Governor Signs Executive Order to Consolidate IT
February 24, 2009
Governor Deval Patrick on Thursday signed Executive Order 510, which will consolidate information technology (IT) in Executive departments. Chief Information Officer Anne Marguilies notified affected personnel on Friday, February 20th. (Read the memo regarding the IT consolidation plan.)
Governor Patrick has described the goals of the consolidation as primarily to standardize resources and create efficiencies in an environment that operates with 100 phone systems, 20 email groups, and 150 IT groups. He also stated that the plan would ensure greater security for the Commonwealth’s digital assets.
NAGE met with the Commonwealth to discuss the consolidation plan and the affects, if any, it will have on IT employees. Importantly, NAGE was told that “IT staff reductions are not a goal of this consolidation.” Additionally, the Commonwealth stated its desire to rely less heavily on contractors and to strive to “maximize opportunities for fulltime IT staff over time.” This would include providing more and better opportunities for training and career development. Seniority and Civil Service status for bargaining unit employees will not be affected by the consolidation, and no bargaining unit employee will be reduced in grade as a result of the consolidation.
The Commonwealth indicated that in some instances an employee's work location could change, but more typically, the only change an employee may see is in their reporting structure. For example, an employee's job duties and workplace would remain the same or similar, but he or she would report to the Secretariat rather than the agency.
The timeline for the consolidation is fairly aggressive, with the infrastructure consolidation expected to be completed this year.
To facilitate discussion of the consolidation, the Commonwealth has developed a wiki, which is similar to a blog and allows users to contribute content and comments. The wiki at www.mass.gov/itd is available only within the state’s wide area network (MAGNet).
NAGE will continue to provide updates here as they become available.