tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68779278831518021332023-04-14T07:12:59.638-06:00#StateofCO IT Blogcolorado tech musingsOffice of Information Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03039360307535147046noreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877927883151802133.post-15378476143217009062021-02-04T11:03:00.011-07:002021-02-04T16:09:33.846-07:002021 is the Year of Civic Tech!<span id="docs-internal-guid-54854bcf-7fff-1ece-5035-fe71e2955344" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1xDbC9x-44U/YBwtF0YctiI/AAAAAAAABBE/JcCeTI8xA70NZW_vaHXWAUtM7BsUl4s8ACPcBGAYYCw/s900/exposure%2BCDS.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div></span>The <a href="https://sites.google.com/state.co.us/coloradodigitalservice/home">Colorado Digital Service</a> was an experiment that began with a simple hypothesis; if we could attract tech talent using a “tour of service” model and couple it with modern software delivery practices, like product management and human-centered design, we could help to improve the experience for people engaging with government services.<br /><br />We’ve shown that this model works. The bet that Governor Polis and the Legislature placed on us has delivered a solid return on investment. Here are some highlights from 2020:<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><div class="separator"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/#" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1xDbC9x-44U/YBwtF0YctiI/AAAAAAAABBE/JcCeTI8xA70NZW_vaHXWAUtM7BsUl4s8ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/exposure%2BCDS.png" /></a></div>We scrubbed in on <a href="http://addyourphone.com/">Exposure Notifications with Apple and Google</a>, which are used by more than one million Coloradans to help stop the spread of COVID-19. </li><li>We partnered with the <a href="https://cdphe.colorado.gov/">Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE)</a> and the <a href="http://www.oit.state.co.us/">Governor’s Office of Information Technology (OIT)</a> to help procure and launch the <a href="https://cdphe.colorado.gov/dr-justina">Dr. Justina case investigation and contact tracing system</a> across all 53 county Local Public Health Agencies (LPHA)s. This effort saved millions of dollars and allowed LPHAs to coordinate their response to COVID-19 by sharing data with one another. Hundreds of thousands of contact tracing interviews have been logged in the system to date. </li><li>We leveraged user research to lead the strategic procurement of the <a href="https://publicsafety.colorado.gov/">Colorado Department of Public Safety (CDPS)</a> grants management system. These funds help reduce juvenile involvement in the criminal justice system and support victim service programs by distributing over $60 million dollars to more than 300 grantees across Colorado.</li><li>We partnered with <a href="https://18f.gsa.gov/">18F</a> and members of the <a href="https://leg.colorado.gov/committees/joint-budget-committee/2019-regular-session">Joint Budget Committee (JBC)</a> and <a href="https://leg.colorado.gov/committees/joint-technology-committee/2019-regular-session">Joint Technology Committee (JTC)</a> to discuss agile budgeting and how to oversee and create accountability for technology projects. </li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/skcain/">Stephanie Cain</a>, User Experience (UX) Lead, was elected to the <a href="https://www.agilegovleaders.org/">Agile Government Leaders</a> board of directors as the Public Sector Representative.</li><li>We hosted a <a href="https://youtu.be/81VY-KChCJs">Denver Startup Week panel</a> on our COVID-19 efforts that included panelists Sarah Tuneberg and Brad Feld. </li><li>We’ve built a talent pipeline of hundreds of Colorado’s best engineers, designers, and product managers by being active in Slack channels and the Colorado technology community.</li><li>We've published blog posts and articles on building diverse teams in civic technology and have been mentioned in articles about transforming digital government in the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-technology-202/2020/03/13/the-technology-202-california-s-digital-team-is-racing-to-build-coronavirus-resources/5e6a8f8088e0fa101a748056/?itid=ap_catzakrzewski">Washington Post</a>, <a href="https://apnews.com/a643ee360ed4882a5f82c4c7caf6506b">Associated Press (AP)</a>, <a href="https://statescoop.com/ux-user-experience-colorado-digital-service/">StateScoop</a>, and more. </li><li>We continue to embed with the <a href="https://www.colorado.gov/cdhs">Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS)</a> and the child welfare case management system to improve the technology that helps more than 5,000 case workers and partners serve thousands of children and families in the child welfare system.</li></ul><div style="text-align: left;">With strong technology talent within the Office of Information Technology (OIT) and vendor teams, it has been argued that experiments like the digital service aren’t necessary. This year has proven that it takes a village to deliver great services to Coloradans — from state agency delivery teams with strong product, UX, and engineering talent to collaborating with other states and working with volunteer tech corps like the <a href="https://www.usdigitalresponse.org/">U.S. Digital Response</a>.<br /><br />It used to be that an expert in public health or Medicaid or criminal justice could run a program that delivered a service to residents. Now, this program needs a website, which requires a login, Google Analytics, and security that prevents ransomware attacks. That service needs a strategy set by a product owner and must meet the needs of the people it serves. The team is being asked about APIs and data-driven decisions. They are reading articles about machine learning and ethics and wondering how to apply it to their program.<br /><br />As software continues to eat government, there’s a strong need for technology talent at every level and in every agency.<br /><br />As anyone in civic tech will tell you, delivering on agency projects is just one piece of the puzzle. We want to help rethink how the government buys digital services and bring top tech talent into civic service. And we want to create momentum in unique ways that complement all of the great work Colorado is doing. <br /><br />After a little more than a year, the digital service remains a small but mighty, multidisciplinary team that combines procurement, product, user experience, and engineering. But we’ve also managed to build a superpower that helps us scale — an incredibly strong civic tech network of policy wonks, full-stack developers, bureaucracy hackers, UX designers, devops engineers, and more from New Jersey, California, Massachusetts, Florida, New York, etc. by working closely with the <a href="https://usds.gov/">U.S. Digital Service</a>, 18F, and with volunteer teams like the Citizen Software Engineers, <a href="https://www.codeforamerica.org/">Code for America</a>, and the <a href="https://www.usdigitalresponse.org/">U.S. Digital Response</a>. We’re all working on solving the same problems and the national civic tech network continues to open doors for us and accelerate our thinking.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/#"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xcPt8KN_zw4/YBwvKwr-SuI/AAAAAAAABBg/oDiZjNmy6wo2L9DPlYFfd5rT6HNnm2AdwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h200/CDS%2BTeam.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>CDS wants to say thank you to all of those who’ve supported us this past year and given guidance. Thank you to all of the State of Colorado employees that partnered with us. And, thank you to those of you that continue to follow us and be interested in our work. We know that you have allowed us to work on projects that impacted Coloradans and saved millions of dollars.<br /><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">So, what’s next?</h4><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/#"></a><ol style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/#"></a><li><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/#"></a><a href="https://sites.google.com/state.co.us/coloradodigitalservice/were-hiring">We’re hiring an Engineering Lead, join us!</a> If now’s not the right time, then follow us on <a href="https://github.com/coloradodigitalservice">GitHub</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/colorado-digital-service">Linkedin</a>, or <a href="https://twitter.com/ColoradoDS">Twitter</a> to stay connected and to help us share our work in Colorado and beyond.</li><li>In 2021, we’re focusing on: </li></ol><ul style="text-align: left;"><ul><li>Continuing to bring great tech folks into government;</li><li>Continuing to support the COVID-19 response;</li><li>Supporting Colorado’s child welfare program;</li><li>And more!</li></ul></ul><br /><br /><i>Today's blog comes from the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/#">Colorado Digital Service</a> team</i><br /></div>Office of Information Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03039360307535147046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877927883151802133.post-81236993085340315552020-12-11T15:47:00.003-07:002020-12-11T15:51:45.734-07:00Don’t Let Grinches Ruin Your Holiday Shopping<div class="separator"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-albiVacSqDQ/X9P30KmvxRI/AAAAAAAAA_w/RayDfNJr-hw9mRxs9FnwYaDYRNFhA8ftgCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Grinch.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="224" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-albiVacSqDQ/X9P30KmvxRI/AAAAAAAAA_w/RayDfNJr-hw9mRxs9FnwYaDYRNFhA8ftgCLcBGAsYHQ/w224-h224/Grinch.png" width="224" /></a></div>The holiday season is often proclaimed the most wonderful time of the year, but it also brings out those who could best be described as follows, and I quote: “Stink, stank, stunk!”</span></div><div class="separator"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-b635e8a4-7fff-d402-56a7-3387244e8006"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It happens every year: Grinches try to take the joy out of the holidays. With more people shopping online and avoiding malls, email and texting scams are on the rise. In fact, one cyber company cites that the number of shipping-related phishing emails increased 440% in just one month (from October to November)! Here are a few things to watch out for to avoid being scammed:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fake Delivery Texts or Emails</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You’ve likely done more shopping from your couch this year, and bad actors are trying to catch you dozing with fake texts and emails impersonating shipping companies asking for confidential credentials to confirm or track deliveries. Rather than responding, visit the online retailer or shipping company's website.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Texts or Emails from Unknown Retailers</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you receive an email or text from a retailer you haven’t visited or don’t recognize, or get a deal that seems too good to be true, rather than clicking on a link, search for and visit the retailer’s website or call the customer service number posted on the site (not in the email or text).</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Requests for Personal Information</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Background checks aren’t required to land a PlayStation®5. Sites asking for too much information or security details (e.g., a code word, your mother’s maiden name) to complete a purchase are highly likely to be phishing scams. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Saving Payment Details</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don’t allow a site to save your payment details unless you shop there regularly. The 30 seconds you save isn’t worth the risk.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BONUS TIPS!</span></p><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Keep your accounts secure. Use strong passwords and two-factor authentication.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When shopping online, make sure the connection is secure. Look for a padlock or “https” in the URL.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Read our “</span><a href="https://stateofcoit.blogspot.com/2019/11/shopping-tips-for-holidays.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shopping Tips for the Holidays</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” for information about other holiday scams.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To report scams or learn more about staying safe online no matter the time of year, visit our </span><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rti7TqO1yDG-6ql25VNzOpcF2XLhY6hAn_GCx2V-s6E/edit?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">COVID-19 & Cyber Tips</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> posted on </span><a href="https://techu.state.co.us/home" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">TechU</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></p></li></ul><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today's blog comes from Deborah Blyth, OIT's Chief Information Security Officer</span></p></span>Office of Information Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03039360307535147046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877927883151802133.post-89432389642369506342020-11-19T15:53:00.005-07:002020-11-23T12:01:04.686-07:00Two-factor authentication (2FA) is the extra layer of security our customers need in COVID times<p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cybercriminals and hackers are eager to acquire online passwords, especially as COVID-19 runs rampant and many organizations are attempting to push the majority of their business operations online. An unprotected password can allow cybercriminals to fraudulently gain access to systems, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the important data stored in those systems. Personally identifiable information (PII) is one type of data cybercriminals are always trying to find. PII is any data that could potentially identify a specific individual, including one’s SSN, date of birth, driver license number and/or email address, to name a few</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Protecting PII is essential for personal privacy, data privacy and protection, information privacy and information security. With just a few pieces of an individual's personal information, thieves can create false accounts in the person's name, incur debt, create a falsified passport or sell a person's identity to a criminal. </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-817665df-7fff-7b09-fd05-998b08ab22a2"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is 2FA?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Two-factor authentication (2FA)</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is another method of identity validation layered on a traditional identity and password (lock and key) access method, which offers several benefits:</span></p><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Provides an extra layer of security for individuals and systems where it has been applied, reducing the risk of unauthorized access. </span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Protects the people who have data in the system by allowing only those with legitimate business purposes to access that data, preventing criminals from using it for fraudulent purposes. </span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ensures that you are the only person who can access your account, even if someone knows your password.</span></p></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ShkkqHAx1xU/X7b3OyZxnyI/AAAAAAAAA-8/cI8cgRN-cYEcPmyOWCRF4J-Y0i2_KMOeACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/2FA.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1229" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ShkkqHAx1xU/X7b3OyZxnyI/AAAAAAAAA-8/cI8cgRN-cYEcPmyOWCRF4J-Y0i2_KMOeACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h240/2FA.png" width="400" /></a></div></span></div><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-3f9a76b9-7fff-e1a9-b11d-1acd7f7a0222"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How does it work?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Two-factor authentication requires the additional step of entering a passcode along with a username and password, making it much more difficult for someone with bad intent to obtain login information and access the data of the clients you serve. There are multiple ways a passcode can be provided to staff, including through the vendor app, a text message, a phone call or through the use of a hardware token. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is a hardware token?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hardware tokens are physical devices, typically keychain-sized, that allow individuals to secure access systems remotely by generating an authentication key in the form of numbers or letters. Users input the key after an initial login to access the system.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Colorado, through the state’s Interoperability Program, is working on turning on 2FA for several state-run applications including </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Child Care Automated Tracking System (CHATS), Colorado Child Welfare Training System (Trails), and the Colorado Benefits Management System (CBMS)</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Earlier this fall, 2FA was successfully turned on for Colorado’s Automated Child Support Enforcement System (ASCES).</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Turning on two-factor authentication is just another step the state is taking to keep Coloradans’ data safe. It’s something that we encourage everyone to take advantage of to protect their own data with their personal email accounts, applications, online banking and everything in between.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today’s blog comes from Megan Tobias, Communications Manager</span></p></span></div></span>Office of Information Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03039360307535147046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877927883151802133.post-66870056131547599742020-10-27T15:12:00.001-06:002020-10-27T15:12:57.103-06:00It's a trap! Take these quick actions to avoid being an easy target for cyber criminals<span id="docs-internal-guid-4af0fe75-7fff-78b9-60a5-a529dbaf6eb3"><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dujx7HSWy7U/X5iGNb6HR3I/AAAAAAAAA-U/FOWHLGg6reI1Wzh_9L2zbNJfPxpYqlQPQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/yura-fresh-dk4en2rFOIE-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1185" data-original-width="2048" height="231" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dujx7HSWy7U/X5iGNb6HR3I/AAAAAAAAA-U/FOWHLGg6reI1Wzh_9L2zbNJfPxpYqlQPQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h231/yura-fresh-dk4en2rFOIE-unsplash.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>A while back, I received a call from someone claiming to be from a company where a mail order of mine was delayed. They said they had a solution: If I gave them my full credit card number, instead of the final digits they had, they could send my order right away. I wasn’t believing it, so they reassured me that I could call customer service, but that they could save me time. I said “No, thanks” and hung up. When I called customer service, they had no record of anyone contacting me, but fixed the issue with my order and had it to me in no time. I later Googled the number of the person who called, and it had been associated with fraud.</span></div></span><span id="docs-internal-guid-4af0fe75-7fff-78b9-60a5-a529dbaf6eb3"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Use my story as a reminder to remain suspicious of calls, emails or texts asking for personal or financial information. There’s no harm in hanging up to find the legitimate customer service number, verifying the organization contacted you and confirming there’s an issue (by the way, your social security number can’t be suspended!).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This same cautious approach will help you protect your information online. Here are some ways to protect your information and prevent cybercrime:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><ol style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shield your credit/debit cards.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> After I experienced credit card fraud for the third time in a year, the customer service representative said I might want to use radio-frequency identification (RFID) wallets. The chip on credit/debit cards has a frequency used by some point-of-sale devices when making purchases, opening a window for thieves holding a radio frequency scanner within 10 feet of you to skim your account information. For the most part, RFID wallets can shield your cards and I haven’t had further instances of credit card fraud since I started using one. </span><a href="https://www.webroot.com/us/en/resources/tips-articles/credit-cards-protection" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Read more on this and how to prevent other types of credit/debit card fraud</span><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><br /></span></a></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Set alerts for your credit/debit cards and bank accounts.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Get notified via email, phone or text when transactions exceed a specified amount. Then let your credit card company know when and where you travel so they don’t block your card (thinking it’s a fraudulent charge). This also helps them act faster on any suspicious charges while you’re away.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><br /></span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Back up your data.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Regularly back up data on your devices to a secure cloud service and/or external storage. Nowadays, portable drives are small, can hold lots of data and are reasonably priced. Most ransomware attacks occur when you click on a link in an email or text, which installs ransomware that encrypts your device or data. Having a backup of your data ensures you don’t have to pay the perpetrators to unencrypt your data.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><br /></span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Protect your devices and internet connections.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Install antivirus software on your devices (including your home Wi-Fi) for real-time protection against viruses and malware, and use two-factor authentication for your email and any important accounts that offer the option. Additionally, use a virtual private network (VPN) to encrypt your online connection and protect your private data from prying eyes, especially when using public Wi-Fi.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><br /></span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Keep your devices updated.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Maintain the current operating system on your devices to prevent cybercriminals from exploiting vulnerabilities, which they can use to gain access to your devices and data.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><br /></span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Use complex passwords.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Systems and their passwords can and do get compromised. Apply a strategy of increased password complexity based on the value of the account and data at stake. For those with a high value, make passwords more complex and change them more frequently. Best practice is to create a password of at least 10 characters with a combination of letters, symbols and numbers, while avoiding dictionary words, even if you replace certain letters with numbers or symbols—ideally not using the same password on multiple sites. You may want to try an application that generates random and complex passwords, or a password management application that can securely store your passwords.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><br /></span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don’t go phishing.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Be careful not to click unsolicited emails. That alone may give a third party access to your contacts, which exposes them to spam and phishing. Clicking a link within the unsolicited email also may install a virus.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><br /></span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Avoid advertising your information on social media.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Cybercriminals may be able to access your accounts with just a few data points. If you share personal information on social media, such as the names of pets or family members, criminals might be able to guess the answers to security questions for your accounts. Also, if you share where you’re vacationing, perpetrators will know your current location and that you’re not home, which makes both locations vulnerable. Use caution and consider announcing where you traveled and posting your photos after you return home.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><br /></span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stay alert for security breaches.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> About 3.5 billion people had their personal data stolen in the</span><a href="https://www.csoonline.com/article/2130877/the-biggest-data-breaches-of-the-21st-century.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">two biggest breaches of this century</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. If you have an account with an organization that experiences a breach, find out what data was stolen and immediately change your password. Take advantage of any free subscriptions to identity protection services offered by the organization and if you can afford it, consider paying for your own subscription—most services will reimburse you for financial loss due to identity theft and provide legal protection.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><br /></span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Protect your children.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Instead of blocking channels, talk to your kids about how to safely use the internet and let them know they can talk to you if they experience online bullying or harassment. Protect their devices as you would your own, and look into applications that protect them from accessing malicious and inappropriate sites.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><br /></span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Report it.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> If you think you’ve been a victim of cybercrime, fraud or identity theft, alert the local police, FBI (in some cases) or the</span><a href="https://www.identitytheft.gov/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Federal Trade Commission</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. This helps authorities stop criminals from victimizing others in the future. Then notify the organizations where your accounts may have been compromised or stolen. Also, request a copy of your credit report.</span></p></li></ol><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today’s blog comes from Scott Davis, Security Risk & Compliance Senior Analyst</span></p><div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Office of Information Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03039360307535147046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877927883151802133.post-59337409814440154252020-10-26T13:38:00.004-06:002020-10-26T16:20:54.540-06:00Keep your cool as election interference heats up<p><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8EUko4onqZ8/X5clIZUDdHI/AAAAAAAAA94/-rE8WliQ8Qch_vPxocVCbzL29w8M0W_mACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/element5-digital-2i7Dn2uMEQE-unsplash.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="I voted stickers" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1367" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8EUko4onqZ8/X5clIZUDdHI/AAAAAAAAA94/-rE8WliQ8Qch_vPxocVCbzL29w8M0W_mACLcBGAsYHQ/w214-h320/element5-digital-2i7Dn2uMEQE-unsplash.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Election season is here, which means temperatures are cooling down, political ads are heating up and cybercriminals are ready to take advantage of the chaotic atmosphere.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; white-space: pre-wrap;">The 2016 presidential election saw unprecedented misinformation and disinformation campaigns. We expect more of the same as we enter the home stretch before Election Day on November 3, along with email scams meant to steal personal or business information. </span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold has </span><a href="https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/newsRoom/pressReleases/2020/PR20201020Misinformation.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">launched an initiative</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to fight foreign interference, but it’s up to each of us to stay alert and protect ourselves. You may receive emails about the election, candidates, results, or other enticing information tailor-made to share. Remain skeptical and always check with legitimate sources, such as </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.sos.state.co.us/voter/pages/pub/home.xhtml">GoVoteColorado.gov</a></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, before sharing with your family and friends. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; white-space: pre-wrap;">With just over a week to go, we all play a role in upholding the integrity of our democratic right to vote. Here’s what to look out for as we near the finish line:</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-b80d00d9-7fff-48d3-aa94-e1016e9d4730"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-b80d00d9-7fff-48d3-aa94-e1016e9d4730"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ransomware</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is back with a vengeance, affecting state and local governments as well as businesses of all sizes. It is typically contracted through email (phishing), often as a malicious attachment or link. Be extra vigilant and never enable macros on an attachment sent to you unsolicited.</span></span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-b80d00d9-7fff-48d3-aa94-e1016e9d4730"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An email requesting you to log in to a site</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (providing your username and password) to view an attached document is the most common way credentials may be stolen. Either contact the sender to verify its legitimacy or simply delete! Protect yourself with two-factor authentication any place it’s offered—your personal email is likely the key to unlocking the rest of your accounts.</span></span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-b80d00d9-7fff-48d3-aa94-e1016e9d4730"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Misinformation and disinformation</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> come in many forms, so think before you link. Check several sources before sharing content on social media or through email and be wary of content that is meant to manipulate your emotions or sow distrust and division.</span></span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Today's blog comes from Deborah Blyth, OIT's Chief Information Security Officer</i></span></span></div></span>Office of Information Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03039360307535147046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877927883151802133.post-2538438781331272312020-08-17T13:35:00.004-06:002020-08-18T15:16:11.393-06:00Getting Answers for Critical Assistance, Fast<br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The more than 1.3 million Coloradans who depend on food, cash, and medical assistance to maintain a safe and healthy livelihood for themselves and their families rightfully expect the state to timely deliver benefits, communications, and documentation to avoid adding stress to an already trying situation.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br />When they have questions regarding their assistance, Coloradans similarly expect the state to do everything possible to respond quickly. Before August 2019, they could contact call center agents about <a href="https://coloradopeak.secure.force.com/">Colorado PEAK®</a>—the online portal where customers apply for, change, and renew benefits—during business hours through phone calls, emails, and live online chats. However, for many in the workforce, attempting to contact support services between 7:30 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. simply isn’t an option. For others, pressing issues don’t allow for lengthy waiting periods. With 192,000 customers accessing their PEAK accounts in any given month, the need for an equitable solution was clear.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Getting customers answers, fast </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /><br />In partnership with our vendor, we explored cost-effective, agile, and innovative solutions that would improve the customer experience within PEAK and get Coloradans the answers they need, when they need them. The result was a chatbot, implemented in August 2019, with a conversational user interface that can process natural language to answer customer inquiries, direct them to other resources, or connect them to a live agent if they need a higher level of support. Here are just a few examples of what customers can find by either selecting a category or typing their own question:</span><br />
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<br /><b>Help, learn, repeat</b><br /><br />Over time, the PEAK Chatbot learns from each conversation so that it can continue to improve its fluency and understand intent, including a growing recognition of common spelling errors. In the first few months, 77% of customers said the Chatbot understood their question and that number is expected to grow. Additionally, its adaptability allows the state to quickly implement new functionality in the face of ever-changing global or national economic and health care headwinds.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Getting results, with more to come</b><br /><br />Comparing customer interactions today from a year ago, the PEAK Chatbot has helped a new population of Coloradans receive help on critical questions regarding their benefits. As the other PEAK support options—calls, live chats, and emails—remained flat, the Chatbot increased the number of customers served monthly by 335%. For agents, who handle about 125 live chats per day, Chatbot has been an incredible asset during challenging times and will only become more instrumental as customers discover its potential.<br /><br />L</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ong term, the Chatbot will continue to provide customers with high-quality, around-the-clock assistance. As it continues to learn and enhancements are implemented, customers will receive more and more personalized experiences. In the ever-changing economic and health care landscape, the ability of the PEAK Chatbot to quickly respond to disruptions and then adapt will allow all Coloradans to feel a sense of stability and assurance that their benefits are secure and their concerns addressed, even in challenging times.</span></div>
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<i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today's blog comes from Fred Bauters, OIT's Health IT Communications Manager</i></div>
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Office of Information Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03039360307535147046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877927883151802133.post-1156013420031245522020-08-07T14:15:00.003-06:002020-08-07T14:28:29.826-06:00Racial Equity and Animal Advocacy?<p><span face="" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">During a recent All Hands virtual meeting there was a call to action to look at </span><a href="https://www.eddiemoorejr.com/21daychallenge" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge ©</span></a><span face="" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I started to pursue this challenge by reading Peggy McIntosh’s </span><span face="" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-c75ba757-7fff-3a2f-1198-c5b826c4ef5e"><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the article, McIntosh lists 25 extraordinarily common things that identify the way white privilege operates in her life. It's often easy to identify when a person is the victim of racism. It is harder to recognize when your normal experience is a product of privilege. Privilege is not experienced consciously; racism is. I want you to read the article for yourself so I will only choose one of the 25 items she listed:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">that I will not be followed or harassed.” </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although I may have recognized this as an issue for people of color, I absolutely didn’t think of how when I walk into a store the advantage of my racial identity doesn’t make me suspect. It has never been in question. It was the way the world saw me. I had no context of what any other experience was like, even though I knew it existed. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://www.eddiemoorejr.com/21daychallenge" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="197" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b98NHiMw5Go/Xy2xdsDU2uI/AAAAAAAAA8M/60ObDL7151YfdUVcDnaj_cZEFu7ax4FWQCLcBGAsYHQ/w262-h197/21-day-challenge2.png" width="262" /></a></div></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">McIntosh’s list was created in 1989 - more than 30 years ago - yet remarkably more than half of the 25 statements on the list provoked some new understanding on the ease of which I walk through the world. The article encourages readers to make their own list, so I started to think of aspects of my life experience and see what a list in the world around me would look like. It did not take long to find glaring examples.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Outside of my work at the state, I work with non-profits on animal welfare for homeless pets, and this challenge quickly revealed aspects of my life affected by racial equity. Once a week I attend an early morning call with animal welfare nonprofits from across the country. Although it is mostly animal-centric, the group leaders brought forth the conversation of how racism and diversity are handled in the animal sheltering world. And it came with a stark recognition. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Animal sheltering and welfare is populated by people with infinite compassion for homeless pets. But I completely missed there was a lack of compassion and inclusion not afforded to a large part of the human population by this same seemingly compassionate group of people. Namely, animal welfare in the homeless pet industry is predominantly white. And not just from the staff and volunteers, but from the adoption and fosters we depend on to help us save the lives of homeless pets. Not for the disinterest from people of color, but from the standing homogeneity and current power structure that marginalizes people even in this kind hearted environment.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For instance, Pets for Life data states 3% of pet owners in underserved areas studied acquired a pet from a shelter/rescue. Nationwide, it is 30%. The perception of many in the field is that it is the people, not the system, that causes the low adoption rate. But we have learned that is not true through data and studies. The shelter community doesn't serve these areas populated predominantly by people of color. The discounting of this community not only is a disservice to the pets (the core mission), but it also represents the racism in the homeless pet community. The shelter industry does not equally engage people of color to help save lives.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In conversations with many people during and after that meeting, I realized the industry is rife with a passive, unrecognized racism. Not only are there few people of color as leaders, but there is a systemic issue that prevents people of color fostering or adopting pets. My list started with a simple corollary to the shopping item on McIntosh’s list:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I can adopt or foster a homeless pet, pretty well assured </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">that I will not be rejected for the color of my skin.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I could also say the same for volunteering in a shelter. My race allows me privilege in working in the world of animal advocacy.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Creating our own list exposes the way we pay attention to what is going on around us and the intersectionality of different power structures. In this case, I discovered the way the animal rights movement and racial equity movement intersect. It exposes everyday activities that I take part in have racist overtones, previously invisible to me, and most of my associates engaging in otherwise compassionate, charitable work.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3v2OPAZnNh0/Xy207yUKbaI/AAAAAAAAA8o/-L2DTtHq5ywUMdUvopEm-1Oxtwbwv3FvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s980/equality%2Bchallenge.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="980" height="230" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3v2OPAZnNh0/Xy207yUKbaI/AAAAAAAAA8o/-L2DTtHq5ywUMdUvopEm-1Oxtwbwv3FvwCLcBGAsYHQ/w410-h230/equality%2Bchallenge.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><span face="" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have continued to pursue the 21-Day Challenge, reading most of the material, watching videos, and listening to podcasts. I intend to continue increasing my list. It helps make the </span><span face="" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">invisible visible. It’s not enough to understand where someone’s position puts them at a disadvantage. It is just as important, maybe more so, to recognize how your identity may put you at an advantage you never noticed.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This will be a difficult and uncomfortable place to go. I encourage you to put yourself in this uncomfortable position. That’s why it is called a challenge. I highly recommend you push yourself to schedule time to take and pursue the 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Today's blog comes from Davyd Smith, OIT's IT Director supporting DNR & DOLA</i></span></p><div><span face="" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>Office of Information Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03039360307535147046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877927883151802133.post-3118779854748441872020-07-31T11:03:00.001-06:002020-07-31T11:41:28.399-06:00I was approved for a $100K HELOC loan using the Colorado Digital ID™<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-weight: 400;">Are you using your Colorado Digital ID™ for purchases and services requiring identification within our state? It’s a convenient, legal form of identification that’s with you all the time on your smartphone! As the myColorado project manager, I might be a little biased, but when I’m out and about, I take every opportunity possible to see which <a href="https://mycolorado.state.co.us/mycolorado-partners" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Colorado businesses are accepting the Digital ID.</span></a> Below are just a few examples I discovered! </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br />My husband and I were sitting on the patio of a German restaurant here in beautiful Colorado enjoying a couple of pilsners when we heard a small commotion across from us. The server was asking a young man to provide his ID to serve him alcohol. He was seated at the table with what appeared to be his older brother and their parents, and they were telling the server that he was over 21 years old. After several minutes of back and forth, the frustrated young man stood up, grabbed his phone, and stomped off to his car in search of his wallet and physical driver license. I wanted to sprint over and let him know all about the Colorado Digital ID that’s stored in the myColorado™ mobile app Wallet. It’s simple to set up and use, and it’s an official form of identification backed by<span style="color: blue;"> <span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AvjHQ_BjFIrmhrffcLekNO8827Iy2CNJ/view">Executive Order</a> </span>B 2019 013</span>, signed by Governor Polis on October 30, 2019. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I had an experience similar to my friend at the German restaurant - I had left my wallet at home, but the Digital ID came to my rescue. Our washing machine had given up after 15 years and the dryer was holding on by a thread. My husband and I headed to a major hardware store in the area in search of replacements. After we chose what we wanted, the store clerk offered us a 12-month interest-free option for current customers. My husband had never set up an account with them, so they had to use my profile to take advantage of the offer. Often, I don’t bring my wallet when shopping with my husband, and this was the case on that day. Therefore, I showed my Digital ID to help the store clerk find my account and he didn’t flinch! The clerk diligently verified the information on my Digital ID with his computer records and within minutes I was approved to purchase a brand new washer and dryer. </span></div>
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<span style="border: none; clear: right; display: inline-block; float: right; height: 137px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; overflow: hidden; width: 214px;"><img height="158.69875776397515" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/9Xm71Tah_qpyHqAUJG3aDYAjM0d1aSwHvBOitzOpBM6-DhE3SUBS_4yBvq3UJo6w8tcI6_D9s1ov_lN9nbBvoo4EYexheLNNOTimB39VY6LMFrjqguCbMpXqIGzDYE9W62czPKf7" style="margin-left: -28.474px; margin-top: -21.6988px;" width="277.6216216216216" /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Next, loaded with confidence, I decided to put a bank to the test. My husband and I had applied for a $100,000 home equity line of credit, or HELOC. When the time came to close on the loan, we were directed to a conference room at the bank to sign documents and present our IDs. While this time I had my physical ID tucked away in my purse, I was not going to pull it out unless absolutely necessary. (Note: The Executive Order states that merchants may accept the Digital ID, but are not required to at this time.) The bank official asked us for our IDs to take a photocopy of them. I showed my Colorado Digital ID on my iPhone. A bit puzzled, the banker called a notary public into the conference room to validate our identity and proceed with loan execution. I realized that by presenting a Digital ID, no hard copies of my physical ID would be taken. Therefore, this was a more secure process to protect my identity since a hard copy of my physical ID would not end up in a folder in the bank's files.</span><span id="docs-internal-guid-70d66b4c-7fff-3c88-d8f1-ddd856553bb5"></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br />A digital form of identity is here to stay, grow, and evolve. In the last couple of years, I have noticed that friends and family members are increasingly leaving their wallets behind and carrying only their smartphones since many financial transactions can be conducted digitally without a physical debit or credit card. The same goes for providing proof of age, address, and identity here in Colorado! When ordering a drink at a local bar or restaurant, making big purchases, or applying for a loan, you can rely on the Digital ID. <br /><br /><br />Download myColorado and set up your Colorado Digital ID today! For more information, visit <a href="https://mycolorado.state.co.us/">myColorado.state.co.us</a>. <br /><br />_____________________________________________________________________________</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br />How to set up your Colorado Digital ID:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Download the myColorado app on your smartphone from the Apple App or Google Play store</span><span id="docs-internal-guid-df5ff23e-7fff-1b24-6ffa-60aa3605ecd0"></span></li>
<li>Scan the PDF 417 barcode of the back of your physical driver license or state ID card</li>
<li>Create an account and get authenticated to access your Digital ID</li>
<li>Start showing your Digital ID as proof of identity, age, and residency within Colorado</li>
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</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Note: Because the Digital ID is new and is not accepted everywhere yet, be sure to carry your physical driver license or state ID card wherever you go.</i></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-7fdd1236-7fff-a104-f388-9629ac951b1c"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Today’s blog comes from Olga Klinger, Project Manager with OIT’s Customer Office. </i></span></span></span><br />
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Office of Information Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03039360307535147046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877927883151802133.post-35075404845484741272020-07-24T12:42:00.000-06:002020-07-24T12:42:11.754-06:00 The Great Toilet Paper Cyber Hack of 2020: Part 2 - Lessons Learned <br /><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Stop! Before proceeding, check out <a href="https://stateofcoit.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-great-toilet-paper-cyber-hack-of.html">Part 1 of the Great Toilet Paper Cyber Hack of 2020</a> - posted on July 10, 2020.<br /></span><h3>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Lessons Learned</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />When I reached out to Hal several weeks later to ask all the questions that kept nagging me about this activity, I learned that Hal had taken several actions to ensure this would never happen again. Hal and I agreed that we should share those as lessons learned.<br /><br /><b>1) Shop From Known Merchants</b><br /><br />As mentioned in Part 1, it’s always best to be suspicious of unsolicited advertisements on social media sites, in emails, and anyplace encountered. No doubt, many of these sites are legitimate with legitimate products to sell; however, as Hal experienced, many of these are created for malicious purposes. Some of these purposes might include: <br /><ul><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lWDBgO_HFOY/XxsqkFLAM1I/AAAAAAAAA7A/MFX-fwVp2eoDeXNyR1K5CuTOK4C-21TMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/49112628032_b5803b1cca_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lWDBgO_HFOY/XxsqkFLAM1I/AAAAAAAAA7A/MFX-fwVp2eoDeXNyR1K5CuTOK4C-21TMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/49112628032_b5803b1cca_o.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">obtaining your credit card, your password, or other personal information; </span></li>
<li>enticing you to donate to a fake charitable cause;</li>
<li>or to download malware onto your system.</li>
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In Hal’s case, he got a double dose - the site he accessed sold him a fraudulent product and downloaded malware onto his system. <br /><br />Another point - pay attention to where the items are coming from and where the business is located. Unless you specifically desire a foreign-made product, it’s probably safer to buy from U.S. suppliers.<br /><br /><b>2) Use Two-Factor Authentication</b><br /><br />Use two-factor authentication on all accounts where it is offered, such as social media, bank, shopping, and - most importantly - email accounts. This will help prevent access to your accounts should your credentials be stolen. Additionally, never reuse your passwords across multiple accounts. If the account credentials for one site are obtained, you don’t want them to be used to compromise other accounts.<br /><br /><b>3) Don’t Store Account Credentials in Your Browser</b><br /><br />This one is challenging, I know, but refrain from allowing your browser to store your account credentials. It may seem a convenience but as Hal experienced, if an attacker gains access to your computer, it’s relatively easy to extract and decrypt those credentials out of your browser. Even a rookie can do it! Use a password manager to safeguard your passwords, and ensure you authenticate to that tool using two-factor authentication.<br /><br /><b>4) Lock Your Computer</b><br /><br />Additionally, Hal mentioned that he now locks his computer when he isn’t using it, and for good measure, he never leaves his browser windows open and logged in to his accounts.<br /><br /><b>5) Backup Your Files</b><br /><br />Reloading his computer didn’t concern Hal at all because he had a regular backup schedule and was confident he wouldn't lose any important pictures, documents, or other data. I know many people who back up their data to a cloud service, and many others who use a USB-connected drive. Either of these will work as long as you appropriately safeguard access to your backups. This means two-factor authenticated access to your cloud provider, or ensuring that you disconnect the USB drive and store it somewhere safe. Do not keep it connected to your computer or in your laptop bag once you are done with the backup!<br /></span><h3>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A Happy Ending</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />Hal assured me that his reloaded computer is working better than ever and that he’s confident this will not happen to him again. Additionally, his cabinets are now stocked full of Charmin Ultra Soft Mega rolls - the authentic product! He committed to never allow his supply get low enough during a global crisis to be tempted to order from any previously unheard of Chinese site! Oh, and subsequently, we learned that Charmin makes their product right here in the U.S.A., so there is no need to send away to China to get this essential product!</span><div>
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Today's blog comes from State of Colorado Chief Information Security Officer Debbi Blyth.</i></div>
Office of Information Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03039360307535147046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877927883151802133.post-5263060392483652912020-07-10T14:58:00.000-06:002020-07-24T12:10:56.714-06:00The Great Toilet Paper Cyber Hack of 2020: Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XX29cTwfOzM/XwjVYL1XxuI/AAAAAAAAA6A/S4cPICofNpk3KHY7PW1kLv55-aY2jfKLwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/toilet-paper-4942735_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XX29cTwfOzM/XwjVYL1XxuI/AAAAAAAAA6A/S4cPICofNpk3KHY7PW1kLv55-aY2jfKLwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/toilet-paper-4942735_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A friend of mine told me this story about how his computer was hacked in his search for toilet paper. This occurred in late March 2020 - when toilet paper was non-existent in stores across the nation. My friend “Hal” (not his real name) told me that he found some Charmin Ultra Soft toilet paper available for purchase online. He did some price comparison and found it to be a fair price - not gouging and not cheap, but reasonably priced. There was nothing unusual to indicate that it might not be authentic, so he ordered it. He was expecting a package of 60 Mega rolls, which should last a while.<br /><br />Within a day his credit card company informed him that he had attempted to make a purchase from a company in China - it was the toilet paper purchase! Hal authorized it, figuring that is probably where Charmin is made or that it might simply be the only company or warehouse where Charmin was still in existence. And realizing at that point, that the Charmin was coming from China, Hal prepared to wait for his toilet paper. Note: Being the good friend that I was, at this point, I brought him a package of toilet paper!<br /><br />A couple of weeks later, Hal was out shopping - probably for toilet paper - and kept receiving unrequested second-factor access codes from his bank and retirement account providers. That was a clear tip-off that someone was attempting to access those accounts. He came home to discover some very unusual activity had occurred on his computer while he was out. He noticed that several browser sessions were open using a browser that he didn’t typically use, and that these browser windows were logged into a few of his accounts! He immediately took the computer to his local computer center to have it reloaded; they confirmed that malware was present on the system.<br /><br />Over the next several weeks, Hal worked with his credit card company, Amazon, and PayPal to have fraudulent charges reversed, and with his bank and retirement account providers to change account information and reset credentials. Additionally, he changed all the passwords saved in his browser and implemented two-factor authentication on all of his accounts. The total charges to be reversed were in excess of $1,000 and this consumed almost two full weeks of Hal’s time! Fortunately, the world had recently gone into quarantine-lockdown, so Hal didn’t have a lot of other things to do. <br /><br />Adding to the time, delay, and frustration was the fact that most merchant and bank employees had become remote and were not immediately reachable by phone. Almost all of these inquiries and transactions had to be done by email, with return calls by phone, adding hours and days of delay.<br /><br />Sometime during account cleanup, the long-awaited toilet paper arrived! It came in a box about the size of a shoebox. 60 Mega rolls of toilet paper fit in a box the size of a shoebox!!! So much for lasting a while! So Hal taped the package back together and sent it back to whence it came!<br /><br />Hal realized that his computer hack and the fraudulent “Charmin” toilet paper from China were related, and he’s confident that when he visited the site to order the toilet paper - or when he returned to check the status of his order - he also received malware. What is interesting is that a few weeks had elapsed from when Hal ordered the toilet paper and when the attacker became noticeably active on Hal’s computer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Digging A Bit Deeper</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When I asked Hal how he came upon this site from which he ordered the toilet paper he said that he saw an advertisement on social media. Ah-ha! One lesson learned: never click on advertisements you see on social media sites. Always shop from known and reputable sources. A typical indicator of fraud is that the item is priced significantly lower than its alternatives. In other words, if the price seems too good to </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">be true, be wary. In this case, </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">that </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">particular warning flag was not present.<br /><br />But this issue nagged at me for several weeks as I thought about how the attacker used a completely separate browser on Hal’s computer, a browser that Hal does not use, to access Hal’s accounts. So I reached back out to Hal and asked a few more questions…<br /><br />Of course, all my questions would have been easily answered if we could have obtained a forensic examination of Hal’s computer. But Hal had already dropped it off at the computer center and his computer had been reloaded before he told me about the issue. <br /><br />I determined two potential scenarios in which access to Hal’s accounts may have occurred... </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Scenario #1: Keylogger</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The attacker may have installed keylogger software on Hal’s computer and simply captured passwords when he logged in to his accounts. This could certainly explain why there were a few weeks of dormancy before the attacker became active - he had to wait for Hal to log in to collect account credentials.<br /><br />But Hal told me that he typically saves his password in his browser, and uses those saved credentials when accessing his accounts so he doesn’t have to remember the password. So while a keylogger may have been installed, it wasn’t likely the source of the password collection.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Scenario #2: Browser Password Extraction</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A scenario started to form in my mind that somehow Hal’s passwords were extracted from the browser he typically uses. I could see this in a physical scenario in which I might be logged in to my computer with my preferred browser open, and then walk away without locking my computer. Someone (officemate or housemate) could potentially get on my machine, navigate to Amazon, and log in as me since the credentials would be automatically populated by my browser (assuming I had them saved). However, they would have to use the browser that I typically use. This scenario would not work if they attempted to access Amazon using a completely different browser. Was the attacker just showing off?<br /><br />Another thought. If my officemate or housemate wanted to know what my Amazon account password was, they could access the security setting on my browser and “see” my password! But as I chatted with Hal about this, he reminded me that the attacker would have to know my master password in order to see the passwords saved for each account.<br /><br />All of the components of the scenario I described above are related to a person attempting to access the computer physically, in person. Similarly, in the virtual world, the attacker would have to remotely access the system, pose as Hal, and either use the currently running browser or launch a new instance of Hal’s favorite browser. This would have likely worked with the remote access the attacker had, but Hal saw no evidence of the attacker having used the browser he left open. And if the attacker did take over the running browser, why would he go to the trouble of using a completely separate browser to log in to Hal’s accounts? It would be a silly and unnecessary step!<br /><br />It occurred to me that this attacker was a one-trick pony. He had a tool that he liked to use to extract the passwords out of the most common types of browsers, including the one that Hal typically uses. And like Hal, this attacker had a preferred browser too, and it was a browser that Hal doesn’t use. In fact, that browser application didn’t even exist on Hal’s computer before the attack, so the attacker actually installed it!<br /><br />When Hal visited the toilet paper advertising site, unbeknownst to him, he downloaded malware, which was executed using Hal’s privileges. This malware was likely a remote access program, and since it was running with Hal’s permissions, it looked to the system as if it was Hal. This attacker then loaded his own toolkit onto Hal’s computer. The toolkit consisted of a piece of software designed to retrieve and decrypt passwords from specific types of browsers, and it also included the browser application that the attacker likes to use.<br /><br />The attacker’s software allowed him to issue a command, posing as Hal, to run a process extracting all the valuable information out of Hal’s browser, including his browsing history, bookmarks, and web browsing cookies. Most damaging, this software also retrieved all of the encrypted account data out of the browser, and decrypted it into a plaintext file. This file, now accessible to the attacker, contained a list of all of the sites (URLs) for which Hal had stored access credentials in his browser, including his username and password for each!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A Rookie!</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I’m convinced that this attacker was a rookie, not a professional hacker. Here are a couple of reasons why...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Obvious Actions</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The attacker used the browser he loaded on Hal’s system to attempt to get into Hal’s accounts. This activity could have been observed at any time, by Hal! A professional hacker would have retrieved the file containing the decrypted account credentials and moved it to another system. Professional hackers often automate many of these actions so they can retrieve as many account credentials from as many people as possible, in the shortest time duration. And whether or not they use the data themselves, it often ends up for sale on illegal sites. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Didn’t Hide His Tracks</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Most likely Hal caught the attack in action, which is why he saw the browser, and why the malware was observed by the computer center. A professional attacker typically erases all tracks of his existence to lessen the risk of detection and give him more time to make money or purchases using the stolen data.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Daytime Activity</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Had the attacker waited until typical North American “sleeping” hours, Hal might not have caught the activity for a while and the attacker would have had more time to access more accounts. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Triggering Fraud Detection Systems </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The attacker kept attempting to get into Hal’s bank and retirement accounts, even though the authentication process kept prompting for the two-factor authentication code. This alerted the account providers that the accounts were being attacked, and they took immediate action to safeguard the account. This also tipped off Hal that someone was attempting to access his accounts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Stay tuned for "Lessons Learned" in Part 2, coming next week.....</span><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Today's blog comes from State of Colorado Chief Information Security Officer Debbi Blyth.</i></div>
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Office of Information Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03039360307535147046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877927883151802133.post-50071144082797862102020-07-02T11:28:00.000-06:002020-07-02T11:52:05.944-06:00Have a happy & responsible 4th of July!<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The beginning of the state’s new fiscal year also coincides with the 4th of July holiday. With the COVID-19 pandemic still upon us, the State of Colorado wants you to have a fun but responsible holiday weekend. </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #263238;">Whether you are enjoying Colorado’s great, vast outdoors or celebrating with a classic cookout, the state has provided some additional steps to keep one another and our communities safe.</span> </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f8OMyZ9-t_s/Xv4beBXSj0I/AAAAAAAAA5Q/eocZQNY8X7Qn4K6c7HObCminMwWPWQRogCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/11836034_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="630" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f8OMyZ9-t_s/Xv4beBXSj0I/AAAAAAAAA5Q/eocZQNY8X7Qn4K6c7HObCminMwWPWQRogCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/11836034_0.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<ul><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Make it safer</b> - if you choose to participate in in-person activities, keep it small, keep your distance from others, wash your hands frequently, and wear a mask. Don’t be afraid to change your plans if you feel uncomfortable about the risk.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Know before you go</b> - check fire bans and local COVID-19-related rules at your destination. If you plan to play in the great outdoors be prepared with appropriate supplies. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Prevent fires</b> - It’s fire season, and this year we need to be even more careful due to added threats due to COVID-19. We want to prevent situations where people have to evacuate their homes, firefighters have to deploy to camps, and smoke worsens summer air quality (and the impacts on people already at risk for breathing difficulty). This year, skip the fireworks and campfires. </span></li>
</span></ul>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Together we can slow the spread of the virus and help preserve the vast, great, outdoors where we all love to play.<br /><br />How to spend the holiday weekend responsibly outdoors - </span><br />
<ul><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Remember to play it safe and be respectful outside. While using this opportunity to spend time outdoors, please do so safely and responsibly. Our first responders and search and rescue teams are all facing these challenges along with us. Please avoid high-risk or remote activities, as accidents stemming from these types of activities may require extensive resources. Colorado Search and Rescue teams are prepared and ready to respond but could become overloaded if the number of calls increases and the number of available responders decreases.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Visit the <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__lnks.gd_l_eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDAsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMDA3MDIuMjM4MjA5OTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5jb2xvcmFkby5jb20vQ2FyZUZvckNvbG9yYWRvP3V0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX3NvdXJjZT1nb3ZkZWxpdmVyeSJ9.xHw8cyX2GVcoee3iC-5FLMp50BR5hYshNgrPOJ738wt1U_s_1115639601_br_80626545585-2Dl&d=DwMFAA&c=sdnEM9SRGFuMt5z5w3AhsPNahmNicq64TgF1JwNR0cs&r=qNtzPM9cVS6GaEqbYZfsaqoRjpATZymzXshIlWwaQE0&m=srln_LNDEwMhwbbU6GcOKRCOucxNaNj7woOsAjCqHdA&s=jXeB2zxehHxmfT0vjGKOQAzCpVQaPwmYddvk-2u1eLc&e=">Care for Colorado website</a> where you will find a fun, one-minute animated video called <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__lnks.gd_l_eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMDA3MDIuMjM4MjA5OTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5jb2xvcmFkby5jb20vdmlkZW9zLzUtc3RlcHMtY2FyZS1jb2xvcmFkYW5zP3V0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX3NvdXJjZT1nb3ZkZWxpdmVyeSJ9.vCTK5txn9G7wLngR-5F1qNDntgVdElzH-2Ds3NiaFtxEU8E_s_1115639601_br_80626545585-2Dl&d=DwMFAA&c=sdnEM9SRGFuMt5z5w3AhsPNahmNicq64TgF1JwNR0cs&r=qNtzPM9cVS6GaEqbYZfsaqoRjpATZymzXshIlWwaQE0&m=srln_LNDEwMhwbbU6GcOKRCOucxNaNj7woOsAjCqHdA&s=xZWSOZe3gXRFzX8tDtWV96OTRSQ3rf5L6cyF14feWWI&e=">Steps to Care for Coloradans</a> and the <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__lnks.gd_l_eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDIsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMDA3MDIuMjM4MjA5OTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2luZHVzdHJ5LmNvbG9yYWRvLmNvbS9zaXRlcy9kZWZhdWx0L2ZpbGVzL0NPX1RyYXZlbCUyMFNhZmV0eSUyMEVkaXRpb25fVjIucGRmP3V0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX3NvdXJjZT1nb3ZkZWxpdmVyeSJ9.bT-5FSHx7xH6UPCNGJ-5FRO41-2DL2lVn6JNJ0CggLGYEx25U_s_1115639601_br_80626545585-2Dl&d=DwMFAA&c=sdnEM9SRGFuMt5z5w3AhsPNahmNicq64TgF1JwNR0cs&r=qNtzPM9cVS6GaEqbYZfsaqoRjpATZymzXshIlWwaQE0&m=srln_LNDEwMhwbbU6GcOKRCOucxNaNj7woOsAjCqHdA&s=EHPDcnfTiGwhB3hqDisciVX_0WeQDHGj2cPcngcjxGM&e=">Are you Colo-Ready? Responsible Travel Edition</a> brochure designed especially for those using Colorado's trails.</span></li>
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How to reduce your risk this holiday - </span><br />
<ul><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The safest thing, for everyone, is to minimize your exposure to others. Activities like camping with people from your household using your equipment are lower risk than activities that involve more interpersonal interaction.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We do know there are risks associated with travel. Think through your travel plans. Make sure your plans are comfortable for you and your family. We want people to make summer plans in the great outdoors. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If you do travel, make sure that you understand and follow the rules at your destination. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Your mask is your passport to the Colorado you love. Make sure that you take it with you and wear it. Follow social distancing guidelines and wash your hands frequently.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Those looking to explore the outdoors should check out <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__lnks.gd_l_eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDMsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMDA3MDIuMjM4MjA5OTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3RyYWlscy5jb2xvcmFkby5nb3YvP3V0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX3NvdXJjZT1nb3ZkZWxpdmVyeSJ9.m-2DVRkXCRPLdC4m4UbCwY12QNI-2DdklcTbccN-5FJMKJrXs_s_1115639601_br_80626545585-2Dl&d=DwMFAA&c=sdnEM9SRGFuMt5z5w3AhsPNahmNicq64TgF1JwNR0cs&r=qNtzPM9cVS6GaEqbYZfsaqoRjpATZymzXshIlWwaQE0&m=srln_LNDEwMhwbbU6GcOKRCOucxNaNj7woOsAjCqHdA&s=N8Z-N5JGg8Hruqu8mVGFvAyHifqf-VKiYji62vZmwS4&e=">COTREX</a> to see what trails, trailheads and activities are permissible on state and federal public lands, and what isn’t crowded.</span></li>
</span></ul>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
How families can safely have holiday cookouts and gatherings - </span><br />
<ul><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Summer gatherings this holiday should look different compared to a typical summer. It’s important to keep your distance and keep gatherings small. We’re asking you to continue to have less interactions with less people and do so in a safe way by wearing a face covering, remaining 6ft away from others, and washing your hands frequently. Additionally, being in an outdoor environment is ideal - we have the benefit of climate and sunshine to modify/decrease transmission.</span></li>
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Please be sure to spread the word to your coworkers, friends, and family.</span><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Today's blog comes from OIT Chief Information Officer and Executive Director, Dr. Theresa M. Szczurek</i></div>
Office of Information Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03039360307535147046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877927883151802133.post-41486528891114450372020-06-26T13:23:00.000-06:002020-06-26T13:23:11.042-06:00MyBizColorado: A lesson in collaboration<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">One of the things I love about working at the Governor’s Office of Information Technology is the opportunity to see how innovative and creative our state can be. There are multiple ways this happens everyday in Colorado government, but this one caught my attention. Let me share with you a little bit about MyBiz Colorado...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">MyBizColorado is the award-winning system envisioned to achieve the goal of offering the best possible service to the business community. </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Spearheaded by the Governor’s Office and the Secretary of State, this project was implemented in collaboration with the Governor’s Office of Information Technology (OIT), the Statewide Internet Portal Authority (Colorado SIPA), the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, and Colorado Interactive. In addition to the project sponsors and team, participating agencies included the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Colorado Department of Revenue, Department of Regulatory Agencies, Governor’s Office of Economic Development & International Trade. This commitment gives Colorado its well-deserved “business-friendly” reputation that encourages so many new businesses to form here. In the first few months alone, thousands of business registrations and licenses were issued to users of the MyBizColorado system.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">MyBizColorado offers new businesses a website built with state of the art technology, a user-focused design, and streamlined procedures to help new companies get up and running successfully. What can you do by visiting MyBiz.Colorado.gov? You get a single system to interact with multiple state agencies responsible for new business creation, including the Secretary of State’s Office, Department of Revenue, Department of Labor and Employment, and Office of Economic Development & International Trade.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">MyBizColorado is accessible, intuitive, and efficiently helps businesses register with state agencies and obtain the necessary licenses and permits to begin operations. Users will find a resource library and tutorials to help plan and develop new businesses, and numerous prompts along the way that provide assistance or point you to a c</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ontact person who can answer questions. With MyBizColorado, users find everything they need in one place – instead of having to go to individual websites for the Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Revenue, and others.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">MyBizColorado, which is available in English and Spanish, is especially helpful for small businesses that do not have the resources or staff of big corporations but are vitally important to Colorado’s economy. In fact, small businesses in Colorado employ one million people, nearly half the state’s workforce.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">Clearly, Colorado welcomes new business and we’re all willing to lend a hand. We are proud that state agencies collectively built an exceptional tool and resource to support Colorado businesses and help our economy thrive. Click</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PezqnAbwC-k" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"> here</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"> to watch a short MyBizColorado video featuring Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Secretary of State Jena Griswold. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /><i>Today's blog comes from OIT External Relations Manager Jonita LeRoy, with contributions from OIT, SIPA, and MyBizColorado team members.</i></span></div>
Office of Information Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03039360307535147046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877927883151802133.post-61312860501330801182020-06-17T17:59:00.001-06:002020-06-18T13:10:07.533-06:00An Introduction to PEAK: Coloradans’ Connection to Essential Benefits<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LZhawLBktyQ/Xuql3oHWMfI/AAAAAAAAA4g/2wkH3MDLBd8YDQfE8OXs4nEyKUR2lQkPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/PEAK%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Colorado PEAK" border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="865" height="197" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LZhawLBktyQ/Xuql3oHWMfI/AAAAAAAAA4g/2wkH3MDLBd8YDQfE8OXs4nEyKUR2lQkPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/PEAK%2B%25282%2529.jpg" title="Colorado PEAK" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When Coloradans explore important benefit programs for which they might be eligible—whether it’s food, cash, medical, child care, or other assistance—they can either head to their local county office or use the <a href="https://coloradopeak.secure.force.com/">Colorado PEAK®</a> (Program Eligibility & Application Kit) online self-service portal.<br /><br />Launched in 2011, PEAK has grown from an alternative application method to an ever-expanding ecosystem of resources that help deliver a better customer experience and bring cost savings to the state through new efficiencies and emerging technologies such as Chatbots.<br /><br />PEAK—offered in English and Spanish—helps Coloradans discover a variety of benefit programs for which they might qualify through the Am I Eligible screening tool. If residents wish to jump right into the application, PEAK will guide them through the process, and in certain cases, provide immediate confirmation on whether they qualify for certain assistance.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">Why it’s critical we get it right</b></h3>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The state currently serves more than 1.3 million Coloradans who receive food, cash, medical, and child care assistance. Approximately 192,000 of those customers access their PEAK account within a given month to apply for new benefits, update their information, make payments, and more. Maintaining a system that adapts to their needs, is available 24/7, and provides extensive customer service ensures that thousands of our fellow neighbors continue to receive the support they need.<br /><br />Here’s a snapshot of some of the assistance programs for which Coloradans can apply through PEAK:</span><br />
<ul><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
<li>Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP)</li>
<li>Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP)</li>
<li>Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)</li>
<li>Health First Colorado (Colorado Medicaid)</li>
<li>RTD LiVE</li>
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<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">How it comes together</b></h3>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We’re never working on an island at OIT. Every project, service, application, and enhancement is borne from collaboration. For PEAK, decisions work their way through a robust team that includes the Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF), Department of Human Services (CDHS), Connect for Health Colorado, Deloitte, community partners, county leaders, and nonprofits.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">PEAK in a technical sense</b></h3>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The PEAK application moved onto the Salesforce platform in 2019, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. PEAK is able to provide Coloradans with critical assistance thanks to the Colorado Benefits Management System (CBMS), the statewide database system through which eligibility is determined for medical, food, and cash assistance programs. Each month, CBMS helps provide Coloradans with more than $60 million monthly in benefits and allows approximately 4,800 end users from the CDHS, HCPF, county departments of human services, Connect for Health Colorado, medical assistance sites, and presumptive eligibility sites to enter or view data.<br /><br />As you can imagine, every change to this system requires extensive exploration, discussion, vetting, and testing so that Coloradans’ security and privacy are maintained.<br /><br /><i>Fun fact: CBMS was moved from state data centers to Amazon Web Services (AWS) in 2018, becoming the first integrated eligibility and enrollment system in the nation to do so.</i></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">Building for the customer</b></h3>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Since its launch in 2011, PEAK continues to evolve to meet customer needs and the team behind it is always searching for the next evolution. In 2014, the PEAKHealth® app launched to offer a simple way to manage medical assistance benefits, and in 2018, the MyCOBenefits app launched to help Coloradans securely manage food and cash assistance benefits.<br /><br />One of the most exciting developments in PEAK’s brief history, PEAK Chatbot, was introduced last year. Instead of waiting for a call center agent or needing to find time during normal business hours, when most are working, the Chatbot allows customers to get the answers they need, when they need them. Compared with the previous year’s average, Chatbot helped serve 335 percent more customers. And just as exciting, the Chatbot continues to learn and improve through each conversation.<br /><br />The work to deliver benefits to Coloradans is never complete, and we’ll follow along with some of PEAK’s exciting developments through this blog. </span><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Today's blog comes from OIT's Health IT Communications Manager, Fred Bauters</i></div>
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Office of Information Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03039360307535147046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877927883151802133.post-84227873531726380112020-06-03T15:42:00.000-06:002020-06-04T12:11:16.686-06:00CIO Theresa Talks: Overcoming Social Injustice<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is an incredibly difficult and dark moment for our community—and for our state and for our country. Unfortunately the racial inequities and violence are not new. The tragic death of George Floyd and so many other people of color throughout our country’s history show how deep the challenges run. My heart is hurting alongside so many others who are feeling the pain of the needless death of another black person in America. But the reality is that this is much larger than the need to hold one officer or a few officers accountable. It’s about a pattern of injustice and unfair treatment that Black Americans and communities of color have endured, not only in our criminal justice system, but in every area of American society.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the State of Colorado and at the Governor’s Office of Information Technology (OIT), we stand with, support, and value the black community. We are angry, sad, afraid, frustrated. We grieve for the loss of life. We want people to make their voices heard peacefully, not through violence. We strive to turn our emotions into advocacy and positive action. We want to work together to overcome systematic racism and social injustice.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fcfeff; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I echo the words of Governor Polis, “As state employees, it’s our duty to not only deliver the best services we can to the people of Colorado, but it’s also our responsibility to help create a Colorado for All, where everyone has the opportunity to succeed, and everyone is treated with dignity and equality... </span><span style="background-color: #fcfeff; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The responsibility belongs to everyone—white, black, brown, local, state and national leaders, our law enforcement community—</span><span style="background-color: #fcfeff; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">everyone</span><span style="background-color: #fcfeff; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to ensure a more equitable society, and make good on our national promise of liberty and justice for all... </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now more than ever we need to lift each other up and do right by each other.</span><span style="background-color: #fcfeff; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Customers, vendors, employees, and Coloradans who we ultimately serve, let’s listen to each others’ experiences and share our own. We invite conversation and safe spaces where it’s okay to talk about things like racial injustice and the biases that exist in our society. With this listening and space at OIT, together we seek to create a plan and take action to move our organization to a place with more equity, diversity, safety, opportunity, and inclusion. We can use this dark moment to be beacons of hope and create a more positive future for all. Know that I am ready to do my part.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Martin Luther King, Jr. said, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> As you reflect on recent events, please also remember to take time to care for yourself and others. Know you are not alone. Stay safe. Take time off to heal and rejuvenate. Check in on those you care about. Do a random act of kindness, as it is contagious. Show love. Be the light… as a means to drive out darkness. In the words of Elizabeth George, “stars shine brightest in the darkest night.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Black Lives Matter in Colorado.</span></div>
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<i style="font-size: 13.2px;">Today's blog comes from OIT Chief Information Officer and Executive Director, Dr. Theresa M. Szczurek</i></div>
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Office of Information Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03039360307535147046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877927883151802133.post-44495393060032144962020-05-29T16:51:00.000-06:002020-06-02T15:14:12.508-06:00myColorado Connects Residents with COVID-19 Resources and State Services from Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As Coloradans continue staying safer at home, myColorado<sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">TM</span></sup> has proven to be a valuable tool. In fact, more than 51,000 residents have downloaded the State of Colorado’s official mobile app<sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">TM</span></sup> to use their Colorado Digital ID<sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">TM</span></sup>, receive COVID-19 updates, and access to state services such as driver license renewal and medical, food, cash, and early childhood assistance.<br /><br />Here are some other things you can do with myColorado:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Store vehicle registrations in the Wallet</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Access 17 DMV Services</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Search for online state services in one place</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Receive important state news</span></li>
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New features are continually being added to myColorado to provide additional value for Coloradans. For example, a menu of COVID-19 state and national resources can be accessed on the home screen without logging in or creating an account. Resources include access to the <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__dhsem.maps.arcgis.com_apps_webappviewer_index.html-3Fid-3D9d4c088bca3b4166994dcb0dbbec6f94&d=DwMFaQ&c=sdnEM9SRGFuMt5z5w3AhsPNahmNicq64TgF1JwNR0cs&r=2P3I6f0VOQkzSq-mvdD7vR4QoszO75lP8NeM_5h74tA&m=WXiwDWNyzEzDgPBQ1U7DSx8jLJ-1iaBnd3xkQ6-2OaE&s=zXmApAca2zW0DvaU9P7Ml2zmHngEeAwaRnU3KXdfypE&e=">School Free Lunch Sites Map</a>, <a href="https://unitedwaydenver.org/">United Way 2-1-1</a>, <a href="https://covid19.colorado.gov/covid19-symptoms">Do You Have Symptoms?</a>, <a href="https://www.coloradomaskproject.com/">Colorado Mask Project</a>, <a href="https://helpcoloradonow.org/">Help Colorado Now</a>, and more. <br /><br />Showing my Colorado Digital ID to merchants has been a great contactless alternative to providing my physical driver license for requesting products and services that require official identification. I also use the app to stay informed about COVID-19 and get up-to-date guidance from the state. <br /><br />Have you tried myColorado yet? You can download the app from the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mycolorado/id1447566714?ls=1&mt=8">Apple App Store</a> or <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.soc.mycolorado">Google Play</a> and explore the state’s many online services from the comfort of your home. That’s what I call #DoingMyPartCO. To learn more, visit <a href="http://mycolorado.state.co.us/">myColorado.state.co.us</a>.</span><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Today's blog comes from myColorado Communications Manager, Judy Wolff</i></div>
Office of Information Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03039360307535147046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877927883151802133.post-55803221859576378972020-05-22T16:06:00.004-06:002020-06-17T18:05:03.786-06:00CIO Theresa Talks: Go With the FLOW to Use the Polarity Strategy<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Polarities are part of everything in life, including ourselves. During life, there can be tensions between work and family, controlling and allowing, expanding and contracting state revenues, and more. Instead of seeing a polarity as a problem to solve, honor opposites in life and encourage dynamic movement between interdependent poles. When two or more poles are working together in harmony, the result is more energy, stability, and flow.<br /><br /><b>EXAMPLE.</b> Take expansive and contractive breathing cycles, explained by Barry Johnson in his seminal work Polarity Management. What's better -- breathing in or breathing out? Neither is better. Both are needed to exist. Exhalation and inhalation are not static, but part of "...an ongoing flow of shifting emphasis from one to the other and back again. Managing polarities requires choosing <b>BOTH</b> (emphasis added) inhaling <b>AND</b> (emphasis added) exhaling." <br /><br />During these challenging times we may need to “go with the flow” more often. So, how do you go with the flow?” Just like a pendulum moves between two poles with great energy, and without hindrance, use the FLOW technique to manage polarities into an integrated whole.<br /><br /><b>F</b> - Find your polarity. What polarity in your life needs attention?<br /><br /><b>L</b> - Learn. What are the two poles? Are you experiencing the downside of an overemphasis on one pole to the neglect of the other pole? Are you stuck so that you are not naturally flowing between poles?<br /><br /><b>O</b> - Oscillate. Become aware of what actions would allow a dynamic movement between your poles.<br /><br /><b>W</b> - Watch it work. As you observe the polarity at work (or not at work), take the necessary actions so that there is a healthy rhythm and flow between poles.<br /><br />The Polarity Strategy is one of six strategies that will help you successfully pursue a passionate purpose. Given the current pandemic situation, getting through this together requires us to dig in and actively manage polarities. Perhaps this is best said as, ROW with the FLOW.</span><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Today's blog comes from OIT Chief Information Officer and Executive Director, Dr. Theresa M. Szczurek</i></div>
Office of Information Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03039360307535147046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877927883151802133.post-57071854024678403882020-05-12T17:39:00.001-06:002020-05-18T14:30:04.334-06:00CIO Theresa Talks: IT in the Time of COVID-19<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CUbUpgU3uRY/XrszZD_kaWI/AAAAAAAAA2k/_wOM-I56_Ck15_H5e6NRknD70nB8aWAlgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2020-05-12.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="167" data-original-width="686" height="76" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CUbUpgU3uRY/XrszZD_kaWI/AAAAAAAAA2k/_wOM-I56_Ck15_H5e6NRknD70nB8aWAlgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/2020-05-12.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Information technology (IT) has never been more important. Consider how IT is helping us all function in this challenging time of COVID-19. The Governor's Office of Information Technology (OIT) is not only helping state agencies and employees stay connected and use technology effectively, we are also teaming up with our agency partners to help YOU — Colorado’s residents and businesses. Below are some examples of how technology is helping us get through these trying times together.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /><b>FOR OUR RESIDENTS</b><br /><i>Assistance.</i> Major IT applications are in great demand. Examples are <a href="https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdle/unemployment">Unemployment Insurance</a> (UI) and the Colorado Benefits Management System (the system that powers <a href="https://coloradopeak.secure.force.com/">Colorado PEAK</a>), which provides food, cash, and medical assistance to those in need. Residents who have lost their job are applying for benefits at an all-time record rate. IT systems like these are seeing 10x the maximum load they were designed to support. Now with the new Pandemic Unemployment Emergency Assistance program and the CARES Act, the systems were quickly upgraded and millions of dollars worth of claims were processed in less than a week since go-live.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /><i>myColorado</i>. The <a href="https://mycolorado.state.co.us/">myColorado</a>TM mobile app provides residents with secure and convenient access to state services anytime, anywhere. The app's Colorado Digital IDTM enables you to create a secure electronic version of your Colorado driver license or state identification (ID) card on your smartphone for proof of identification, age, and address within Colorado. The app also allows all Coloradans to view COVID-19 information in one place. Residents who are facing hardship can use the app to access benefits on Colorado PEAK. Coloradans can also sign up to receive helpful COVID-19 text and email alerts within the myColorado app. Download myColorado from the Apple App Store or Google Play today!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /><i>Do You Have Symptoms?</i> Coloradans can help slow the spread of COVID-19 by reporting their symptoms. The <a href="https://intake-app-dot-cdphe-erm.appspot.com/intake-form">Colorado Community COVID Symptom Tracker</a> collects data so that COVID-19 can be tracked among people who may not be able to or need to get tested for the virus. It helps public health experts and policymakers to map and identify potential hotspots not captured by testing. And by filling out the symptom tracker, the system can connect you with resources that can help with any physical or behavioral health symptoms you may experience during this time.<br /> <br /><i>Hotlines.</i> The state's objective is to route all COVID-19 public health questions through one trusted channel, and then connect callers to the appropriate experts for help. To quickly build up this capability, OIT has utilized Virtual Call Centers and Virtual Automated Agents. We're also providing the technology to allow remote call center workers to receive office calls on their personal phones. The impact has been so great that the concept has spread quickly — first to specialized OIT service desks such as myColorado and next to many other departments.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /><i>Other Resources.</i> Stay informed at <a href="https://covid19.colorado.gov/">covid.colorado.gov</a> which provides access to other important information and services including how you can join others in #DoingMyPartCO.<br /><br /><i>Stay Secure.</i> Be vigilant and watch out for the many COVID-19 scammers who are phishing to steal your personal information or trick you. Be suspicious of unsolicited emails, phone calls, texts, or visits. Check out <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JF_1dzRSFq6HRlxJgz-nvF5ieQ6ZTxtX/view?usp=sharing">these tips</a> that we have made available on our <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/state.co.us/oit-template-dev/ois/cyber-security-help">Cybersecurity Help</a> webpage.<br /><br /><b>FOR COLORADO BUSINESSES</b><br /><i>Help.</i> Get the latest in COVID-19 economic recovery resources at <a href="https://choosecolorado.com/">choosecolorado.com</a>. Resources are available to support small businesses, nonprofits, freelancers, and independent contractors.<br /><br /><i>Safer at the Office.</i> Offices can begin opening with restrictions beginning May 4. Find recommendations for protecting your staff and customers at <a href="https://covid19.colorado.gov/safer-at-home/safer-at-home-office-based-business">Safer at Home: Office-Based Business</a>. Note: Local governments may have established other dates.<br /><br /><b>FOR OUR STATE EMPLOYEES</b><br /><i>Telecommuting Is In.</i> More than 80% of Colorado's 33,000 state employees are working remotely (and many other Coloradans are telecommuting as well). IT is allowing them to do so. It requires the right equipment (a computer, internet access, and a phone), sufficient data and voice capacity, secure access, help through self-service and remote technical support, online training, and a "tech kit" offering written instructions.<br />Virtual Connections. Using audio, web, and video conferencing, we're staying connected virtually. Other means are internal organizational chats, texts, emails, and plain old phone calls. And to have fun with it, we have theme days where we wear hats, cool sunglasses, or school colors.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /><b>SUMMARY</b><br />Recall Viktor Frankl's quote from Man's Search for Meaning, "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.”<br /><br />Have hope. You are not alone. Help is here for individuals, businesses, and telecommuters. Even as we move into the <a href="https://covid19.colorado.gov/safer-at-home">Safer at Home</a> phase, stay at home as much as possible. Always wear a cloth facial covering when leaving home. Remember, you are resilient. You are strong. This too shall pass, and we will get through it together. Let's be grateful for all we have and let's stay connected. Choose to be optimistic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Today's blog comes from OIT Chief Information Officer and Executive Director, Dr. Theresa M. Szczurek</i></span>Office of Information Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03039360307535147046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877927883151802133.post-20164768673045766852020-05-05T06:52:00.000-06:002020-05-05T14:04:03.422-06:00COVID-19 and Cyber Threats<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Jt1Nig2lGs/XrFiXkNrO-I/AAAAAAAAA1s/vrvqMBHub7w5wKTRsIUV9fG6Zv8KbNdmACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/COVID-19%2Bimage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="297" height="114" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Jt1Nig2lGs/XrFiXkNrO-I/AAAAAAAAA1s/vrvqMBHub7w5wKTRsIUV9fG6Zv8KbNdmACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/COVID-19%2Bimage.jpg" width="200" /></a>Everyday I receive threat intelligence from multiple sources warning of ongoing COVID-19 related threats. These bad actors are sending emails, placing phone calls, or even creating fake websites claiming to represent legitimate organizations, all designed to get your personal information. With fear and uncertainty, it can be all too easy to fall victim to these scams. In fact, in the last week I've spoken to two different people who have fallen victim to a COVID-19 related scam. <br />
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At the Governor’s Office of Information Technology, we continue to remind people to maintain a healthy sense of skepticism and to be on the lookout for these threats. We've created two new resources to help keep you one step ahead of the bad actors - feel free to share them as desired!<br />
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<b><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JF_1dzRSFq6HRlxJgz-nvF5ieQ6ZTxtX/view">COVID-19: Staying Safe Online</a>. </b><br />
This document, which is accessible from our <a href="http://oit.state.co.us/ois/cyber-security-help">Cybersecurity Help webpage</a>, contains a great collection of cyber tips, valuable for detecting COVID-19 threats, scams, and hoaxes. It also includes basic tips for staying safe when online. <br />
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<a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.youtube.com_watch-3Fv-3DsveMG-2DyJ7Zk-26feature-3Dyoutu.be&d=DwMFaQ&c=sdnEM9SRGFuMt5z5w3AhsPNahmNicq64TgF1JwNR0cs&r=twh8rv_Kh2LYTD8U4JXEqoeAklueio_noCw-K1KfwBc&m=Wu22wV-T8U8SoCQR_x732vjpFMlW1L4u7Xprjzv5n78&s=sx-SPl8Un22w-3_LO6avsox1jWxyQosuQ7inct3HseE&e="><b>COVID-19 Scam Video.</b></a> <br />
This short, educational <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.youtube.com_watch-3Fv-3DsveMG-2DyJ7Zk-26feature-3Dyoutu.be&d=DwMFaQ&c=sdnEM9SRGFuMt5z5w3AhsPNahmNicq64TgF1JwNR0cs&r=twh8rv_Kh2LYTD8U4JXEqoeAklueio_noCw-K1KfwBc&m=Wu22wV-T8U8SoCQR_x732vjpFMlW1L4u7Xprjzv5n78&s=sx-SPl8Un22w-3_LO6avsox1jWxyQosuQ7inct3HseE&e=">video</a> is another tool to learn how to spot current COVID-19 related cyber threats that attempt to get your information or infect your computer. Take a look to learn more.</div>
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<i>Today's blog comes from State of Colorado Chief Information Security Officer Debbi Blyth.</i>Office of Information Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03039360307535147046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877927883151802133.post-41334624969752582562020-04-16T15:05:00.000-06:002020-06-17T18:03:16.522-06:00CIO Theresa Talks: Staying Positive During a Pandemic<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zmvtf4RN8BI/XpjHr-OFR5I/AAAAAAAAA1M/RAfKXcAGf_8DbRCjXgu-1rTCx0jAWOxDgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/NASCIO%2BVoices.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="328" data-original-width="328" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zmvtf4RN8BI/XpjHr-OFR5I/AAAAAAAAA1M/RAfKXcAGf_8DbRCjXgu-1rTCx0jAWOxDgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/NASCIO%2BVoices.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Matt and Amy of NASCIO, the National Association of State CIOs, talk with Colorado CIO Dr. Theresa Szczurek about her role in the COVID-19 response in her state, how to pursue your passionate purpose, finding success, women in technology, and her overall work in Colorado state government. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Click </span></span><a href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/704052/3360979-staying-positive-during-a-pandemic-with-colorado-cio-theresa-szczurek" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;" target="_blank">here for podcast with Dr. Theresa Szczurek</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>Office of Information Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03039360307535147046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877927883151802133.post-40956037643825166902020-04-01T14:36:00.001-06:002020-06-17T18:05:22.469-06:00Insights from Julia Richman - OIT's New Chief Strategy Officer<br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We’re living in some unusual times. Anyone who watched <i>The Walking Dead</i> went through a period of wondering what it would be like to survive isolated on one’s own. While I never did anything about my own ponderings at the time, my husband and I recently went through some planning to think through what we might need at home in the case of social distancing. I’m now left wondering what we’re going to do with all the Eggos and ramen packs he bought once we’re able to commune together again. Especially since the grocery stores have remained open! There are parts of this present crisis that bring me back to past work in emergency planning and response. While very painful at the time, it is instructive to me now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /><b>Shovel Ready.</b> After the market crashed in 2008 and the fed signaled a stimulus package was on its way, I worked with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts helping the state prepare for the receipt of those federal dollars. The state had stood up about a dozen task forces with more than 100 people from different levels of government to think through its emergency response. Anyone working in government during that time may remember how “shovel ready projects” were the name of the game. What we learned was, not much was shovel ready for any department, in any state. Then most of the funding ended up following standard federal funding channels instead of going to discrete projects. We had built a model for preparedness for something that didn’t come to pass.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Emergency Preparedness</b>. I finished that project and began working to help create the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, which was a new agency coming into existence in response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita. I worked in a shopping mall that had been destroyed by the hurricanes. It had visible water damage up to eye level. It looked like the old Cinderella City mall had married a tsunami. My team of developers worked from indoor aluminum picnic tables for months. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Resilience</b>. I joined the City of Boulder in 2017, three years after the catastrophic flooding occurred from what amounted to the average annual amount of rain falling in the course of five days. As a result of the lessons learned during this event, we undertook both emergency preparedness activities at the city and, as CIO, I also pushed a lot of initiatives that would enable a resilient, redundant, and mobile workforce, recognizing that disruption is likely the new normal. During my time, we piloted remote city council meetings, moved away from a license based VPN approach to a different set of tools that enabled everyone in the city to securely connect from anywhere, we embarked on DR in the cloud, got off of on premise individual file servers, and were in the process of migrating shared file storage to the cloud when I left. We invested in collaboration software to allow for teaming, anywhere, any time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Now that we’re working through many of these challenges in the state, I’m proud to think of how resilient those efforts have made those organizations and how we can do the same for the state. I keep thinking about the lessons I can take from those experiences into this current emergency; other than confidence in knowing that it will eventually end. Here’s what I’ve got to offer:</span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Never waste a crisis</b>—Change can actually be easier in times of disruption. Use this time to push more heavily on existing critical investments in cloud, collaboration, and redundancy tools.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Teamwork is everything</b>—Did you know you’re more likely to survive a disaster if you know your neighbor? I like to think that anyone can be our neighbor and that even in social distancing, staying connected to one another will help us work through any obstacle. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Work can get done under any conditions</b>—You may feel scattered working from home at the kitchen table for days on end, but you may also be surprised at how productive you can actually be taking more small breaks for things like sick kids or making lunches, rather than staring endlessly at your computer screen. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Learn from everything</b>—Even as emails and deadlines are flying, the pressure cooker we’re in right now can be really informative as to future shocks and stresses on our systems, tools, and teams. Take some time to jot down your observations, opportunities for improvement, and new ideas that come from these challenges. You might not be able to take action yet, but eventually you will! </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I’m so proud to be part of OIT and while my time has started off with government imposed social distancing, I already feel close to my OIT colleagues.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i style="font-size: small;">Today's blog comes from OIT Chief Strategy Officer Julia Richman</i></span></td></tr>
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Office of Information Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03039360307535147046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877927883151802133.post-261640152639880932020-03-20T14:41:00.000-06:002020-06-17T18:03:49.478-06:00CIO Theresa Talks: You Can Overcome Fear<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">“...the only thing we have to <b>fear</b> is <b>fear itself</b>,” <br />said Franklin D. Roosevelt in his 1933 inaugural address. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br />These are challenging times in Colorado and around the world with the onset of COVID-19. The degree of uncertainty that exists can understandably breed anxiety, and messages that intend to inform and help can make people more afraid. However, w</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">e can and will get through this together! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In my research study about factors that help and hurt in successfully pursuing a passionate purpose, I asked people what holds them back and what encourages them in their pursuit. One of the biggest hindrances is FEAR. Fear causes self-doubt, anxiety, and anger; fear is a heavy burden. What would your life be like right now if you could cast out that fear?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Sometimes fear can help you to take action and avoid danger. For example during the COVID-19 pandemic that means enacting social distancing, practicing self-isolation, and thoroughly washing your hands. It can stop you from crossing a dangerous road or from getting hurt. However, so often fear is NOT rational. It can turn into obsessiveness - thinking about something over and over until you are immobilized and cannot take needed action. Fear can block effective movement.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Once you are aware of the potential negative impacts of fear, the next step is to take appropriate action. Use the “Pack Strategy” to unpack hindrances and pack energizers for your journey.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Here are some <b>practical pointers</b>:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Lead</b>. Take positive action, be calm, and be strong. Often this means focusing less on yourself and more on helping others. Work on being fearless.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Select</b>. Get in touch with what triggers you and be selective in what and who you listen, watch, surf, invest time in, and talk with.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Use good judgment</b>. Determine whether your fear is rational or irrational. If irrational, force yourself to quiet your mind and focus on positive aspects of life. When there is real danger, your body reflexively mobilizes to avoid it, minimize it, or fight through it.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Be optimistic</b>. Carry a hopeful, upbeat disposition and believe that good prevails. Repeat positive affirmations. Think of the good work being done by so many government employees, medical personnel, public health workers, non-profits, and businesses to proactively address the current challenges and ensure your safety.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Surround</b>. Circle yourself with less fearful people. Surround yourself with people who are not afraid. A recent research study showed that happiness is contagious. If you are around happy people, you will be more happy. If you are around fearful people, you will be more fearful. So find happy, kind, unafraid people with whom to associate.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Summary</b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We human beings are strong and resilient, perhaps stronger than we even know. Unpack fear itself from your life. Strive to appropriate action, be aware of fear triggers, use good judgment, stay positive, and surround yourself with unafraid people.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Today's blog comes from OIT Chief Information Officer and Executive Director, Dr. Theresa M. Szczurek</i></span>Office of Information Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03039360307535147046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877927883151802133.post-5912034177015435712020-02-28T10:42:00.001-07:002020-02-29T10:54:35.904-07:00"B is for Bufficorn": State of Colorado Shines at ETHDenver<h3 style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Earlier this month I was afforded a unique opportunity to attend the second largest blockchain event in the world along with several OIT team members. The ETHDenver #BUIDLathon + Community Gathering - held February 14-16 at Sports Castle - was free to “developers, technologists, cypherpunks, coders, crypto-economists, designers…” and anyone like me who was curious to learn more about blockchain innovation. </span><span style="color: #1155cc; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.ethdenver.com/" style="text-align: justify;">www.ethdenver.com</a></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TXJRJzWoPDU/XlqjMDwyMUI/AAAAAAAAAz8/FzbIeoBDO8wfpIFz0vnnTiPpGzlLU8GqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/EQxNK_-X0AAJNr7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: .25em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="216" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TXJRJzWoPDU/XlqjMDwyMUI/AAAAAAAAAz8/FzbIeoBDO8wfpIFz0vnnTiPpGzlLU8GqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/EQxNK_-X0AAJNr7.jpg" width="288" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It was an experience to remember! I mean, where else can you purchase lunch from a food truck with xDAI (a form of cryptocurrency), or see Governor Jared Polis and Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon read “B is for Bufficorn” to a dozen kids in attendance? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">All joking aside, I want to express the overwhelming amount of pride I felt when our Governor, and OIT’s own Blockchain & Distributed Ledger Solution Architect Thad Batt and Digital Transformation Director Russell Castagnaro, took the stage to represent the State of Colorado and the important work we are doing to lead the way in emerging technologies such as blockchain. Bravo! </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kKndFzptOzU/XlqizuuDyaI/AAAAAAAAAz4/v83diH9-aEIdaTEoKFFRL5c6zr2mfGodQCEwYBhgL/s1600/EQ1gqD4VUAEUZm_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: .25em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="216" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kKndFzptOzU/XlqizuuDyaI/AAAAAAAAAz4/v83diH9-aEIdaTEoKFFRL5c6zr2mfGodQCEwYBhgL/s320/EQ1gqD4VUAEUZm_.jpg" width="288" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Our blockchain experts exercised </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">great ingenuity to create an Advance Colorado track, attracting some of the greatest minds from around the globe to identify real-world blockchain solutions that OIT might use for professional licensing at Department of Regulatory Agencies, hemp regulatory compliance at the Department of Agriculture, and a messaging system in myColorado. In total, ten fantastic use cases were submitted through the Advance Colorado track - five of which received awards. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">We at the Governor’s Office of Information Technology are so lucky to live and work in a thriving hub of blockchain innovation!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><i>Today's blog comes from OIT Chief Communications Officer Brandi Wildfang Simmons</i></span></div>
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Office of Information Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03039360307535147046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877927883151802133.post-35339670802865581312020-01-31T15:34:00.001-07:002020-01-31T15:40:41.563-07:00Six Wins for Your Agency<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So yes, the Super Bowl may be on many people’s brains right now. But we had something else in mind that, like the big game, ends in a major win! If you are looking for a solution to easily manage your information and improve business processes, take a few minutes to read up about OnBase by<a href="https://www.hyland.com/en?_ga=2.1972083.399862492.1576596129-1084307475.1574713002"> Hyland</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">OnBase is a configurable enterprise content application that is already helping many state agencies go the distance in areas such as contract and vendor management, human resources, accounting, permitting and inspections, and more. <a href="https://ecs.state.co.us/platforms-products/onbase">OnBase</a> has six wins that can help your agency score a goal:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Easily capture documents and data</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Manage information in one system</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Access your content from anywhere</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Integrate with other applications</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Measure processes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Protect and retain content</span></li>
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Capturing Data and Documents</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Tired of manual data entry and indexing? Then an application developed by <a href="https://ecs.state.co.us/about">our team</a> may be the solution for you. OnBase has easy options for capturing data and documents, and storing the information. Whether you want to scan paper documents or capture and extract indexing information from electronic forms, emails, faxes, or secure file transfers OnBase has you covered.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Does your team want important information in one, easy to manage application? We at OIT will work with you to develop an agency-specific solution that will allow you to manage documents, processes,and data all in one easy-to-use solution. Score!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">OnBase gives you the ability to access, upload, create, and edit information even when you are offline. Easy to use layouts provide the ability to quickly and easily find information whenever and wherever you need it. Quickly share information with users outside your agency and allow them to complete forms and track the progress of their submissions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Your team already uses different applications to collect information and documents. OnBase can push and pull data and documents from your existing business applications to your new solution with ease. That’s what we call a touchdown!</span></div>
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<b>Measure Performance and Processes</b></div>
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Quickly and easily track the progress of documents and information as they flow through your agency’s processes. You can create dashboards, run reports, and review documents for missing information. OnBase provides real-time insight into your agency’s process, helping to make smarter business decisions. </div>
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<a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/x93CGKFuyLWmo0_TmQ3FVMgGqMCAcDCC4d45_WMxAPt0dW-BOyekG-94wCdh-nVojjbfy15ACAufS3Uj-GRrZ18SD1dzdKDnHTPHFXvfw_nS3BWuJMQMdH7WNMH2DeUmJMIO3mVo" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/x93CGKFuyLWmo0_TmQ3FVMgGqMCAcDCC4d45_WMxAPt0dW-BOyekG-94wCdh-nVojjbfy15ACAufS3Uj-GRrZ18SD1dzdKDnHTPHFXvfw_nS3BWuJMQMdH7WNMH2DeUmJMIO3mVo" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">OnBase provides complete control to securely store, protect and destroy records. Your solution can be configured to follow your agency's retention schedules to reduce risks and liability. Secure cloud storage ensures you will always have access to your documents and data. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Are you ready to work with Team OIT to develop your OnBase Solution? <a href="https://ecs.state.co.us/quote-demo">Request a quote or a demo</a> today!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Today's Blog comes from the Enterprise Content Services team</i></span></div>
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Office of Information Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03039360307535147046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877927883151802133.post-50055831668760223292019-12-12T15:28:00.000-07:002020-05-18T14:31:26.147-06:00CIO Theresa Talks: Welcome Colorado Digital Service<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are proud of the long list of tech companies that have been founded, headquartered, or have offices here in Colorado. The tech talent is strong and continues to grow! From system architects, to app designers, developers, cybersecurity analysts, hardware engineers, and product experts, you'll find them at Colorado’s startup weeks, the Colorado Technology Association, Prime Health, Rockies Venture Club, and other gatherings. Colorado tech talent is always heads-down and laser-focused on building amazing things. We have a #givefirst attitude and succeed together because of it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">As the State CIO, I have an opportunity to talk to Coloradans about how government services and technology impact their lives. Our goal in the Governor’s Office of Information Technology is to enhance the lives of all Coloradans. We keep the State of Colorado systems operating, information flowing, applications running, and technology advancing, securely. From offering technologies that ensure public safety, providing a more consumer-friendly experience at the Division of Motor Vehicles, and improving health care data interoperability, to expanding broadband coverage to all corners of the state, ensuring essential food and medical benefits to the most vulnerable, and so much more, the impact of government on our daily lives is huge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I also think a lot about the many paths software engineers, designers, and product managers take in their careers and how Colorado government can enlist their help in delivering for our residents. It became clear to me that senior to mid-career techies could provide value here in Colorado through a "tour of government service.” In this model, technologists sign up for a “tour of service” ranging anywhere from six months up to two years, become full-time state employees, and focus on the Governor's most important priorities. Are you one of them? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I love the way Governor Polis describes the Colorado Digital Service in an October 2019 </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Denver Business Journal </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">article:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">“There are some great IT professionals who work for state government, but we need more cross-pollination,” Polis said of the program. “A lot of folks don’t want to change their career because they have successful careers in business and technology, but they understand the importance of taking a year or six months to give back.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 9pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Source: </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 9pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2019/10/17/colorado-most-innovative-state-polis.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2019/10/17/colorado-most-innovative-state-polis.html</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Colorado Digital Service has been funded by the Colorado General Assembly and is now accepting applications. To learn how you can make a meaningful difference or to stay in touch as we build out the team, visit </span><a href="http://colorado.gov/digitalservice" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">colorado.gov/digitalservice</span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: start;">Today's blog comes from OIT Chief Information Officer and Executive Director, Dr. Theresa M. Szczurek</i></div>
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Office of Information Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03039360307535147046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877927883151802133.post-91280440368190353552019-11-22T14:32:00.001-07:002019-11-22T14:41:03.144-07:00Shopping Tips for the Holidays<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I received a great newsletter this week from the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) titled "8 Shopping Tips for the Holidays" and it got me thinking about all of the holiday-type attacks that I've seen resulting in compromised systems or an unhappy holiday experience.<br /><br />The first ever holiday attack I witnessed was a fake FedEx notification to my husband, about eight years ago, during December, at a time in which he really was awaiting several shipments to be fulfilled. Upon clicking on the link, malware was installed that rendered his computer completely unusable. He's a smart IT professional - if it happened to him, it can happen to anyone!<br /><br />So here are a few tips...<br /><br />1) Don't click on fake shipping links. The "FedEx" attack comes back every year. Don't fall for it! When you want to check the status of your shipment, either logon to the site from where you purchased your item, or logon to the shipping site and type or paste in the shipping number directly. Never click on a shipping link in an email! And remember, attackers don't just mimic FedEx; I've experienced this type of phishing email simulating other shipment companies too.<br /><br />2) Shop from known reputable merchants. Sometimes advertising that you see on your social media sites are actually links to fake websites to either install malware or steal your credit card information. Instead of clicking directly on those advertisements, try googling the product, or better yet - go search for it in your favorite shopping site (like Amazon). It's best to purchase from known reputable merchants to protect yourself and your purchasing experience.<br /><br />3) Don't be scammed by unrealistic prices. Remember, if it seems too good to be true, it is likely a scam. Don't fall victim to a scam while seeking great shopping deals!<br /><br />4) Don't click on links received in a text message. Last week I received three different text messages, supposedly from different financial institutions indicating fraud or some other problem with my account. Since two of these belonged to financial institutions for which I don't have an account, this felt like a scam. While this isn't necessarily a holiday attack - this could definitely ruin your holiday if your smartphone becomes unusable or your account is taken over at this important time of year. Avoid clicking on links sent in a text message! Using a separate means, such as a browser or your bank app, log directly onto your account and validate whether there are any important messages. Alternatively, you can call the institution to ask about the text message.<br /><br />Visit our <a href="http://oit.state.co.us/ois/cyber-security-help">Cybersecurity Help</a> site and/or the <a href="https://www.cisecurity.org/newsletter/8-shopping-tips-for-the-holiday-season/">Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC)</a> for more tips.<br /><br />Happy shopping this holiday season!</span><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Today's blog comes from OIT Chief Information Security Officer Debbi Blyth</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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Office of Information Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03039360307535147046noreply@blogger.com0