Wyoming puts ‘huge’ focus on hosted mainframe upgrade

Wyoming is now putting a “huge” focus on upgrading its mainframes as part of a wider portfolio of upgrades to the state’s IT infrastructure, Dan Young, the state’s chief technology officer tells StateScoop in a video interview.

The state is moving its mainframes to a “complete mainframe hosted solution” with IBM. Part of the motivation for that, he says, is difficulty in supporting the state’s legacy technology.

“The biggest problem we’re running into and so are a lot of other states is the workforce that supports the mainframe is kind of a dying breed,” Young says.

The state IT office has also received direction from the legislature to find cost savings, so Young says Wyoming is looking into a new bulk purchasing model.

Cybersecurity remains a major priority amid these upgrades, he says, and his office has taken on new projects from customer agencies that have decided to become more “IT-centric” in recent months, such as the Department of Corrections, which is installing new security cameras.

“We’re digging pretty deep right now into security systems and what we would like to approve or disapprove of on our networks,” he said.

Dan Young on his office’s greatest accomplishment for 2018:

Young on cybersecurity:

Young on IT modernization:

Young on Wyoming’s vision for the future:

These videos were produced by StateScoop at the National Association of State Chief Information Officers’ annual conference in San Diego, California, in October 2018.