Project Updates
When we officially began the work to clear out of the eFORT Data Center in June of 2022, we had 145 racks in inventory. Going into September that number is nearly half with only 74 occupied racks in inventory at eFORT. The project team is on track to move all state equipment out by July 2024, well before the end of the eFORT lease on Jan. 31, 2025.
Stay tuned for updates as the team continues working to exit eFORT and identify systems, servers and hardware for decommissioning or migration to the cloud or the Lakewood Data Center. With each successful move out of eFORT, we are consolidating physical IT assets, expanding the use of cloud infrastructure, and becoming more efficient in how our state data is collected, stored and used.
In a crucial step towards modernizing the state's phone systems, the outdated phone infrastructure has been replaced by the modern digital method of making and receiving phone calls over an internet connection. This fortifies our phone network, making it resilient against potential outages.
Like an upgrade from a one-lane highway to a high-speed freeway, transitioning to Session Internet Protocol (SIP) allows our phones to keep working in case a line (or a lane) goes down. Our switch to SIP ensures continuous availability of phone services, enables automatic failover in case of an outage and enhances the reliability of our communication infrastructure – reducing the risk of service interruptions.
Major kudos to the teams involved in this project!
The cutover date to upgrade the phone system for the Statewide Voice project has been pushed back. The team is aiming for a later date to transition from the outdated MIPC platform to an updated and more secure Cisco Webex DI platform (originally scheduled for September 2022).
With a revised timeline, the project team will continue working with their vendors and agency partners on a definitive cutover date and the necessary requirements to prepare for the migration. Stay tuned for more information.
 With the migration of the mainframe to the vendor-hosted environment, the team is now focused on modernizing several critical applications. This includes incorporating IT Service Management (ITSM) into the new mainframe environment leading to a better customer experience for our agency partners. We will also be one step closer to ensuring Coloradans will continue receiving life-sustaining benefits and support from our agency partners while setting the foundation for a modern, cost-effective, agile digital government in Colorado.
Check out our September Hot Topic article below to learn more about why modern and secure IT infrastructure is so critical.
The website Coloradans use to access ACSES has been given a new look. The user interface and experience are now being tested to ensure it is accessible, easy to use, and meets our goals of a modern digital government experience. The project is progressing well and is now 74% complete!
As the team moves forward, they will continue to work with our agency partners and OIT to ensure our modernized ACSES experience is supported and continues to meet the needs of Coloradans.
Work has begun on a new EBT application design and interface that will move us toward the goals of ease of use and a modern digital government for Coloradans seeking food, energy, medical and childcare assistance and more. The EBT Modernization project completed the vendor demo and knowledge transfer sessions in early September, and the EBT admin portal design will be approved in the coming weeks. Once the new design and modernization plan has been approved, the team will begin working with impacted customers and end-users to perform user acceptance testing (UAT). The project is anticipated to be completed by the end of December 2023.
Check out future editions of the Tech Debt Newsletter for updates on the EBT Modernization project.
The work to modernize the system that generates ID numbers for Coloradans applying for benefits is now underway with Amazon Web Services (AWS). The groups most impacted by the SIDMOD system are children and case workers within foster care, low-income assistance and child welfare programs, and individuals seeking utility, food and healthcare assistance. Unique ID numbers ensure that children in the foster care system receive the proper resources and care. Using unique ID numbers means any Coloradan applying for benefits can be more confident that they will receive the correct support and care to meet their needs.
Modernization is needed because the current system is difficult to maintain and update due to outdated technology. The AWS Cloud solution will afford a higher level of confidence and updated technology and ensure that the state does not run out of ID numbers. The team is working to onboard the AWS vendor team members and developing a proposal for the new system.
The project is on track to meet the completion date of December 2024. Stay tuned for more information to come.
We have added a new project to the Mainframe Decommission and Modernization Program!
The State Verification Exchange System (SVES) application on the mainframe allows certain agencies to do Social Security Administration (SSA) verifications as needed by their business processes. Modernizing the SVES mainframe application will make it compatible and able to interact and interface with other state and federal systems. It will also reduce maintenance costs and enhance security. The project team will soon begin working with our business partners to discuss solution options that will best meet the requirements of the SSA and the customers' needs.
SVES currently supports the Department of Revenue’s (DOR) annual batch process, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment’s (CDLE) on-demand and monthly batch process (for VocRehab and Adult Financial Old Age Pension Health and Medical Care Program) and the Colorado Benefits Management System (CBMS). This application also supports Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF), the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (LEAP/SNAP) and the Department of Revenue’s (DOR) GenTax application.
This project is expected to be completed by June 2024. Keep an eye out for more to come about this important effort.
The team is now working with the impacted agencies to test the applications post-remediation. They have remediated 100% of the identified vulnerabilities across all agencies, and the overall project is 86% complete. In August, the team completed Quality Assurance (QA) for Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) and COGOV, and both are ready for user acceptance testing (UAT). The team continues working with agencies to complete UAT and is close to the finish line!
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