“As long as they’re [business partners] working within our framework, from a cloud perspective, SaaS perspective, security framework, we’re very much interested in that,” he said, speaking with GT at the NASCIO annual conference earlier this month.
What can be challenging to overcome, however, once potential opportunities are identified, are the established norms of the state's procurement processes, which favor companies with several years of experience over newer companies with a fresh idea that hasn't yet fully taken hold.
For example, Massachusetts has been experimenting with ways to use artificial intelligence, conducting some pilot programs that ran into some complications, Wood explained. "When we went to do the procurement, our procurement folks weren't ready for it," he said.
That said, he is determined to bring all parties together to make sure Massachusetts can take advantage of innovations like AI in the future. "In my role, from a technology perspective, I need to be ... making sure the business, the financial folks, the procurement folks are all in alignment when these emerging technologies do come."
