IT'S a Tech Podcast

Cybersecurity is important. Staying safe online and keeping records safe is crucial in a day and age where bad actors are pulling out every stop to gain access to your information. ITS is proud to make New York a national leader in cybersecurity – through the NYSOC, or the New York Security Operations Center, ITS is safeguarding more than 450,000 endpoints and billions of sensitive records. But wh...

Summer is on the horizon, warm weather has finally arrived, and our listeners have probably already seen a bee or two in their gardens. Honeybees are crucial not only to the environment but also to the New York State economy.  On this episode, Michele Jones, Deputy Commissioner for Technology, talks about the launch of the Honeybee Program and Beekeeper Registration for the New York State Departme...

In part two of our multi-part series on customer experience, we’re focusing on accessibility, especially when it comes to online services.  This coming May 21 is the 15th anniversary of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, the perfect time to discuss this crucial topic. You’ve heard us discuss accessibility on this show before, in our discussions with the Human-Centered Design Team and the NYS Chie...

Increased efficiency. Shorter wait times. Clearer guidelines. Better online experiences. Enhanced equity. Getting New Yorkers what they need from their state government agencies as smoothly as possible. These are the key motivations behind Governor Hochul’s customer experience initiative, which she announced as part of her 2023 State of the State address. As part of this initiative, the governor a...

Welcome to the first IT’S a Tech Podcast firewall chat! This shortform series will allow us to focus on specific people, projects and progress that are moving technology forward for New York State government. On today’s episode, Andrea Rohan, the Deputy Commissioner for Technology for the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, talks about the recent launch of the DRIVES application, includin...

Procurement. It’s a word that is often mentioned in relation to state government. We’ve referred to it more than once on this very podcast.  Governor Kathy Hochul has talked about improving customer service and cultivating efficiency in government, including improving State procurement. The New York State Office of General Services works closely with the governor, the legislature, and the Division...

Over the past few years, generative artificial intelligence, or AI, has been incorporated into a variety of programs and tools, inspiring some to ask what tasks could be streamlined and improved through the use of this technology. In 2024, Governor Hochul included AI in her State of the State address, announcing the Empire AI initiative and a new policy, authored by ITS, to govern the safe and res...

It’s 2026, and the future is bright! We are all ready for new beginnings, new challenges and new wins this year. ITS has gone through a number of changes over the past two plus years, including a leadership reorganization and the launch of the dedicated agency/shared services model. ITS has been called an agency “on the rise” as these changes transform how New York State approaches technology and...

2025 is drawing to a close, and at this time of year, many of us are reflecting on how we got to this moment in time. What did we set out to do? What have we accomplished? What does the future hold? In the spirit of reflection, on this special episode of the IT’S a Tech Podcast, we will look back at some of our favorite moments from the first 10 episodes. We are all busy, and finding time to watch...

Professional development. Upskilling. Training. Mentorship. Whatever you call it, it all adds up to growing the abilities of workers and investing in a talented workforce, which in turn means investing in your business or organization. We all seem to agree it’s important, so why can it be so challenging to make it a priority? According to Pew Research , in 2024, only 51% of employed adults polled...

It's no secret that successful businesses are crucial to a thriving state economy. New York has a variety of programs designed to encourage and support small businesses (for example, the “Taste of NY” program). Through collaboration and ingenuity, this principle led to the creation of the New York Business Express: a central online hub for entrepreneurs to start and run a business in New York...

Real New Yorkers know that the Great New York State Fair isn’t all deep-fried treats and concerts! For almost 200 years, the fair has showcased the best that New York has to offer, from farm-fresh products to educational and artistic exhibits.  As part of the aforementioned “best of New York”, ITS was at this year’s fair to showcase all the cool things our agency does, from geospatial mapping to c...

Gone are the days of rooms filled with dusty legal tomes and yellowing binders.  Like most industries, the legal profession has gone digital, streamlining tasks and making information sharing easier than ever.  From floppy disks to AI, legal technology solutions have exponentially evolved, especially in recent years.  On this episode of the IT’S a Tech Podcast, Scott Geer, Deputy Chief Legal Techn...

On July 19, 2024, a faulty software update by cybersecurity company Crowdstrike took down millions of Microsoft Windows operating systems all over the world.  It caused computers to crash and lock, displaying the so-called “blue screen of death.”  The outage led to widespread disruption across multiple sectors of the global economy, including airlines, banks, hospitals, businesses and even governm...

All indicators show that cybercrime is definitely on the rise. People spend more time online than ever before, and new technologies and techniques are creating more possibilities for criminals to target and exploit unsuspecting victims. On this episode of the IT’S A Tech Podcast, Ben McFarland, NYSOC Shift Lead and Anthony Mosher, CIRT Incident Response Analyst share insights about how the Blue Te...

At ITS, empowering leaders from all sectors of the organization is crucial to our agency’s success. Our workforce is made up of diverse professionals with different levels of experience who bring a variety of backgrounds to tackling challenges, which fosters an environment beneficial to unique and creative results.  Today, Executive Deputy Chief Information Officer Jennifer Lorenz joins us for a w...

How does ITS approach and configure online spaces where the public interacts with New York State agencies and make that experience better?  Listen to the latest episode of the “ITS a Tech Podcast,” featuring Jesse Gardner, Director of User Research at ITS and Eric Steinborn, Design System Lead. Learn more about human-centered design and how it is helping New Yorkers access services in better and e...

It’s a new year, and ITS is continuing to grow and change in positive ways that will benefit all New Yorkers.  The digital needs of the state are evolving, and ITS is working hard to meet that challenge head on, thinking outside the box to provide the best possible products and services.  These changes include a transition to a new dedicated agency service model, which optimizes relationships with...

Our topic this week is cybersecurity. By way of context, ITS is charged with protecting the State’s systems from cyber intrusion and attack. The threats we face today are more numerous, more sophisticated and potentially more dangerous than ever, and because of its size and its standing in both government and in the financial world, New York is always a target for cybercriminals.  Safeguarding our...