2006 Information Resources Strategic Plan Instructions

Guidance for State Agencies and
Institutions of Higher Education

May 5, 2006

*Note: This document is no longer updated. It has been replaced by the IRSP Instructions & Template document.

GLOSSARY

• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• G
• I
• M
• N
• P
• Q
• R
• S
• T
• V
• W

A

Architecture

Refers to either hardware or software, or to a combination of hardware and software. The architecture of a system always defines its broad outlines, and may define precise mechanisms as well. An open architecture allows the system to be connected easily to devices and programs made by other manufacturers. Open architectures use off-the-shelf components and conform to approved standards. A system with a closed architecture, on the other hand, is one whose design is proprietary, making it difficult to connect the system to other systems. [Source: Webopedia.com]

Automatic Classification Systems

Automatic classification systems use mathematical constructs to identify key concepts by analyzing the frequency and placement of words and concepts within documents for the purpose of tagging the documents, organizing them into categories and improving retrieval success.

B

Best Practice

A term used to describe generally agreed upon processes, derived from experienced industry experts, which should be undertaken when deploying projects in order to decrease operational and financial risk. [Source: 2005 SSP Glossary]

Business Architecture

Refers to the landscape of business units or divisions, and the services and processes they perform to fulfill the agency’s mission, goals and objectives. Business Architecture encompasses: Standards for business modeling, business requirements gathering and business process re-engineering Practices of business modeling, business requirements gathering and business process re-engineering at the business unit / division level Practices of business modeling and business re-engineering at the enterprise level Development of business-based service level agreements (SLAs) with regard to information and communications technology support Impact analyses and governance of business models, requirements and re-engineering proposals across divisions, or enterprise-wide.

Business Continuity Management

A holistic management process that identifies potential impacts that threaten an organization and provides a framework for building resilience with the capability for an effective response that safeguards the interests of its key stakeholders, reputation, brand, and value creating activities. [Source: Business Continuity Institute Glossary. Also, see the DIR Web site for Business Continuity Planning Guidelines]

Business Intelligence

Business intelligence is a broad category of applications and technologies for gathering, storing, analyzing, and providing access to data to help enterprise users make better business decisions. BI applications include the activities of decision support systems, query and reporting, online analytical processing (OLAP), statistical analysis, forecasting, and data mining. [Source: Whatis.com]

C

Change Control

Any alteration of the functional or physical characteristics of a project work product. This includes both defect repairs and enhancements.

Change Management

Addresses changes to requirements, operational systems and/or procedures. These changes may originate within or outside the agency. An effective agency-wide change management/change control practice can enable a thorough impact analysis.

Collaboration Software

Software that allows user groups to share information and applications online. [Source: 2005 SSP Glossary]

Collection of Fees/Fines

Collection of any fee or fine for enforcement actions or failure to perform to agency requirements or standards. The end result is a printable receipt of the funds.

Commodity Items (Technology)

Technology commodity items are defined in legislation as commercially available hardware, software, and technology services that are generally available to businesses or the public. See IT Commodity Purchasing Program on DIR Web site for details.

Computer Incident Reports

Agencies and universities are required by TAC 202.26 and TAC 202.76 to provide summary reports that contain information concerning violations of security policy of which the agency has become aware. For more detail, see the Monthly Incident Summary Reports page on DIR Web site, which includes reported incidents in published documents.

Configuration

Functional and physical characteristics of hardware or software as set forth in technical documentation or archived in a product; requirements, design, and implementation that define a particular version of a system or system component.

Configuration Management

Subset of project management that includes the processes for formally identifying and controlling project configuration items. Includes version control of project deliverables and other text documents, as well as code and build procedures. Technology project artifacts and deliverables must be versioned if they are to be kept up-to-date, including business and system requirements, designs and data models. An agency-wide configuration management practice can support the ongoing maintenance of standards and requirements and code bases within an agency.

Content Management

Content management systems consist of technologies used to capture, manage, store, preserve, and deliver content such as images, office documents, graphics, drawings, print streams, web pages, e-mail, video, and rich media assets.

Contract Advisory Team (CAT)

The Contract Advisory Team consists of a representative from the Comptroller of Public Accounts, Office of Attorney General, Office of the Governor, DIR, and the Texas Building and Procurement Commission. Its role is to review project solicitation plans based on risk assessment results and to grant approval to an agency to proceed with solicitation plans.

Cooperative Contracts Program

In accordance with TGC §2157.068, and 1 T.A.C. Chapter 212, each state agency must purchase technology commodity items through contracts established by DIR unless the agency first obtains an exemption. For more details on the program, see the IT Commodity Purchasing Program DIR Web site.

Cyber Security

The branch of security that protects data and information against unauthorized disclosure, transfer, modification, or destruction, whether accidental or intentional. [Source: 2005 SSP Glossary]

D

Data Center

A centrally managed computing facility that houses servers or mainframe(s) and storage devices to serve as a centralized processing center. Typically, such a facility is constructed or modified with separate climate controls and electrical connections that are adequate to support the computing environment. [Source: 2005 SSP Glossary]

Data Management

Data management ensures data integrity and availability through methodologies such as data warehousing, cleansing, profiling, stewardship, modeling and definition. Effective business decisions rely on data accuracy and reliability. [Source: BetterManagement.com]

Data Warehouse

A data warehouse is a collection of data designed to support management decision making. Data warehouses contain a wide variety of data that present a coherent picture of business conditions at a single point in time. Data warehousing generally refers to the combination of many different databases across an entire enterprise. [Source: Webopedia.com ]

Disaster Recovery Services

Services usually provided by a third party that include developing advance arrangements and procedures to enable an organization to either maintain or quickly resume mission-critical functions within a specified time frame, minimizing loss to the organization. [Source: 2005 SSP Glossary]

Document Imaging Systems

Document imaging systems consists of various configurations of hardware and software components used to render paper documents into computer readable digital images. These images can then be transferred onto a variety of electronic storage media and can be stored, retrieved, and managed electronically.

Document Management

Document management systems consist of technologies used to control the life cycle of documents from their point of creation by providing indexing, profiling, routing, check-in and check-out, revision, and version control capabilities. The primary concern of electronic document management systems is the authoring and approval process.

E

Electronic Records Management Systems

Electronic records management systems consist of technologies that collect, organize, categorize, store, retrieve, use, and dispose of electronic records, managing them throughout their complete life cycle. Basic functionality supports the development of retention schedules, implementation of disposition and retention requirements, calculation of disposal eligibility dates, ability to place holds on disposition when necessary, and generation of disposal logs.

E-mail Archiving System

E-mail archiving systems capture and store all e-mail in read-only form. Both sent and received e-mail is indexed on header information and stores captured messages to disk, optical, or tape storage. E-mail archive systems are used by organizations to manage e-mail for compliance, storage management, legal discovery, and knowledge management.

Enterprise

Concerning the broadest scope of the agency, including all business and technology divisions.

Enterprise Architecture

A comprehensive approach used to manage and coordinate an agency’s business processes and information systems so that they align with the agency’s core goals and strategic direction.

Enterprise Impact

Effect of one variable across all business and technology divisions of the agency.

Enterprise Resource Planning

A term for the broad set of activities supported by multi-module application software that helps a business manage its business processes, including operational planning, inventory, procurement, customer service, finance and human resources. Typically, an ERP system uses or is integrated with a relational database system.

Enterprise Search Engines

Enterprise search engines are programs designed to help find information stored inside corporate or proprietary networks or intranets. A search engine employs a variety of strategies, such as thesauri, dictionaries and probabilistic analysis, to discover documents that match a user's interests.

Enterprise Strategic Governance

Encompasses the structures and processes for defining and ensuring fulfillment of agency mission, goals and objectives, through consideration of both business and technology services within a common forum.

G

Geographic Information System (GIS)

A system of computer hardware, software, and procedures used to store and manipulate electronic maps and related data to solve complex planning and management problems. [Source: 2005 SSP Glossary]

Global Positioning System (GPS)

A satellite-based navigation system developed by the U.S. Department of Defense. GPS receivers can determine one’s position on the earth’s surface.

I

Impact Analysis

Analysis of the relative harm or damage to a project if a risk becomes a problem, usually expressed either as a dollar amount or on a scale from 1 to 10.

Information Life Cycle Management

Information life cycle management is an approach to managing information and storage that recognizes that the value of information, based on its purpose and content, changes over time.

Information Architecture

Refers to the landscape of data models, taxonomies, databases, data warehousing, business intelligence, data retention/archiving and reporting, and the services and processes they perform to fulfill the agency’s mission, goals and objectives. Information Architecture encompasses: Standards for all aspects of information architecture mentioned above. Practices for all aspects of information architecture mentioned above. Impact analyses and governance of information architecture elements across technology divisions and across business divisions, or enterprise-wide.

Information Resources Management Act (IRMA)

Section 2054 of the Texas Government Code.

Information Resources Manager (IRM)

Responsible to the State of Texas for management of the agency’s information resources. The designation of an agency information resources manager (IRM) is intended to establish clear accountability for setting policy for information resource management activities, provide for greater coordination of the state agency’s information activities and ensure greater visibility of such activities within and between state agencies. See Information Resources Manager (IRM) Overview on the DIR Web site.

Information Security

Effective information security practices requires executive management support, effective policies and procedures that are appropriate for the environment, staff training, risk assessment, employee awareness, appropriate and effective controls, and comprehensive audit and testing. The goal is to protect the agency’s critical missions by reducing risks, complying with laws and regulations, and ensuring business continuity, information integrity, and confidentiality. [Source: Practices Protecting Information Resources Assets on the DIR Web site]

Information Security Officer (ISO)

Responsible to the Information resources manager for administering the information security functions within the agency. The ISO is the agency’s internal and external point of contact for all information security matters. See the Incident Managment Page of DIR Web site.

Information Technology Detail (ITD)

TGC 2054 (IRMA) directs that an agency’s strategic planning process coincide with the state’s budget cycle. As part of that process, agencies must prepare an ITD to substantiate their capital project information and show how they will manage their information resources technology, implement their IRSP, and use their information resources budget in the next biennium. See LBB’s Web site.

Infrastructure

The physical hardware used to interconnect computers and users, as well as the software used to send, receive, and manage transmitted signals.

Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

A computerized system that allows a person, typically a telephone caller, to select an option from a voice menu and interact with a computer system. Generally, the system plays pre-recorded voice prompts to which the person presses a number on a telephone keypad to select an option or speaks simple answers such as “yes,” “no,” or a number. [Source: 2005 SSP Glossary]

Interoperability

The ability of two or more systems or products to work together without special effort. For example, routers and switches in a network require interoperability.

Intrusion Detection System

Software and/or hardware that detects and logs inappropriate, incorrect, or anomalous activity on a network and that identifies suspicious patterns that may indicate an attack from someone attempting to break into or compromise a system. [Source: 2005 SSP Glossary]

M

Messaging

Services that use a network to send, receive and combine messages, faxes and large data files. Examples are electronic mail, enhanced fax and EDI.

Modeling

Generally, the process of representing a real-world object or phenomenon as a set of mathematical equations [Source: Webopedia.com]

N

Network Convergence

The integration of voice, data, and video networks. [Source: 2005 SSP Glossary]

Network Security and Operations Center (NSOC)

HB3112 (79 th Texas Legislature) authorizes DIR to establish NSOC on a cost-recovery basis to manage and deliver network security system services to state agencies.

P

Patch Management

Patch management is an area of systems management that involves acquiring, testing, and installing multiple patches (code changes) to an administered computer system. Patch management tasks include: maintaining current knowledge of available patches, deciding what patches are appropriate for particular systems, ensuring that patches are installed properly, testing systems after installation, and documenting all associated procedures, such as configurations required. [Source: Whatis.com]

Payment for Services

Refers to a payment accepted by an agency that will result in the providing of a service, license, registration, permit or product of transferable value to its constituency that could be revoked, confiscated, cancelled, or might lapse at a later date.

Performance Management

Subset of project management that includes the processes for measuring the performance of the product and/or service delivered by the project.

Planned Procurement Schedule

A legislatively mandated data collection instrument that identifies planned procurements for technology commodities and data center equipment and services by agencies. The information is used by DIR to plan future vendor solicitations of commodity items and as a vehicle to review and approve data center related procurements.

Portfolio Management

A business process in which investment decisions are made to determine and select the mix of active projects and the budget, staffing, and other resource allocations for each one. [Source: 2005 SSP Glossary]

Project

As defined in Texas Government Code, Chapter 2054, a program to provide information resources technologies support to functions within or among elements of a state agency that ideally is characterized by well-defined parameters, specific objectives, common benefits, planned activities, a scheduled completion date, and an established budget with a specified source of funding.

Project Management

System of procedures, practices, technologies, and know-how that provides the planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling necessary to successfully manage a project

Project: Major Information Resources

As defined in Texas Government Code, Chapter 2054, any information resources technology project identified in a state agency's biennial operating plan whose development costs exceed $1 million and that requires one year or longer to reach operations status; involves more than one state agency; or substantially alters work methods of state agency personnel or the delivery of services to clients; and any information resources technology project designated by the legislature in the General Appropriations Act as a major information resources project.

Q

Quality Assurance

A critical review process to ensure that a task is adequately and correctly performed.

Quality Assurance Guidelines

The Guidelines explain and identify project management processes and procedures that address quality assurance compliance for major information resource projects.

Quality Assurance Team (QAT)

The QAT is composed of representatives from the DIR, the LBB, and the State Auditor’s Office. The Team is responsible for reviewing, approving, and overseeing major information resources projects.

R

Requirements Management

Addresses requirements that have an enterprise impact, including legislative statutes, business requirements, system requirements, design requirements, and test requirements.

Requirements Management Policy

An agency-level (as opposed to project-level) requirements management policy that establishes the various requirement types, as well as critical traceability guidelines for those requirements; allows for effective impact analyses to be performed when changes are proposed.

Reuse

Reuse is the inclusion of previously designed components (blocks of logic or data) in software and hardware. The term is more frequently used in hardware development. Design reuse makes it faster and cheaper to design and build a new product, since the reused components will not only be already designed but also tested for reliability. Developers can reuse a component in both similar and completely different applications. [Source: Whatis.com ]

Reverse Auction

A type of auction in which the role of the buyer and seller are reversed. In a typical reverse auction, a buyer specifies what is to be purchased and, through an auction process, awards the procurement to the lowest bidder.

Risk

The possibility of an act or event occurring that would have an adverse effect on the state, an organization, or an information system. Risk involves both the probability of failure and the possible consequences of a failure.

S

Seat Management Services

A method of standardizing installation, operation, and maintenance of hardware and software at each desktop across an enterprise. [Source: 2005 SSP Glossary]

Service Level Management

Service Level Management negotiates and monitors line-of-business technology consumption and service quality to ensure alignment with business objectives and maximize the business benefits of technology investments [Source: BetterManagement.com]

Service-Oriented Architecture

A collection of self-contained services that communicate with each other by passing data or coordinating activity among two or more services. [Source: 2005 SSP Glossary]

Software Development Life Cycle

The process used to develop an information system, including requirements, validation, training, and user ownership through investigation, analysis, design, implementation, and maintenance. Also known as Systems Development Life Cycle. [Source: 2005 SSP Glossary]

Stakeholder

Any individual or group who cares about the effort and cost of a project, wants to see the agency use the results of the product, and needs to provide time and effort to make the product usable.

Standard

An approved, documented, and available set of criteria used to determine the adequacy of an action or object.

Statewide Information Technology Asset Report (SITAR)

A Web-based reporting tool developed by DIR for state agencies to report their technology assets to support development of a consolidation plan directed by the legislature. The original SITAR application was adapted to support submission of the agency Information Resources Strategic Plans (IRSP) in 2004. SITAR will not be used for 2006 submissions of agency IRSPs.

Strategic

Important or essential in relation to a plan of action - what is to be accomplished.

T

Tactical

Method or plan for attaining a particular goal - how something will be accomplished.

Taxonomy

The science of categorization, or classification, of things based on a predetermined system. In reference to Web sites and portals, a site’s taxonomy is the way it organizes its data into categories and subcategories, sometimes displayed in a site map. [Source: Webopedia.com]

Technical Architecture

Refers to the landscape of applications, environments, hardware, software, and infrastructure, and the services and processes they perform to fulfill the agency’s mission, goals and objectives. Technical Architecture encompasses:

• Standards for all aspects of the technical architecture, including development and deployment methodologies.
• Practices of modeling, requirements gathering and re-engineering of applications, environments, hardware, software and infrastructure.
• Management of business-based service level agreements (SLAs)
• Impact analyses and governance of technical standards, models, requirements and re-engineering proposals across technology divisions and across business divisions, or enterprise-wide.

TEX-AN

Texas Agency Network

Texas Project Delivery Framework

The Texas Project Delivery Framework (Framework) establishes a consistent, statewide method for project selection, control, and evaluation based on alignment with business goals and objectives. The Framework consists of five review gates with guidance and tools for each of the gates:

• Business Justification–initial review gate for selection and approval of the project
• Project Planning–planning for both project management and technology-related activities and deliverables
• Solicitation and Contracting–development and management of technology solicitations and contracts
• Project Implementation–development, testing, and deployment based on project planning deliverables
• Benefits Realization–final review gate for measurement and evaluation of all project outcomes

See the Overview of the Texas Project Delivery Framework at the DIR Web site.

V

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

A technology used to transmit voice over a data network using the Internet. [Source: 2005 SSP Glossary]

W

Web Content Management

Web Content Management Systems provide an automated approach to implementing content management processes, controls and policies within a web site, a web-based application or a web-based network. Most major web content management systems include authoring tools, workflow tools and templates, and approval workflow processes.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

The complete list of activities that need to be done for a project, used for estimation and scheduling the work.

Workflow

Workflow management products automate tasks, procedural steps, organizations or people involved, required input and output information, and tools needed for each step in a business process. These products manage and enforce work progression consistently focusing on processes rather than documents.