Overview
The Information Technology Division (ITD) delivers and supports the best technology to enable the agency to provide safe, effective and efficient services. ITD provides 24/7 technical support for the agency and all external law enforcement agencies throughout the state and nation. The division also works closely with WSP partners as well as state and national groups, to deliver IT services while remaining in compliance with policies, rules, and regulations of the state of Washington, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other regulatory groups.
Key Measurements and Statistics
ITD personnel responded to over 44,000 help desk support calls in 2019. These service calls, from both email and phone, come from our law enforcement partners and WSP agency staff for a wide variety of support requests. Our systems, the Statewide Electronic Collision and Ticketing Online Record (SECTOR) software and A Central Computerized Enforcement Service System (ACCESS) for criminal history and licensing information, support law enforcement from across the state and the nation. The support of these systems is critical to the work law enforcement agencies perform across our state and the entire nation to protect people and property.
In addition, the ITD staff work closely with our internal partner, the Electronic Services Division (ESD), on our network infrastructure. This partnership includes the support of voice communications systems to include both radio and telephone communication systems.
Successes of 2019
The division completed the updating of agency computers to the new Windows 10 operating system. As part of this significant effort that involves physically touching each device, we developed a method to keep up with a twice a year Operating System (OS) update process that Microsoft initiated. The new OS and the update schedule will ultimately help us remain current for our operation capability as well as current security trends.
In addition, the division in partnership with the ESD has begun to upgrade the core network for the agency. This results in the enhanced efficiency of data movement between our offices and the state data center. This in turn allows us to consolidate our server resources into a centralized model that increases efficiency in support by being in less diverse areas of the state. In addition, it allows us greater opportunity to reduce our physical compute and storage needs for each location. This process sets the stage for even greater cost savings and better support for the organization moving forward.
The ITD staff work closely with our internal partner the ESD on our network infrastructure. In 2019 we partnered together to consolidate the different security functions under our Chief Information Security Officer to provide more robust and efficient security services to the agency and better protect our information assets.