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ITS Quarterly Newsletter - May 2025
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 When you scroll through this newsletter, you will notice a lot of stories and photos highlighting people and what we do at ITS. This includes our partnerships with agencies and offices serving all Idaho citizens.
Keep reading to learn more about Digital Accessibility Training and Citizen Engagement…but also some of the light-hearted moments we enjoy around here including a recent campus visit with Governor Brad Little. As always, reach out to me with any questions you have.
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 ITS Moves to WFH 1 Day a Week
In an effort to provide excellent customer service to our partners, as well as enhance our internal collaboration, ITS will move to a one-day work-from-home (WFH) policy. Being a support agency, this move will apply to current employees who are permitted to WFH, as well as new employees joining us from Idaho State Police and Juvenile Corrections.
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 Phase 5 IT Modernization
Time is winding down before Idaho State Police and Juvenile Corrections join ITS on June 9th. We are excited about new staff joining us, as well as all the internal promotions and moves. With 45 hires completed in just two weeks in April, I want to commend our HRO Sara Stowe and her team for making it happen alongside leadership, hiring managers and the fiscal team. Thank you to Phase 5 Project Manager Michaela Gezvain for steering us in the right direction so that come next month, we are set for success.
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 Digital Accessibility Awareness & Training
ITS has taken several steps to prepare for the upcoming federal mandate for web content and mobile accessibility standards, including an upcoming training for all ITS and agency personnel.
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With so much interest in AI across Idaho, I am thankful to the Division of Human Resources for welcoming Jacob Crisp and me to their recent agency summit, which brought together HR staff from every agency. Jacob is overseeing and developing the framework for Idaho, and his progress has been outstanding. Stay tuned as it will be shared more broadly in the next few months.
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Idaho State Forestry Contest
Department of Lands
ITS was instrumental in supporting the Idaho Department of Lands and its annual Idaho Forestry Content in early May with Service Delivery Manager Tim Gates coordinating the effort on behalf of ITS.
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 FY 2027 Budget Planning Update
The FY 2027 budget planning process is well underway. We have established a comprehensive timeline to ensure all necessary steps are completed efficiently and we are now in the review phase where we publish IT Budget Packets to all agencies.
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 Citizen Engagement
It has been impressive to see state agencies utilizing Citizen Engagement funds to upgrade their websites.
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 Network Issues
It has been a busy month for the ITS Network Operations team working through a number of device failures, which subsequently resulted in improved configurations.
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 Embedded Agencies
The Service Desk will be establishing a new embedded team to continue providing excellent customer service to ITS-supported agencies.
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 Celebrating the Deployment Team
The Deployment Team, Estevan Ruiz, Dale Plowman, Brandon Pierce, Adam Johnson, and James Muse, has played a vital role in keeping our state agency employees equipped, connected, and supported. While their core responsibility may be deploying computers and equipment across the Treasure Valley, their true impact stretches far beyond logistics.
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 CYBERSECURITY FOCUS
OF THE MONTH
Emerging Tactics
Threat actors are both creative and persistent in their efforts to avoid detection. One emerging tactic we face today is known as "Fast Flux."
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 CYBERSECURITY TIP
OF THE MONTH
Website Safety
The occurrence of scams is increasing. How can one determine if a link received via text is a legitimate fraud alert from their bank?
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 CYBERSECURITY TRAINING OF THE MONTH
Washington County
ITS had the opportunity to partner with the Idaho Army National Guard (IDARNG), Secretary of State (SOS), and Boise State University (BSU), for Washington County who requested a cybersecurity assessment of their environment.
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 CYBERSECURITY ASSESSMENT OF THE MONTH
Idaho State Historical Society
ITS was invited to share their best practices about workplace cybersecurity recently for ISHS employees at their recent All Staff Meeting.
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Pitching In - Governor's Employee Appreciation
When the Governor and Lt. Governor showed up for Employee Appreciation Day on the Chinden Campus, ITS employees jumped in, whether it be handing out ice cream, setting up tables or making sure supplies were ready to go. The teamwork was awesome!
Also, it was awesome seeing state leadership attend, including Division of Human Resources Administrator Janelle White and ITD Board Member Julie DeLorenzo.
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