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Georgia Hands Off IT to Private Service Integrator

The partnership is meant to drive enhanced IT integration and management throughout the state.

The partnership between the Georgia Technology Authority (GTA) and private industry counterpart Capgemini went live Monday after months of preparation.
 
The outsourcing contract was originally awarded in March 2015, and is intended to better meet the state’s information technology integration and management needs.  
 
Capgemini, a multisource service integrator, is now officially in the driver's seat of the Georgia Enterprise Technology Services (GETS) program.
 
In June, Georgia CIO Calvin Rhodes told Government Technology the move will help ensure the state follows the best practices of the ITIL, or Information Technology Infrastructure Library.
 
“We look at Capgemini to help make sure we’re following the process and that service providers are meeting the agencies’ needs,” Rhodes said at the time. “An independent group that will measure and monitor the service providers, provide feedback, and make sure if something needs to work differently, they adopt a new technology. Or, if they’re not meeting some numbers, they make sure we have an effective plan put together to address issues and measure against it.”
 
Among the services the company will provide are billing, service desk work, risk and security management. Previously these services were supplied via separate contracts.
 
Rhodes also noted at the time that there are 28 processes Capgemini will be held accountable for in its contract, which can be extended to a 10-year period if Capgemini delivers on various benchmarks.
 
The change-up will reportedly mean modifications to the way end users interact with the GETS program. In a newsletter dated July-Aug. 2015, the technology authority outlined some of the more basic protocol shifts. 
 
“For the standard user, [there will be] changes in the ways you seek support and order new services. For agency IT staff, [there will be] changes in technical processes and tools. Testing is ongoing now, and training opportunities will soon start. Both will help set the stage for a smooth transition,” the newsletter reads. “For the large majority of GETS agency staff, the most visible improvements taking effect late August will be service desk-related.”

According to the GTA, contracts with tech industry giants IBM and AT&T will be maintained despite the consolidation efforts. IBM provides Georgia with infrastructure services, while AT&T provides managed network services.
Eyragon Eidam is the web editor for Government Technology magazine, after previously serving as assistant news editor and covering such topics as legislation, social media and public safety. He can be reached at eeidam@erepublic.com.