The Missouri Technical Services Division got funding July 1 of this year to start working on what Wann called an “applications infrastructure” with both software vendors and implementation partners. The topmost part of the system will be an abstraction layer, followed by orchestration and workflow, then a data repository that all agencies can pull from for basic resident data, like addresses. A business rules element will help extract only necessary information from all that data, helping keep privacy standards in place.
Wann said the initiative is planned as a multiyear effort based on “looking at things from the citizen’s eyes rather than just making things from a department or division perspective.” That said, he also plans to improve internal services for staff as well, such as by using robotic process automation to take some of the more rote tasks off state employees’ plates so they can focus on more complex issues.
The path toward single sign-on, both for residents and state workers, is of course not unique to Missouri. As Nebraska CIO Ed Toner said at NASCIO last week, his state also is working on a “no wrong door” approach to identity management, starting with some core agencies like the Health and Human Services Department.
