Nearly 700 state employees, community leaders and members of the public joined Governor Neil Abercrombie today for the 2012 Hawaii Digital Government Summit at the Hilton Hawaiian Village to engage employees and other stakeholders in the state’s business and information technology transformation initiative.
Presented by Government Technology Executive Events and the Center for Digital Government – at no cost to the state – the event featured more than 20 sessions on topics ranging from modernization of public schools to health information technology.
“Transformation of state government is about delivering the services people need – anywhere, anytime,” said Governor Neil Abercrombie. “Hawaii’s IT Transformation Plan, launched in October, will accomplish its goals by investing in the state’s greatest asset – its employees. Making government more efficient and effective brings opportunities to those who work in state offices, enabling employees to provide a higher level of service while attaining new skills and playing a role in reshaping the way government conducts business. This will help us to strengthen our economy, sustain Hawaii for future generations and build public confidence in government.”
“Government Technology and the Center for Digital Government present events, such as today’s summit, with the help of private sector companies, to make government leaders and workers aware of the solutions that exist in the industry and help them to apply technology in a way that solves problems,” said Alan Cox, senior vice president of Government Technology Executive Events.
The summit provided an opportunity for state employees to learn about how technology and best practices from the private sector and other state governments can be deployed here in Hawaii to improve the services provided to residents and businesses. Attendees were able to discuss with government leaders and local executives the challenges they face and collaboratively develop solutions.
State of Hawaii Chief Information Officer Sanjeev “Sonny” Bhagowalia added: “This undertaking is about more than technology, it is about improving business operations. The transformation plan that we have released provides the roadmap for bringing the State of Hawaii into the 21st century, but it will require collaborative working relationships at all levels of state government to shape the outcomes. This summit provides us with the opportunity to engage state employees in implementing the plan and have them help develop solutions that will improve their ability to provide services to the public.”
“The transformation initiative will result in immediate and long-term benefits to the people of Hawaii,” said Randy Baldemor, Deputy Chief Information Officer of Business Transformation. “Citizens will have 24/7 online access to the services they need most and businesses will have better access to the services they need to run efficiently and grow our economy.”
The event featured sessions and panel discussions on a wide range of topics, including Enterprise Resource Planning; Mobile Device Management; Tax Modernization; Health IT; Consolidated Infrastructure/Enterprise Shared Services; Virtualization Trends; Organizational Change Management; Open Government; Modernization of Public Schools; the Hawaii Broadband Initiative; the Mobile Device Revolution; and Identity and Access Management.
About Government Technology
Government Technology is about solving problems in state and local government through the smart use of technology. Drawing on the experiences from across the country, Government Technology features best practices, and fosters communities of interest around improving service delivery and transforming government operations.
About The Center for Digital Government
The Center for Digital Government is a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government. Government Technology and the Center for Digital Government are divisions of e.Republic, a national publishing, events and research company focused on smart media for public sector innovation .