infoTECH Feature

December 04, 2014

New York's New Chief Information Officer Offers Huge IT Background

The state of New York recently made a roster move, bringing in a new chief information officer with a particular focus on overseeing the state government’s computer operations. Maggie Miller, the state's new chief of information technology (IT), comes to the position with a substantial amount of experience in both private sector and public sector IT operations, making her a terrific replacement for outgoing chief Brian Digman.

Miller was formerly the chief information officer at Girl Scouts USA, and was also involved with not only Dell (News - Alert) and Warner Music Group, but several British companies as well, making her well-versed in material across several different sectors. New York's governor, Andrew Cuomo, notes that that combination of experiences makes Miller “uniquely qualified” to take over the position. Further reports note that Miller was involved with Warner's expansion into digital services, as well as e-commerce, which may well have kept the music industry from collapsing into nothingness. Her work with J.Sainsbury PLC in Europe kept her supporting 700 stores and a combined annual revenue figure of over $20 billion, meaning she's certainly had a hand in large-scale operations before.

Miller's experience with large numbers of users should prove to be the best judge of her capability in the New York position, as the state's operations comprise nearly 40,000 computers and an email system that boasts over 75,000 users to its credit. Moreover, the department operates on a budget of $900 million annually, so it's clear there's a lot to oversee in this operation. While it's not known just how much Miller will be paid, it is known that her predecessor Digman took $160,000 per year.

It's interesting that Miller came onboard from Girl Scouts USA, which may have put her in a position about the same time the Girl Scouts were making the move to offer cookie sales online. If she'd had any kind of hand in that operation that would be a particular feather in her cap, so to speak, and give her a great line on the wider-scope position that New York's IT operations would offer. It's interesting to wonder here what new moves Miller might bring to New York's operations, and certainly there are some that could be made. Reports suggest that Miller will officially begin work December 8—which is reasonable, being as that's a Monday—and reports further suggest that Miller will have a focus on moving to find efficient solutions with lower costs and better innovation.

Only time will tell, in the end, just what Miller does with this new position, and given New York's progress in terms of online operations—under Cuomo, the state recently completed a major overhaul of its Web portal, the first such renovation effort in over 15 years—Miller's extensive background in the field could ultimately bring some major new efforts to the field. It will be exciting to see just what Miller does here, so keep your eyes front; who knows what's coming up?




Edited by Maurice Nagle
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