Second Indiana Public Sector Cybersecurity Summit a success
Cybersecurity Summit Advisory Board
From left: IOT Chief Information Security Officer Hemant Jain, Indiana Department of Education Director of Educational Technology Brad Hagg, IOT Chief Technology Officer David Fox, IOT Chief Information Officer Tracy Barnes, IOT Chief Operating Officer Jeff Allen, Sean Totten, City of Fishers, President of Auburn City Council Natalie DeWitt, and IOT Communications Director Graig Lubsen.
 The 2024 Indiana Public Sector Cybersecurity Summit was held on June 5, providing an opportunity for government technology professionals to learn about the latest efforts to defend, respond and recover from cyber criminals who wish to do harm. Like the first event back in December 2023, more than 300 people gathered at the conference, showing that the understanding of cybersecurity as a policy is growing in importance. This now annual event plays a crucial role in IOT's ongoing efforts to protect Hoosiers from cyber threats capable of interrupting everyday life and hindering service provision. The consequences of a cyber attack can be devastating, ranging from financial loss to reputational damage. Indiana has recognized the whole-of-state importance of cybersecurity and has taken significant steps to ensure its citizens and businesses are protected. Even before the 2016 creation of the Indiana Executive Council on Cybersecurity, Indiana has been confronting the challenges of protecting Hoosier data. The IECC has helped the public and private sectors collaborate on strategies that ultimately make us a more secure state. "I view the public sector cybersecurity summit as another example of our commitment to consistently move forward in a whole-of-state cyber strategy," CIO Tracy Barnes said. "The importance of cybersecurity cannot be overstated. It is essential for us to understand the risks and take necessary steps to mitigate them. We must work together to create a secure and resilient cyber ecosystem at all levels of government." |
Seventh annual MPH Data Day
 The Indiana Management Performance Hub celebrated its 7th annual Data Day this past week, showcasing the collaboration and data-driven decision making between state agencies and partners. Speakers included employees from the Vanderburgh County Health Department, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the Indiana Department of Health and the Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy. The Indiana Geographic Information Office hosted a booth showcasing their many programs including, IndianaMap, the Data Harvest Program and the IGIO Imagery Program. Learn more about these programs here: https://www.in.gov/gis/programs-operations/ |
Are your agency applications being monitored?
Nearly seven million people rely on the Indiana Office of Technology (IOT) to enable government services they use each day. From the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to the Commissioner of Higher Education, IOT is the technology engine for more than 100 state agencies, ensuring that Indiana’s citizens can access the services and information they need, when they need them.
IOT has a critical need to understand how its applications and infrastructure are performing at a granular level and must deliver continuous performance improvements across the board.
At the direction of the State of Indiana CIO, IOT began using AppDynamics to remove the shroud of mystery surrounding its applications and infrastructure. It gained newfound visibility into and control over the state’s IT operations.
“Our applications used to be a black box, and to make matters more complicated, state agencies were stuck managing them on their own,” says Brad Welsh. “AppDynamics helped us put that dynamic in the past. We’ve become a true partner with our agencies, giving them peace of mind that their critical services are performing at a high level."
With a real-time view into how agency applications and infrastructure are working together, IOT can now see within seconds whether a slowdown is being caused by a server issue, a network performance glitch, or a problem at the application code layer.
What’s more, a clearer view of the root cause of issues helped IOT to eliminate the ambiguity over who is responsible for solving them. Teams know where the problem is and what needs to be done — which means they spend less time searching and more time resolving the issue together.
Read the full article here: Indiana Office of Technology | Case Study | AppDynamics | AppDynamics
Behind the Tech: Wade Knotts
 Wade serves as the IT Director as a Service for the Lieutenant Governor's Family of Business. He supports the LG's Central Business office, the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, and the Indiana Destination Development Corporation. Each day is a little different for him. He meets regularly with the different LG agencies to discuss on-going projects, plan for future agency initiatives, and coordinate with other IOT teams to resolve any technical issues. He also helps the LG agencies understand and prepare for any IOT projects while also assisting them develop their own technology programs. Any day could include various meetings, Salesforce administration, project management, helpdesk support, vendor management, etc. "Each day is unique and that’s part of what I love about it," he said. "I love the people that I get to work with on a daily basis. Both the LG's office and IOT are full of people that I thoroughly enjoy being around. What does he hope to take away from his work at IOT? "I hope to continuously learn and grow from all the exceptionally intelligent people that I am surrounded by. I want to walk away with relationships that I can continue to rely on and learn from." |