Moving from a Distributed to a Unified Solution

Transcription

1 Moving from a Distributed to a Unified Solution NASCIO 2012 Recognition Award Category: Enterprise IT Management Initiatives Contact: Carolyn Parnell, State CIO, carolyn.parnell@state.mn.us, State of Minnesota Project Initiation: September 27, 2010 Project Completion: November 17, 2011

2 Executive Summary Aristotle s observation that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts is powerfully exemplified by the State of Minnesota s migration to an Enterprise Unified Communication and Collaboration (EUCC) platform. Minnesota needed to do more with less, address the State CIO s Top Ten Policy and Technology Priorities for 2012, and seamlessly move the State s more than 70 agencies to a whole new level of communication and collaboration. In addition, the proposed solution needed to increase productivity and deliver enhanced constituent services, without additional infrastructure, capital investments, or diminished information security. With fortitude, exemplary vision, and teamwork, MN.IT Services (formerly the Minnesota Office of Enterprise Technology) planned, organized, and executed this enterprise-wide technology initiative without service interruption. Together with Microsoft, MN.IT designed and deployed a custom, cloud-based system modeled on tools from Office 365. A Minnesota team from multiple disciplines joined with senior level Microsoft staff to determine and fully leverage the capabilities of a cloud-based system able to support varied business requirements, access levels, and security needs. Together they designed a highly secure and reliable enterprise platform that can be accessed from wherever users are working. It includes , voice communication, video conferencing, instant messaging, desktop sharing, web collaboration, storage, mobile phone options, and much more. Today, the State of Minnesota has what is largely considered the most advanced communication and collaboration ecosystem in the public sector. Never before has such a universal solution existed, and the entire system was designed, tested and deployed in record time. 2

3 Business Problem and Solution MN.IT Services sought a single functional platform upon which to unify all state agencies to maximize daily teamwork. Communication and collaboration tools were needed to increase productivity across agency boundaries and to deliver enhanced constituent services without adding infrastructure or capital investments. The migration to and ongoing operation of this new platform needed to ensure security levels befitting law enforcement, even as it allowed the Governor immediate communication to every one of 30,000+ state employees in the event of a natural disaster or crisis. It was a tall order even for Microsoft, and it was going to require a groundbreaking level of innovation. MN.IT began with a thorough analysis of the key systems and groups impacted by the project. It defined needs such as capacity, accessibility, security, and performance, and discussed how the project would address and affect the Governor s priorities. The following goals were defined: Seamless migration and easy adoption Enhanced services and features Scalability without large investments Fully leveraged deployment (that lower prices as service volumes increase) Security levels at or above existing levels The resulting design created a technology foundation with long term sustainability. Evaluation of service provider capabilities revealed a magnitude of complexity beyond any existing model. MN.IT would need a heavy-hitting partner to assist in crafting a customized solution. Because of the power and flexibility of the Office 365 platform, MN.IT chose Microsoft as their partner. They charted a course through territory never before tackled by designing and deploying a unique, cloud-based system that blends state resources with Office 365 tools. Project management was handled by MN.IT but the work was completed in partnership with all departments and entities that make up Minnesota s executive branch. The EUCC solution was designed to solve multiple daily business challenges: Business Problem Timely communication: knowing when vital information is available or updated Remote workforce: workers can t always travel with a computer but need to conduct business Solution SharePoint alerts, via and instant messaging Web-based applications such as OWA, IM, and SharePoint for document access 3

4 Document management: basic file sharing doesn t offer effective version control overload: too many attachments taking up space in plus uncertainty about which version is the most current Collaboration: can t work remotely with multiple people from several organizations SharePoint document libraries with version control and meta data Store messages in SharePoint and send links via or instant messages Utilize , instant messaging and SharePoint MN.IT moved from a distributed to a unified model by selecting and implementing a broad, capable toolset matched to the needs of state workers. Consistent with its ongoing commitment to ITIL s Continual Service Improvement (CSI), this transformation also allowed MN.IT to increase existing service levels and options. It gained enhanced capabilities for , web collaboration, instant messaging, desktop sharing and web conferencing as well as improved security and disaster recovery management tools. The solution s architecture shows a creative, hybrid infrastructure that merges the best elements of cloud-based and on-premise capabilities. Designed for reliability, redundancy, and security, this infrastructure is also scalable and flexible: A communications plan was deployed to manage expectations and provide meaningful, clear, and frequent information updates. The goal was to educate users while promoting EUCC awareness and adoption. Key components of this plan included: Monthly Brown Bag sessions that educated users in the configuration of the EUCC environment, features of the EUCC services, and timelines for implementation. These lunchtime sessions were open to all users as an informal way to meet and learn about the EUCC services. Monthly collaborative meetings with state agency CIOs defined the implementation process, staff requirements, and service benefits. 4

5 Annual Minnesota Government IT Symposium presentation educated government workers in the benefits and capabilities of the EUCC services. Monthly Chief Information Security Council meetings ensured that all aspects of the EUCC services specifically germane to security staff were discussed and accommodated. Specific communications for IT staff explained the EUCC implementation requirements. Documentation and process information was detailed and customized for each state agency to ensure that their users experienced little or no downtime as the EUCC services were implemented. Template messages were provided to allow IT staff to communicate directly with their users regarding schedule, features, and actions required before implementation. Post-migration instructions were provided so that users would know how to access content and configure devices. Multiple press releases informed the news media and citizens of the benefits and implementation schedules for EUCC services. Following a year-long planning and testing phase, the conversion was accomplished in just six weeks. The result: a mobile, agile force of knowledge workers equipped with a unified, consistent set of productivity tools. Significance MN.IT Services successfully and seamlessly migrated more than 40,000 users, 4 terabytes of data, and 66.5 million items in under two months. This gives users 50 times the storage capacity overnight without disruption of service. It also: Enables agencies, counties and cities to communicate and collaborate without co-mingling data from other entities. Connectivity to Minnesota s Network for Enterprise Telecommunication (MNET), prevents service interruptions when the Internet is busy/unavailable. 5

6 Implements geographically separated US-based datacenters. Data resides within the US and provides enhanced disaster recovery capabilities. Increases service availability. , SharePoint and Instant Messaging services deliver 99.9% uptime. Leverages existing Active Directory deployment. Supports single sign-on and Active Directory groups through directory synchronization. Allows seamless and continual application upgrades. Avoids expenses for hardware refresh cycles and professional/technical service engagements. Provides compliance framework. Supports Statement of Auditing Standard (SAS) 70 Type II, ISO 27001, SOX, and HIPAA standards. The largest public sector deployment of Microsoft Office 365 to date, this unique partnership included all Minnesota state government entities and provided new and/or enhanced versions of productivity tools: Outlook Web App via a web browser o Increased browser support for latest versions: Microsoft Internet Explorer; Mozilla Firefox; Apple Safari; Google Chrome o Instant Messaging and Presence are now integrated Lync (Web IM) Instant Messaging via a web browser Mobile Device Support o Android via Microsoft ActiveSync o BlackBerry o ios (e.g., iphone, ipad) via Microsoft ActiveSync o Windows Mobile via Microsoft ActiveSync SharePoint Collaborate via a web browser o Increased browser support for latest versions o Presence integration Benefits Users started their clients as usual the morning after migration and most didn t even notice their data was now in a new location. What they have noticed are the user experience benefits of increased cross-agency information sharing and accelerated decision making. The productivity and collaboration improvements range from day-to-day conveniences like reducing travel needs, conducting a quick tutorial by sharing desktop access with a colleague across town, actively participating in a meeting while awaiting a car repair, and co-editing a project document in real-time. Key communicators like the Governor can share statewide information with a single post and coordinate activities in times of crisis. Unprecedented time and cost savings are being reported from every 6

7 corner of the system. These increased efficiencies are enhancing the productivity of public sector workers by giving them: Real-time collaboration tools across multiple mediums (web, audio, video, IM) Newly enabled cross-organization collaboration opportunities between State, County, City, and K-12 groups Secure access to content through seamless, integrated authentication Knowledge sharing with a common toolset across the State Reduced training needs when transferring from one organization to another Ongoing access to the latest technologies without new capital investments Cost avoidance and reduced infrastructure costs related to Software as a Service (SaaS) delivery techniques Greater job satisfaction as routine tasks become easier and take less time New tools for managing information security Access to scalable IT resources that dynamically re-size to fit demand Financially, the EUCC services solution lowers costs, makes those costs more predictable, and offers several layers of cost avoidance. The following benefits all lead to lower future costs from a SaaS model versus an on-premise implementation: Lower, less variable maintenance costs associated with hardware and power consumption are fully incorporated into the SaaS model. The State of Minnesota no longer has a large infrastructure of servers to maintain in order to deliver the EUCC services. Since the SaaS provider manages equipment and software, current staff is available for other projects, thereby reducing staff augmentation costs. This infrastructure mitigates the expensive 3 5 year capital equipment costs associated with software and equipment refresh cycles. Elastic capacity planning enables the service to expand and contract, eliminating the need for oversized on-premise systems as utilization and storage grow. Minnesota can now renew systems, upgrade hardware, and adjust capacity without any capital expenditures. Best of all, their customer-centric solution delivers improved services to the citizens of Minnesota, is perfectly aligned with the Governor s priorities, and enables users to spend less time operating and more time innovating. Their solution is so effective that the Office of Enterprise Technology (now MN.IT Services) and Microsoft developed a case study and video to share their best practices. Now that their goals have been met and their preferred future has become a reality, Minnesota s MN.IT Services is adding to the user experience to offer even more convenient file management and workflow solutions. And, by sharing the resulting best practices, Minnesota is helping other states develop unified systems where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. 7