Overview

April 19

Cloud solutions can bring tremendous benefits to state and local agencies, but it’s important to understand the true costs of cloud before initiating any core systems migrations. Many agencies are surprised to find that cloud doesn’t necessarily represent a cost savings. In many cases, cloud technologies can cost just as much or more than on-premises solutions, at least initially.

In this conversation from the Center for Digital Government, public sector IT leaders will share their experience with cloud – and dispel some important myths and misunderstandings about financing cloud.

Join us to learn:

How to structure your budget to optimize cloud, including shifting costs from a traditional capital expenditures approach to an operating expenditures budget
How to calculate cloud life cycle costs and build effective business cases for cloud
How cloud scalability can represent future savings down the line
What questions to ask before embarking on a major cloud migration

Speakers

Brian Norwood

Chief Operations Officer, MS Department of Information Technology Services

Brian Norwood serves as the Chief Operations Officer for the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services. As COO, he is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of ITS’ enterprise central IT functions. In his 20+ year career at ITS, he has worked in several facets of the organization beginning in application development before moving to network management and later into executive management. He holds a Master of Computer Science degree from Colorado State University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Mississippi State University.

Christopher Rein

Chief Technology Officer, NJ Office of Information Technology

Chris Rein serves as the Chief Technology Officer for the State of New Jersey. He leads the State’s Office of Information Technology which is a 650-person team charged with operating the technology infrastructure for the Executive Branch - over 35 State departments, agencies, and offices. Mr. Rein was the former Deputy Director of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell. In this role, he also served as the New Jersey State Deputy CISO (Chief Information Security Officer). His background includes 42 years developing, integrating, and managing software as well as holding leadership roles with large and complex information technology projects. Prior to joining the State’s Cyber and OIT organizations, Chris held the position of Vice President and Chief Information Officer for CSI Technology.

Lori Sorenson

Chief Technology Officer, Department of Innovation & Technology, IL

Lori Sorenson serves as the Chief Technology Officer for the Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology. In this role, she is responsible for delivering reliable, secure, customer centric IT solutions and serves as a policy advisor for broadband issues. Lori has more than 25 years of experience in IT. She earned her Master of Business Administration at the University of Illinois Springfield and a Bachelor of Science degree at Illinois State University.

Bill Rials, Ph.D. — Moderator

Senior Fellow, Center for Digital Government

William (Bill) Rials, Ph.D., is a professor and associate director (department chair) of the Tulane University School of Professional Advancement IT and Cybersecurity Program, where he focuses on continually delivering and updating the program curriculum based on innovative and emerging technologies. Before transitioning to academia and higher education, he had a diverse gov tech career delivering value to state agencies, local governments, and law enforcement agencies throughout the state of Mississippi. He has served in CIO, CTO, and CISO roles for local governments and also in various leadership positions within the state of Mississippi’s IT organization as a deputy to the state CIO.

Webinar

Taking Cloud to the Next Level - Understanding the True Costs of Cloud