This morning I attended the Minnesota High Tech Association CIO Panel on IT challenges for 2013. I took rough notes as each CIO spoke. There were a couple of recurring themes. Smart IT departments are embracing mobile apps and social media. The CIOs on the panel seemed to recognize that mobile and social media are here to stay. You can embrace them or have people go around you. And there are good reasons to embrace them – mobile and social apps make people more efficient and make it easier for people to work. I did notice that most places seemed not to supply mobile devices to staff – but they worked through virtualization to support mobile devices and secure data and internal networks.

Along the same lines, folks are in the cloud. I think if for no other reason but to avoid future OS migrations. One issue has been pairing cloud computing with legacy systems.

A final common theme has been managing the people part of technology. The line between engineering and development is blurring or at least there seems to be increasing advantage to tearing down the walls between those skills nad getting people to work together to create applications that support the mobile and social media movement and other business goals.

Here are more detailed, albeit rough, notes …

Mike Connly – UnitedHealth Group 12,000 in IT

Challenges

1. How development models are changing

… infrastructure has grown, which has led to a division between developers and infrastructure – but combining cloud computing and new development models becomes tricky.

Netflix has teams of developers and engineers; they test resiliency during testing – the Simian Army – in production they have an agent that interferes with production to test the infrastructure

What does that mean? It means we must create teams differently and break down barriers. But we have legacy to deal with.

1. Windows 7 migration

Hoping this will be the last transition of this magnitude – might just jump to virtualization.

Creating an M network – parallel separate network with only limited filtering so folks can get to environment; overtime we think the M network will get bigger than other network.

Gives users a tool to help them opt in.

Carol Ford – UMN Physicians

A big group and academic medical center – we want to change lives

User Choice – productivity in a secure environment

Goal: move beyond passive acceptance to passionate champions for the mobile and social-driven revolution while protecting the enterprise

Drivers –

• Rapid users adoption of devices
• Mobile and social as strategic advantage
• Secure the data
• HIPAA compliance

Approach –

Create a portal that allows users flexibility and productivity with access to enterprise applications via their favorite device

• Data remains on server
•  Allow access from anywhere and any device

Implement a mobile device mgmt tool to manage smart phones and tablets

• Controls ensure that corporate data on mobile devices
• Create a safe zone for approved bus apps
• Prevent data leakage
• Separate corporate and personal data  (case in MA where folks got in trouble)

Getting started

• Create Acceptable Use Policy
•  Acquire, install & configure Mobile Device Mgmt
• Understand user requirements
• Build &execute community
• Pilot the app safe zone
• Migrate existing mobility beta users

Mark Billitteri – Walker Methodist

Advantage of a Mandate – MN’s 2015 Interoperable Electronic Health Record (EHR) Mandate

Adopt new technology

Address tech challenges

Intro new processes and practices to improve patient care

Set the foundation for business intelligence

Re-engineer IT support services

1. Maximize IT Value

• We virtualized our applications (running VM ware) – but only advantages for IT

1. IT Support

• Virtualization
• Engineered applications
• Application Integration
• Intelligence
• Managed services (Help Desk, network security) – maybe outsource
• Saas, PaaS, IaaS, Cloud

Carolyn Parnell – MN.IT – Building a MN IT Cloud

2011 – working to get all state IT consolidated, starting with developing common nomenclature, directory of what was happening…

Operating budget $373 million (double when you add projects) – 2,000 distinct applications (500 are mission critical) – 2100 employees

We are taking core services that are best

Hosting services  —  End User Services   —  Single Service Desk

Trying to get a handle on big data – going after data governance to encourage sharing of data (no more silos)

Innovation Program – bringing cool stuff to MN.IT they vet ideas looking at business value, funding partners and expertise to bring new services to MN residents

Chris Ross – Mayo

Web Apps – 94% of Fortune 500 are testing devices and creating custom apps

Apps for physicians

• Most doctors use a device – they brought their own

Apps for patients (using cloud for infrastructure)

• On-site apps & at home
• Working on mobile apps for the blind
• Top 10 Features Use of Patient App
  • Retrieved Appointments
  • Viewed document
  • Viewed Do list
  • Viewed Labs
  • Retrieved Care Team
  • Retrieved messages
  • Viewed immunizations
  • Our locations
  •  Viewed allergies
•  Google mapped inside and outside of Mayo
• They have an anxiety application (to reduce anxiety)

See the Cloud through the haze

• Computing decoupled from application software
• Processing power, storage, both
• Scalable, flexible, metered services
•  Hosted or virtual apps by any other name?
• Saas, PaaS
•  Where is the value add and differentiation for vendors?

Questions: Please share one idea to help people through change –

We have a blended model of more and less sophisticated users (Walker Methodist)

Three approaches (MN.IT)

1. IT is always changing
2. IT consolidation is about people, not technology
3. Give Managers common direction and message

We just completed assessment – key is to understand the challenges of the end users. We need to communicate and listen! (UMN)

Healthcare has had a lot of change (meaningful use et al) – many practices are getting digitized for the first time. And we’re dealing with reimbursement and getting paid less. Healthcare costs too much and we need to change that. We need to turn the scary into something positive. (Mayo)