OLYMPIA – The Center for Digital Government today released the results of the 2016 Digital States Survey. Every two years, this tool benchmarks the use of digital technologies in individual states in such areas as better service delivery, more capacity and updated pricing practices. Washington received an overall A- on the survey, up from a B+ in 2014 and a C- in 2012.
According to the center, an A grade reflects a state that is sharply trending up. Washington was also recognized in the transportation category, ranking fourth for its exemplary work.
"Thanks to the hard work of our state’s information technology teams, we've made real strides in improving cybersecurity,” Gov. Jay Inslee said. “These improvements help ensure we are better protecting our IT infrastructure which ultimately means better serving the people of Washington."
The center provided the following details on the survey grade Washington received:
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The exceptional work done to fine-tune and regiment the state’s cybersecurity alert systems, lifting its B+ grade in 2014 to A- this year.
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Standout efforts to educate business owners of regulatory standards and provide a clear path for transactions and compliance. This year, business license renewals filed through the state’s online platform represented 92.6 percent of the number transacted.
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The multi-agency collaboration to implement the Affordable Care Act that resulted in the creation of an online tool that provides access to health care coverage for 1.6 million Washington residents.
“We have made progress over the past four years by investing in infrastructure, software and talented people,” said Michael Cockrill, Washington state chief information officer and director of Washington Technology Solutions. “While our work is never done in the evolving digital environment, we are excited to gain this national recognition as a leading state in the information technology field.”
The Center for Digital Government is a national research and advisory institute offering information technology policies and best practices in state and local government. The survey highlights best and emerging practices that can be shared across borders — success in one state can help fuel progress in others. Since its launch 19 years ago, the survey has helped benchmark state government use of digital technologies to improve service delivery, increase capacity and reach policy goals.