The Commonwealth is currently engaged in a consolidation effort aimed at rationalizing the management of information technology resources throughout the executive branch. By consolidating certain IT staff, disparate telecommunications systems, server pools, printing capacities and the functions of IT procurement, service desk and security administration, COT is providing significantly better, more reliable and more uniform services at lower cost to agencies.
IT infrastructure consolidation represents broadscale transformation of the inefficient and highly redundant technical landscape that evolved during the 1990s with the proliferation of decentralized computing environments. Consolidation has become an industry best practice that is now spreading quickly through many forward-thinking state government-computing environments. Virginia, for example, initiated transformation efforts that delivered $37.4 million in gross savings as of 2004. Michigan, California, Texas, Ohio, and Missouri are other states with major consolidation initiatives completed or underway.
The current infrastructure environment in the Commonwealth reflects that IT in the executive branch is not being administered to its full potential, particularly with regard to known inefficiencies in staffing, operations, and procurement. Consolidation will bring efficiencies through economies of scale and comparable savings should result from consolidation to the Commonwealth.
Previous IT Landscape
- 1,800 Servers
- 34,000 Personal Computers
- 5,600 Laptops
- 1,100 Telephone Systems
- 43,000 Telephones
- 13,200 Outsourced Telephone Lines ($2.7 million annually)
- 33 Different Vendors
- Unknown Number of Software Products and Vendors
Combining IT across the Commonwealth will give us a higher buying power and achieve a greater advantage in negotiating IT contracts with vendors. It will also result in improved services, uniform quality, and appropriate levels of security.
COT began the transformation initiative as a result of Executive Order number 2005-562 signed on June 16, 2005. As part of this order, the Division of Client Services was created in the Office of Infrastructure Services (OIS). Within this Division, the Customer Service Branch was also created. The primary goal of this Branch is to serve as a single point of contact, via the Commonwealth Service Desk, for customers to request all types of computing products and/or services from COT.
As a single point of contact, the Commonwealth Service Desk will provide customers:
- Convenience
- Efficiency
- Effectiveness
- Responsiveness
- Accountability
IT customers will always receive a ticket number for their request and will be able to contact the Service Desk with the ticket number to obtain a status. All requests are then recorded, tracked, monitored and used to generate performance metrics to better serve our customers.
Overview of the Commonwealth Service Desk
Report a Problem
Hours of Operation
Please see the “IT Transformation Procedures Manual” for further details and a listing of all OIS Branches. Contact information for each Branch Manager is provided along with descriptions of the roles and functions of each Branch. If you have any questions or need further information please contact the Service Desk via the methods listed above.
With the IT Transformation underway COT has developed key goals further the success of the IT Transformation.
- Create Value
- Create Accountability
- Increase Efficiencies
- Emphasize Security
- IT Employee Growth
As this innovative transformation proceeds across the Commonwealth, updates will be made frequently. Please check this site often for the latest information.
If you have any ideas or suggestions, please give us your input by emailing CommonwealthServiceDesk@ky.gov. COT looks forward to hearing from you.