DENVER, Colo.—The State of Colorado was awarded national information technology awards in two categories this week at the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) Annual Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. The state won in the Cybersecurity category for its multi-year security strategy, Secure Colorado, and in the Cross Boundary Collaboration and Partnerships category for its Universal Application.

Each year NASCIO honors outstanding information technology achievements in the public sector through its State IT Recognition Awards. In addition to winning the two awards above in this prestigious awards program, Colorado was also named a finalist for the state’s PEAKHealth Mobile Application.

Colorado’s Secretary of Technology and Chief Information Officer, Suma Nallapati, says, “This is a testament to the hard work our teams do every day in collaboration with other state agencies. I am very proud that Colorado is being recognized nationally for cybersecurity and for technical applications that serve Coloradans most in need.”

Secure Colorado, the state’s first cybersecurity strategic plan, was created as a call to action. The plan acknowledges the criticality of state information assets, the need to protect those assets, and the fact that the state was continually under cyber attack -- with the team defending against approximately 8.4 million events every day.

The Universal Application, a project created with and for the Colorado Department of Human Services, allows Coloradans to anonymously check eligibility for multiple government assistance programs at once.The entire process is easily accessible by families, guides applicants smoothly through an intuitive process, and helps families efficiently determine what programs to apply for.

About OIT
The Governor's Office of Information Technology (OIT) strives to impact the lives of all Coloradans to create a safer, happier and healthier state. OIT works to empower the State of Colorado with flexible technology that will drive sustainable and intelligent business decisions. OIT envisions a future where the end-user experience shapes design, and data analytics transform how state government serves its residents. To learn more about Secure Colorado, read here.