Governor Bentley Signs Executive Order Realigning Information Technology Offices

MONTGOMERY – Governor Robert Bentley on Tuesday signed Executive Order 26 requesting the Alabama Department of Finance, Information Services Division develop and implement a plan that reflects the Alabama Office of Information Technology as its lead agency.

“As the field of information technology rapidly grows and cyber security becomes more of an issue, I decided that realigning our Information Services Division under the Office of Information Technology would better streamline our state’s technology services,” Governor Bentley said. “I know that ISD will be able to better serve our state agencies and the people of Alabama with this new structure and that the right people will be in that structure to further improve our state’s information technology services.”

The Information Services Division was created in 1997 and given the duty of providing state agencies with secure information technology operations and managing network and telecommunications services for the state of Alabama. The Office of Information Technology was created in 2013 to collaborate and coordinate with various state agencies on issues related to information technology.

“For over 25 years, the Finance Department has overseen the core IT operations of the State through its ISD and SBS divisions,” Clinton Carter, State Finance Director said. “These divisions have shepherded the State through some of its largest technological achievements including the consolidation and streamlining of IT services, the creation of a national award-winning and citizen-focused state website and now the overhaul of our enterprise operating system.”

“This transition is the next step in the Governor’s IT modernization effort, as we continue to seek ways of improving our service to the Alabama people through the application of technology,” Dr. Joanne Hale, Alabama Secretary of Information Technology said.

Increased integration between OIT and ISD will enhance operational efficiency and resiliency, further the state’s goal of service delivery transformation, as well as streamline the state’s decisional structure for information technology.

This realignment is effective immediately.

The signed executive order is available here.

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