DIS at a glance
682 customer organizations
24-hour operations, 365 days per year
428 employees
Over 100 different technology services
Processes $2 billion in state government payments monthly
Answers 6,000 search questions on Access Washington per business day
Connects over 450 educational locations through the K-20 Network
What is the Department of Information Services?
The state's full service technology agency
The Department of Information Services (DIS), led by the agency director and state CIO, provides technology leadership for government organizations across Washington. DIS was formed through the consolidation of the state's four independent data processing and communications systems in 1987. A cabinet-level agency, DIS organized to provide leadership, policy and service choices for the use of information technology within state and local agencies, the education sector, tribal governments and qualifying non-profit groups.
Statutory authority
The legislative intent in creating DIS was to make government information and services more available, accessible and affordable. The Legislature also created the Information Services Board (ISB) to provide coordinated planning and management of state information technology services. DIS provides staff support to the ISB, and acts to oversee compliance with ISB policy in agency technology operations and investments. Chapter 43.105 RCW establishes the ISB structure and outlines DIS' statutory authority.
Powers and duties granted to DIS include:
To provide technology services on a cost-recovery basis to state agencies, local governments and public benefit nonprofit entities; these services are for discretionary rather than mandatory use by customer organizations
To perform work delegated by the ISB, including the review of agency portfolios, the review of agency investment plans and requests, and implementation of statewide and interagency policies, standards and guidelines
To review and make recommendations on agencies' funding requests for technology projects and to monitor the progress of those projects after they receive funding
To review and approve standards and common specifications for new or expanded telecommunications networks proposed by agencies, public post-secondary institutions, educational service districts or statewide or regional providers of K-12 information technology services
To collaborate with the ISB and agencies in the preparation of a statewide strategic technology plan and its related Washington State Digital Government Plan
To prepare, with direction from the ISB, a biennial state performance report on information technology
The Scope of DIS Services
Voice Telecommunication Services manages more than 50,000 local telephone lines and serves more than 150,000 individual users in 500 public organizations with SCAN and SCANPlus long distance services.
Wide Area Network Services provides Internet connectivity for public sector customers, the state government Campus Fiber Network, and stakeholder networks such as the K-20 Educational Telecommunications Network and the Intergovernmental Network.
Network Security Services protect the integrity of data traffic on public networks, and gives secure access to field workers, telecommuters and others who use state computing systems from outside network firewalls.
Mainframe Computing Services process more than three million daily transactions in the DIS Data Center, one of the largest data centers in the Pacific Northwest.
Mainframe Production Services for core state services, produces an annual output of nine million public assistance checks, seven million unemployment insurance payments and hundreds of thousands of other mission-critical outputs each month.
Enterprise Data Storage Services provides 25 terabytes (terabyte = one trillion characters) total disk and tape storage for applications on mainframe and in server environments.
Business Continuity Services ensure the backup, recovery and remote operation of customers' critical processing systems in the event of a data center evacuation.
Application, Web Site and Server Hosting offer a myriad of cost-effective hosting options for large and small organizations, secured around-the-clock in the DIS Data Center.
Multimedia Production Services offer all graphic design and technical aspects of interactive training, and educational or public service programs.
Website Services - Whether you need a basic Website or a more customized product that includes usability or search tools, DIS’ Website Services can get you on the right track.
Video Production and Broadcast Services, offers professional, broadcast-quality programs filmed in-studio or in the field. These can be broadcast from DIS studios using traditional television methods, webcasting or satellite uplink.
Competitively Priced Brokering of software, desktop computers and cellular equipment from industry-leading suppliers, is offered in the Washington State Technology Mall (TechMall).
Competitively Bid Master Contracts for a wide variety of proprietary technology services, including industry research and Web-based customer support.
Access Washington™ Internet portal, the single electronic "face" of Washington state government, provides public access to government information and services, including fee-based transactions.
Inside Washington™, the statewide intranet portal, is designed for government-to-government and government-to-employee business over the statewide government intranet.
Transact Washington™ is a single, secure gateway to transaction-based applications for authorized users. A digital certificate provides the credential for access to these services that are offered by many government agencies.
Digital Government Academy brings technology and business leaders from multiple agencies together to solve shared business problems and quickly replicate a technology solution for use by the whole enterprise.
For more information
Joanne Todd
Communications Director
Phone: 360-902-3553
joannet@dis.wa.gov