In 2024, the Legislature passed SHB 1947, which eliminated the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) and incorporated all duties and responsibilities to Washington Technology Solutions (WaTech), as well as renamed the agency from Consolidated Technology Services (CTS) to WaTech. Previous references to the OCIO or CTS should be understood to refer to WaTech.
In a recent GovTech interview, state Chief Information Officer Bill Kehoe discusses the need to grow and streamline the citizen experience to match what they get in the private sector while also trying to get everyone connected.
"What we're seeing - is that technology isn't just for technology's sake," he said. "All our investments in technology and our projects should be focused on…
StateScoop recently interviewed Washington State Chief Information Officer Bill Kehoe about the state's transition to enterprise IT services, particularly in cybersecurity.
"My past experience is that when you're federated around security services, each agency has its own culture and its own sense of urgency around security and how they view security," Kehoe said. "When they move that…
As you are aware on Aug. 9, 2021, Governor Jay Inslee issued Proclamation 21-14 - COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement, which was amended on Aug. 20, 2021, by Proclamation 21-14-1 - COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement. Effective Oct. 18, 2021, the Proclamation prohibits state agencies from permitting workers to engage in on-site work for the state if the personnel have not been fully vaccinated…
Happy August!
In this month's newsletter, I wanted to address some common misunderstandings about how the "Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act" (HIPAA) applies to medical records.
Most people have heard of HIPAA, passed in 1996, and associate it with medical privacy. However, HIPAA's application is much narrower than people realize. While the act applies to…
We have all experienced the unprecedented pace of technological change spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. Everything from videoconferencing, to remote access, to Washingtonian's expectations for online services has changed dramatically. The velocity at which this transformation is occurring, if anything, will likely increase.
Which brings me to my question for today: Are the…
