To advance digital transformation and improve the customer experience, state agencies must capitalize on opportunities to prevent unnecessary duplication and reduce taxpayer costs.  Agencies should focus on sharing technology services, protecting information and technology assets, and simplifying access to government services.  DIR can help.  Learn more about DIR’s services and solutions by visiting dir.texas.gov.

Cybersecurity continues to be a critical priority for state and local governments and is a building block for successful digital transformation.  DIR helps public sector organizations stay ahead by providing cybersecurity standards and policy, incident response resources, outreach, and education.  The Office of the Chief Information Security Officer (OCISO) provides information security program guidance to the Texas public sector in the form of information security policies and standards, guidance on best practices, and information on incident response preparedness.  OSCIO also monitors and analyzes incidents, coordinates security services, and promotes information sharing throughout the public-sector cybersecurity community.

Through DIR’s Cooperative Contracts Program, state agencies can accelerate digital transformation by leveraging the volume purchasing power of the State of Texas.  Public sector organizations save money with access to deliverables-based IT services, IT staffing, hardware and software, telecommunications, information security, and more.  Most public sector organizations, including state agencies and local government entities, are eligible to buy technology through DIR master agreements.

The Shared Technology Services (STS) program offers multiple contracts with private sector partners to provide shared services, including data center services with public and private cloud services, Texas.gov services, managed security services, and the Texas Open Data Portal.

DIR’s Data Center Services (DCS) program enables Texas state agencies to share costly data center infrastructure proving mainframe, server, network, data center, and print/mail services.

Texas.gov, the state’s official website, is a trusted resource for Texans to access government information and take care of government business in easy, secure, and user-friendly ways.  The Texas.gov program gives state agencies, local government, and institutions of higher education the opportunity to access world-class technology solutions that deliver simple, accessible, and secure digital government services.

Texas by Texas (TxT) is the newest addition to the Texas.gov program. This mobile-first digital assistant is designed and optimized specifically for users with mobile devices, allowing Texans to access government services easily and securely without having to visit an agency office.

By integrating constituent-facing services with the TxT digital assistant, state agencies can better serve their customers. For agencies utilizing the digital assistant, Texans can create a single user account and profile, access a personalized dashboard with stored payment information and transaction history, establish notification preferences for alerts and reminders, and ultimately complete government transactions in just a few clicks anytime, anywhere, and from any device.

The Statewide Data Program, coordinated by the Office of the Chief Data Officer, provides leadership, services, and resources to develop individual agency data management programs.  The primary goals of the program are to reduce duplicative information collection, improve data management and analytics, identify future cost saving opportunities, and increase data sharing between agencies.  The program encourages open data sharing through the Texas Open Data Portal (data.texas.gov), the state’s official repository for open data.  It promotes government transparency, self-service data participation, and the efficient use of public resources.

DIR publishes Texas’ State Strategic Plan for Information Resources Management to establish statewide IT goals, as well as the Biennial Performance Report on the Use of Information Resources Technologies to report progress and recommend improvements.  DIR collaborates with state agencies to modernize technology and implement emerging technologies.  Through the AI-CoE, DIR promotes robotic process automation, machine learning, natural language processing, computer vision, and contact center technologies.  DIR also supports state agencies to ensure that state websites, information, and services are accessible to people with disabilities.  DIR provides guidance and tools to ensure compliance with statewide requirements for project management. Finally, DIR offers each state agency’s Information Resource Manager the resources they need to collaborate with and report to DIR.

DIR provides voice, data, wireless, video, and internet services to meet the needs of public-sector organizations.  CTS provides voice services within the Texas Capitol Complex and voice services, data circuits, internet, and video services statewide through TEX-AN.

The mission of TSLAC is to ensure people have access to the information they need to lead informed, productive, and fulfilled lives.  TSLAC supports the work of government by developing strategies at both the state and local level to guide in the maintenance, organization, and use of records and information needed to conduct operations and educational and economic activities. TSLAC oversees the preservation of archival state records in both print and electronic form, aids the operation of libraries statewide, procures electronic resources for Texans, and oversees statewide records management functions, including establishing legal retention periods for records.

TSLAC’s State and Local Records Management division assists state and local officials with training, resources, guidelines, and consultation to ensure that government information is stored, retained, and made accessible to the public.  

The agency is home to the State Records Center and provides many services include digital imaging services that can help agencies create digital records.

TSLAC’s bulletins outline the laws, rules, standards, and best practices for local governments and state agencies in Texas.  This includes state agency requirements for retention schedules and electronic records standards and procedures. TSLAC publishes The Texas Record www.tsl.texas.gov/slrm/blog. 

RMICC plays a significant role in the management of state government records.  The council studies issues and identifies improvements for state records management.  RMICC delivers a biennial report to the legislature with recommendations that include better support for information governance and electronic records management partnerships.  

See the RMICC website at https://rmicc.state.tx.us for more information.