on them and on the network.
• October 2, 2006: Maine Gold Star Communities The 121st Maine State legislature passed An Act To Encourage and Support Maine Small Businesses.
• October 2, 2006: On-line Mentoring Program Offered by the Project Management Office The series includes topics related to Project Management, IT Management, Personnel Development and Leadership.
• October 2, 2006: National Cyber Security Awareness Month October 2006 is National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM).
• September 15, 2006: Security + Certification Training Data and network security is the fastest growing segment of the IT industry.
• September 15, 2006: Updating Your Own Profile Information on the Global Address List Change your information in the GAL without calling the Customer Solutions Center.
• September 15, 2006: State Employees Charitable Online Fundraising Campaign Maine is among the first states in the nation to implement an online charitable giving process.
• September 15, 2006: OIT and Agency IT Budgets for FY08-09 OIT has completed yet another transformation milestone... the September 1st initial submission of a consolidated OIT budget to cover the FY08-09 biennium.
• September 15, 2006: Maine’s Accessible Voting Solution As of the upcoming election on November 7, 2006, each polling place will be equipped with one Accessible Voting Solution (AVS).
• September 5, 2006: MERIT Nominations being accepted for the "Maine Excellence Recognition in Information Technology" Awards for 2006.
• September 5, 2006: Maine's Web Site Wins Praise Maine's official government Web site was named as one of the best in the country by a California-based research organization.
• September 5, 2006: Fusion 06: The 4th Annual Maine Digital Government Summit The theme this year is Security and Privacy.
• September 5, 2006: Out of Office Reply Why has Outlook’s "Out of Office Reply" been disabled for external use unless requested otherwise?
• September 5, 2006: What is a Web Coordinator? The responsibilities of a Web Coordinator increase in complexity.
• August 17, 2006: The Architects of Information Technology: Creating Integration across Applications and Infrastructure from an Enterprise View Two core services of P&SP: Application and Infrastructure Architectures.
• August 17, 2006: Peeking into the Minds of Interns: An Intern's Story and What Interns Think about Maine State Government's Technology My experience as a summer intern.
• August 17, 2006: Maine and Apple Sign Contract to Continue Maine Learning Technology Initiative Apple equips 32,000 students and 4,000 teachers with iBook notebook computers, wireless networks, training, and technical support.
• August 17, 2006: Security Update Last winter, two New England states suffered serious breaches of computer security.
• August 17, 2006: The Check is in the Mail To eliminate delays and reduce the overall administrative cost associated with the disbursement of payroll checks, beginning with the September 6th payroll, all checks will be mailed to OIT employees.
• August 17, 2006: Technology Upgrades Support Public Safety Game wardens receive laptops through a Federal Grant.
• August 1, 2006: Agency Licensing Management System The Department of Professional and Financial Regulation relies on a single software solution to manage regulatory programs of over 40 of its professional licensing programs and the insurance, consumer credit, and securities industries.
• August 1, 2006: Help Desk Consolidation Client Technologies Services has finalized plans for a physical consolidation of our staff who support the Natural Resources, Regulatory, and Administrative/Cultural agencies.
• August 1, 2006: DNS/DHCP A Brave New World for DNS & DHCP Services.
• August 1, 2006: The Role of the Agency Information Technology Director The position of Agency Information Technology Director, new to the Office of Information Technology, was created with the express purpose of proactive management of the relationship between the client state agency and OIT.
• August 1, 2006: What is the TEF? The TEF began its life as the Information Services Managers Group (ISMG) but over time the role of the ISMG changed enough that a name change was warranted.
• July 17, 2006: Project Management Office Website to Include The 20 Minute IT Manager The Project Management Office Website, which will be launched in early August, will include the 20 Minute IT Manager mentoring sessions developed by TenStep.
• July 17, 2006: Help America Vote Act (HAVA) The two major components of HAVA are the Central Voter Registration System (CVR) and the Accessible Voting Solution (AVS).
• July 17, 2006: Enhancing Information Sharing and Supporting Technology Planning The Policy and Strategic Planning group of the Office of Information Technology is charged with supporting agencies to better share information and deliver more effective and timely services.
• July 17, 2006: InforME Board Presentation on Payment Card DSS, Best Practices & Security At the June monthly InforME Board meeting, Jayne Holland, legal counsel and security officer for NIC, Inc. presented information about payment card industry data security standards (DSS), best practices, and security.
• July 17, 2006: Matrix Management – Working in a Horizontal Structure On June 28, 2006, staff of the Office of Information Technology participated in a Matrix Management workshop held at the William S. Cohen Community Center in Hallowell.
• June 30, 2006: State of Maine Developers Forum Initiated On June 8 IT professionals from across Maine state government converged on the Florian Room at the Central Maine Commerce Center for what was touted as being the Kickoff Conference for the State of Maine Developers’ Forum.
• June 30, 2006: Opt In to Receive Gartner Research on Topics of Interest to You Since the Office of Information Technology is a Gartner client, OIT employees have the option to receive emails summarizing their research in various Information Technology topics at no cost.
• June 30, 2006: The "Green Team" is on the Move The Office of the CIO (Green Team) will move from Edison Drive to 36 Anthony Avenue in July.
• June 30, 2006: An Experiment with Spam Hypothesis: Putting email addresses on web pages causes spam.
• June 30, 2006: OIT Enterprise Services Rates for FY08-09 OIT is nearing completion of another transformation milestone... new OIT rates that reflect the consolidation of IT resources for improved delivery of IT services.
• June 15, 2006: Can Two Work Cultures Marry Each Other? Client Technologies’ Customer Service Training Program builds interpersonal bridges to support OIT’s transformation.
• June 15, 2006: Maine.gov Annual Upgrade Each year the State launches an upgrade of Maine.gov that includes a cluster of improvements and new features.
• June 15, 2006: Protecting Confidential Data – a new Maine Law What would you do if you suspect State maintained private information has been compromised?
• June 15, 2006: Radio Services For the past several months the Office of Information Technology has been engaged in a consolidation effort that has had little visibility.
• June 15, 2006: RSS Overview In the Maine.gov upgrade on May 31, RSS service was offered to citizens for the first time by the State. RSS, is known as Really Simple Syndication.
• June 15, 2006: Reducing Email Spam – a Draft Policy and Best Practices Did you realize that approximately 1/3 of the email the State receives is unsolicited, unwanted spam?
• May 31, 2006: Office of Information Technology (OIT) - Transition Phase Transition Status Regarding Desktop Support Services and Server Consolidation
• May 31, 2006: State Initiatives in Electronic Records Management Increasingly state records are generated, used and stored in electronic form, and our paper-oriented records management systems and procedures have not kept up with this shift in technology.
• May 31, 2006: Collaborative Landcover Project Provides Better Data, Saves Money for State of Maine Agencies collaborate with each other, municipal, regional and federal partners to create multiuse GIS Landcover data
• May 31, 2006: State of Maine Application Developers Forum Do you manage, develop or maintain State of Maine computer applications? If so, you are invited to a...
• May 31, 2006: Tracking Problems and Requests for Service with the New Enterprise Software, "Footprints" Many agencies have transitioned from another product, or in some cases no product, to Footprints to offer improved customer support.
• May 17, 2006: The New Office of Information Technology (OIT) Communication We are pleased to announce OIT is initiating a bi-weekly communication starting today!
• May 16, 2006: Wireless Internet Access Policy Starting in early May an interagency team has been drafting a policy to govern the private sector provision of free, or low cost, wireless internet access services to the public from State of Maine owned or leased facilities. Likely State facilities for public wireless internet access may include ferry landings, highway rest areas and state parks.
• May 16, 2006: New Policy Adoption/Revision Process Effective May 9, 2006, the Policy on the Adoption/Revision of Enterprise Information Technology Policies, Procedures and Standards (5/9/2006), has been adopted by Chief Information Officer, Dick Thompson.
• February 1, 2006: OIT Audit Findings Released Learn about the Opega State-Wide IT Planning Review.