Why This Audit Matters
The Information & Technology Division has prepared an IT Portfolio Integrated Plan for achieving the eCity goals, which were established in 2012. The purpose of this plan was to improve online service delivery and to update the City’s overall IT environment to ensure it is aligned with the City’s IT vision.
To successfully deliver this eCity Strategy, the City requires centralized IT governance and a Strategic Technology Roadmap to guide the acquisition and deployment of technology.
What We Found
A. Need for Centralized IT Governance
- The responsibility, control and accountability for the City’s IT infrastructure and assets is not fully centralized.
- Issues arising from this partially decentralized model have been raised by the Auditor General since 2006. Although there have been some improvements to coordination and collaboration over time, similar issues persist.
- To address these ongoing issues, there needs to be a culture shift so that the Chief Information Officer is clearly in charge of governance and accountability for information technology City-wide.
- Centralizing governance allows for more coordinated planning and priority-setting; the establishment and assessment of compliance with IT standards; effective monitoring and control of IT assets; and centralized IT security governance.
- Wherever there is an operational need to continue with a decentralized approach, appropriate governance and accountabilities should be established to ensure these divisions adhere to corporate policies and procedures.
B. Three Key Actions Are Needed to Achieve the City’s Technology Vision
- Define the gap – The I&T Division needs to define the technology gap by better understanding the current state of the City’s IT infrastructure and assets, and identify the city-wide strategic solutions needed to achieve the IT vision.
- Establish a coordinated plan (technology roadmap) to close the gap – The I&T Division should set out a Strategic Technology Roadmap that identifies the specific technology solutions needed to transform the City’s IT environment.
- Execute the plan – The I&T Division is then positioned to deploy the Strategic Technology Roadmap, which will enable the IT vision to be achieved with costs and efficiencies in mind. The Strategic Technology Roadmap is a key tool needed for the strategic procurement of IT assets.
By the Numbers
- IT Infrastructure is spread over 700 locations throughout the City.
- 2,700 servers are on the City’s network.
- The infrastructure hosts over 850 systems.
- I&T Division’s Operating Budget for 2017 was $127.8 million.
- I&T Division’s Capital Plan for the next 10 years is $437.7 million.
How Recommendations Will Benefit the City
Implementing the Auditor General’s 15 recommendations from this interim report will improve the management of IT infrastructure and assets, as well as strategic sourcing. Any potential cost savings will be included in the final report.
Background
The Corporate I&T Division’s role is to provide City-wide leadership in modernizing services through the strategic investment, development and management of the City’s IT systems.
The City’s IT Infrastructure is complex and stretches across the whole City.
This infrastructure serves City divisions and the citizens of Toronto.