Through the Years

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In the late 1990s, states began recognizing the Internet's emergence as the channel of choice for citizens needing to do business with their government. Initially states focused on e-government services that essentially papered over disjointed legacy systems and paid less attention to building infrastructure and architectures capable of supporting new service types and delivering those services reliably, securely and cost-effectively. Scalability and the capability to adapt to future demands took a back seat during the rush to deploy Web portals and large numbers of e-transactions.

In 1997, the Center for Digital Government's original Digital States Survey developed benchmarks that reflected states' drive toward their e-government goals. The survey rated states predominantly on the volume of electronic services available to citizens and businesses. And in fact, the states did quite well at rolling out new electronic services.

As the millennium approached, state e-government services were already beginning to mature. By 2002, almost all states had implemented e-transactions such as online tax payments, and the vast majority had created Web portals organized around life events. Clearly states were evolving in terms of both how they delivered e-government and how they fashioned the supporting IT infrastructure.

Evolving Digital States
In the following years, e-government matured to include more than just a government Web presence and online services. It came to encompass the broader application of technology throughout government to improve operations. With this shift in approach, states placed new emphasis on developing IT platforms to support efficient shared services. Policies, structures and planning became crucial for identifying shared business needs among agencies.

States' efforts continue to result in IT infrastructures that are more robust, reliable and scalable--able to grow and adapt to the rapidly changing technology landscape as well as the escalating demand from citizens who have grown accustomed to the convenience of electronic services. Verizon Business has positioned itself ahead of customer demands, helping states become better, faster and smarter.

"State governments have changed their approach to serving citizens," said Alex Coleman, group president for Government and Education at Verizon Business. "They've had to become much savvier in terms of how they deliver service. Demand from today's citizens means states must drive toward true integration. Stovepipes must be eliminated and service must be available 24/7."

The latest Digital States Survey reflects these evolving trends and the new technological reality in state government. It ranks states across three categories: online services for citizens and businesses; architecture and infrastructure; and planning, policy and structure.

The survey shows more than half of responding states have partially consolidated their IT infrastructures in 2006--up almost 20 percent from 2004. A quarter of the states responding in 2006 consider their infrastructure fully consolidated. Sixty-one percent of states now have a shared services strategy that identifies overlapping business and IT functions. Fifty-nine percent of responding states have a planning process to prioritize projects based on their return on investment through a phased approach to mitigate risk while reducing costs of design, development, integration and support. And half of the responding states have created a governance model to manage multi-agency use of shared services, coordinate development efforts and resolve conflicts.

The Road Ahead
The survey's findings represent a significant achievement. The days of rushing out e-government services without corresponding IT infrastructure support are fading into memory. Instead of simply embracing the present, the Digital States Survey shows that states are becoming equally conscious of the future. Twenty-four-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week availability can no longer be considered a novelty--it's a necessity. So are IT integration, consolidation and the next generation of Internet-based services like MPLS, rural broadband, voice over Internet protocol and municipal Wi-Fi.

For more than a decade, Verizon Business has delivered products and services that state governments need to stay on the cutting edge. As an infrastructure and IP networking provider, Verizon Business continues to bring states the solutions they need to share services, control costs and integrate their activities. From infrastructure and networking with Private IP to Professional and Managed Security Solutions, from traditional voice to VoIP and Hosted IP Centrex, Verizon Business continues to help states reach their e-government potential.

"Our job is to ensure we keep current on technology so customers can deliver on their mission," said Coleman. "That's why we bring flexible, economical solutions that meet state governments' needs. And that's why we truly believe we can be a trusted partner with our customers."