SPRINGFIELD – Governor Rauner’s recent order to bring all of Illinois’ information technology (IT) systems under the newly created Department of Innovation and Technology is major step toward finally modernizing the state’s IT infrastructure says State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford).

“Finally we have a Governor that is addressing an issue I have been raising concerns about for over a decade,” Sen. Syverson said. “I am so grateful the Governor is taking on this important project. Once this agency is fully in place, the savings generated will more than pay for the upgrades we so desperately need. Additionally, people’s personal information will be much more secure.”

Previously, each state agency has been largely responsible for its own IT infrastructure. Syverson noted that there are currently thousands of different computer systems in place, many of them are incompatible with each other, and some date back to the 1970’s. The outdated systems also pose potential security risks for the personal information of Illinois residents they contain.

“The state still runs some programs on DOS, which shows how irresponsible our government has been in safeguarding taxpayer information,” said Sen. Syverson. “So much waste and fraud have occurred over the last decade it’s just sad to see another example where the left hand has had no idea what the right hand was doing.”

Governor Rauner’s new Department of Innovation and Technology will be responsible for bringing together the various systems currently in place and creating a strategic technology plan that will help build modern and interoperable systems to improve efficiency, accountability, and transparency. The Governor’s plan has a stated goal of moving the IT infrastructure 45 years forward in 4 years.

“This is a bold and ambitious goal that we can accomplish,” said Sen. Syverson. “The taxpayers deserve a modern, safe, and efficient government. This is a major step toward making that a reality.”