DIVISION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES

Agency History #1922

CREATION

The Division of Information Technology Services was created in 1990 to provide data processing and telecommunications services to state government agencies (Laws of Utah, 1990, Chapter 57).

FUNCTIONS

The enabling act empowers the division to (a) establish telecommunications system specifications and standards for use by state agencies; (b) coordinate state telecommunications planning in cooperation with state telecommunications users and other departments and state agencies; (c) coordinate the development and implementation of advanced state telecommunications systems; (d) provide data processing and telecommunications technical assistance to state agencies; (e) cooperate with other federal, state, county, or city data processing and telecommunications departments, divisions, sections, or units in the development, implementation, and maintenance of governmental data processing and telecommunications systems in a cooperative organization or otherwise; (f) establish, operate, manage, and maintain the central state computer center and regional computer centers; and (g) coordinate the implementation of minimum standards for compatibility of procedures, programming languages, codes, and media to facilitate the exchange of information within and among systems.

The only exemption was the Public Safety mobile radio communication system used for the delivery of public safety services, which continued to be managed by the Department of Public Safety until 1991. Public Safety dispatch remains exempt.

ADMINISTRATION

Information and Technology Services is administered by a division director. The division director is appointed by the executive director of the Department of Administrative Services (Agency #00270) with the approval of the governor.

Advisory committees composed of representatives of user agencies may recommend policies and practices for the efficient and effective operation of the division.

ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY

The Division of Information Technology Services was statutorily created in 1990 by the 48th State Legislature through consolidation of the Division of Data Processing (#00305) and the Division of Telecommunications (#01153). The division comprises three distinct subdivisions—administration, data processing, and telecommunications.

PRIOR NAMES

None

DIRECTORS

G. Steven Grimshaw, 1990-present

COMPILED BY: W. Glen Fairclough, Jr., January 1991

SOURCES

ITS organization charts, December 1990, and mission statement.

Laws of Utah, 1990, (Chapter 57, pp. 210-212), creation of the Division of Information Technology Services by merging the Division of Data Processing with the Division of Telecommunications.

Laws of Utah, 1991, (Chapter xx, pp. xxx-xxx), Public Safety mobile radio communication system merged with ITS (Dispatch remains exempt).

Utah Code, 63-1-5; 63-1-51 to 56 (codification of enabling act cited in Laws of Utah, 1990).