BACKGROUND

The Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) is submitting the Commonwealth’s network infrastructure report, pursuant to Item 91(E) of the 2022 Appropriation Act, which provides: The Virginia Information Technologies Agency shall provide a network infrastructure report to the House Appropriations Committee, Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, and Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission by November 1 of each year. The report shall indicate whether the Commonwealth's network infrastructure is adequate to meet the needs of state agencies, and if not, identify any needed upgrades. For each network infrastructure upgrade identified, the report shall specify the estimated cost and whether the upgrade is to the portion of the network maintained by the Virginia Information Technologies Agency or another state agency.

This report covers December 2021 to November 2022. VITA thanks policymakers for this opportunity to report on this subject of utmost importance.

SUMMARY

VITA provides information technology (IT) infrastructure services to the Commonwealth’s 65 executive branch state agencies and the workforce of over 65,000 state employees, equipping and empowering the agency’s colleagues to serve Virginia’s 8.6 million residents. Network infrastructure includes software and hardware that helps run and maintain the Commonwealth’s IT network. They are the foundation for almost all government interactions with Virginians.

This report details the progress since the last report and the network infrastructure needs of state agencies. VITA implemented several projects meant to increase performance, reliability, and network capacity while maintaining a secure environment.