For the first time in the history of New York's IT strategic planning process, the IT vendor community is asked to be at the front end of the state's new 2008 Strategic IT Plan. The State CIO's goal is simply to engage vendors at the very early stages of the planning in efforts to drive innovation, creativity and enhance return on investment of the state's strategic IT priorities.

The latest update on the status of the NYS 2008 Enterprise Strategic Plan highlights a new and far-reaching approach to strategic planning. The plan, projected to be completed in May 2008, will not only include input from state agency CIOs, agency commissioners and local governments, but it will also include the opinions of technology companies. This creative approach ensures that all stakeholders, from purchasers, to users and sellers of technology are up to par with the state's IT strategic direction. According to NYS CIO, Dr. Melodie Mayberry-Stewart, this approach promises to be a best practice worthy for other states.

About sixty technology companies, representatives of the NYS Forum IT Corporate Roundtable, shared with the CIO/OFT their thoughts on the state's technology trends. Some of the themes discussed include increasing and improving government transparency as well as e-government services, and attaining greater economies of scale in technology services. Their input, although critical to the success of the plan's implementation, will ultimately serve vendors to align their strategies with those of the state by providing a value proposition rather than just technology.

Thus far, meetings with agency commissioners and agency CIO's have resulted in sharing their drive to see technology investments as a way to mainly improve government operations. Through a more effective use of technology, some of the strategies praised by these groups include consolidating duplicative services, achieving efficiencies through automation and outreach to a greater number of constituents.

For more information on this and other New York strategic IT trends and priorities such as better management of the state's IT investments and procurement reform visit INPUT's New York State Profile.