Utah One of Two States to Receive an “A” for Best Practices in State Government Information Technology

SALT LAKE CITY--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--In an announcement made at the annual meeting of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers, the state of Utah recently was one of only two states to receive an “A” grade in the Center for Digital Government’s Digital States Survey, a comprehensive study that examines best practices in state government information technology, as well as progress made by the states in using digital technology to serve their citizens. In addition to the overall grade, Utah also received the first place award in three distinct categories: Health and Human Services, Labor and Tax, and Finance and Administration.

“The Digital States recognition confirms our ongoing commitment to efficient government. By continuing to improve the way we deliver online services, we will also strengthen the Utah economy and quality of life for citizens.”

The Digital States Survey is the most complete survey of state government use of information technology and examines almost every aspect of how states utilize technology to improve service in each area of government. The state has consistently ranked high in this survey, but has not received an “A” grade since 2008.

During a ceremony in which the award was received, State Chief Information Officer, Stephen Fletcher, thanked the Center for Digital Government for the recognition and stressed the importance of the state’s efforts in digital government, “Information technology is critical to achieving Utah’s goals of creating more efficiencies and has already saved the state millions of dollars. We are committed to making it easier for Utah citizens to transact business with state government and to providing better access to government services.”

Governor Gary Herbert has continued to stress the importance of providing government services in the most efficient and effective way possible, “The Digital States recognition confirms our ongoing commitment to efficient government. By continuing to improve the way we deliver online services, we will also strengthen the Utah economy and quality of life for citizens.” In 2009 alone, more than six million job referrals were performed online. Utah now supports more than 900 online services in almost every area of government. Learn more about Utah’s digital government initiatives by visiting the state’s award winning portal Utah.gov.

About Utah.gov

Utah.gov is the entry point to over 1000 online services and benefits over 2.7 million residents in the State of Utah. Utah.gov provides citizens and businesses with more convenient options for interacting with government. Through Utah.gov, citizens can find public meetings, renew their vehicle registration, renew a driver license, buy a hunting and fishing license, register a business, find a transparent state budget, and much more. In 2009 alone, Utah.gov received an unprecedented 20 awards making it the nation’s most honored state website.

Utah.gov is the official Web portal for the State of Utah (http://www.Utah.gov). It was ranked first in the nation in the Center for Digital Government’s 2009 Best of the Web competition and also ranked first in the 2008 Digital States Survey by the Center for Digital Government. It is managed and operated without tax funds through a public-private partnership between the state and Utah Interactive, the Salt Lake City-based official eGovernment partner for the state of Utah. Utah Interactive is part of eGovernment firm NIC’s family of companies.

About NIC

NIC Inc. (NASDAQ: EGOV)is the nation's leading provider of government Web sites, online services, and secure payment-processing solutions. The company's innovative eGovernment services help reduce costs and increase efficiencies for government agencies, citizens, and businesses across the country. The NIC family of companies provides eGovernment solutions for more than 3,000 federal, state, and local agencies that serve 98 million people in the United States. Additional information is available at http://www.nicusa.com.