RICHMOND—Yesterday, Governor Ralph Northam issued Executive Order Nineteen directing the use of cloud technologies in the Commonwealth’s information technology (IT) services.
“Virginia must continuously evaluate and evolve how information technology (IT) services are used by state agencies to deliver services to our citizens,” Governor Northam said. “By incorporating the use of cloud technology, we can continue to make strides on modernizing the Commonwealth’s technology infrastructure and provide Virginians with the rapid and efficient delivery of government services they deserve.”
Embracing cloud technologies makes IT services, such as processing requests and delivering data, available through various deployment models using both private connections and the Internet.
“Virginia is ranked among the best states for IT,” said Secretary of Administration Keyanna Conner. “To remain a leader, we must look at technology options that enhance our systems so state employees can serve our citizens well. Cloud services will provide several benefits, including reducing response time, reducing power and space requirements, and providing for better continuity of service in the event of a disaster or service outage.”
Executive Order Nineteen reinforces the need for security and privacy of the data that citizens and businesses have entrusted to the Commonwealth.
The Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) is charged with developing guidance for evaluating new and existing IT systems for cloud-readiness, by June 1, 2019.
The full text of Executive Order Nineteen can be found here.
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