Rhode Island IT Project Roll On with New, Deliberate CIO at Helm

Rhode Island’s new Chief Information Officer and Chief Digital Officer, Bijay Kuman, has been focusing on the people, processes, and technologies needed to maintain forward momentum on the state’s major technology initiatives. Kumar acknowledges that state is facing some challenges, such as varying levels of maturity for both staff and technology and the historical difficulty of retaining skilled personnel in the public sector.

Kumar has met with agency directors and collaborated with various state personnel to leverage information sharing and best practices, and developed incremental plans for Rhode Island IT moving forward. Several projects are currently underway, such as the Rhode Island Motor Vehicle System (RIMS), which will link DMV branch offices and partner agencies, and the stabilization and management of the Unified Health Infrastructure Project (UHIP), which will handle HealthSource RI insurance accounts, Medicaid enrollment, and state Supplement Security Income.

Kumar acknowledged that the State’s enterprise architecture is “mostly centralized,” but there is room for improvement with opportunities ahead. According to the CIO, Rhode Island is that “the beginning of a long journey,” but is moving in the right direction.

Source: GovTech