(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that the Center for Digital Government has given Connecticut national recognition for its ongoing digital government efforts, awarding the state with a grade of A- and ranking it third in the nation for information technology leadership. The recognition was included as part of the organization’s 2022 Digital States Survey.

Governor Lamont has made it a priority during his administration to build an all-digital state government that provides Connecticut’s residents and businesses with the tools necessary to digitally connect with services administered by the state.

“I am proud of the work by our state employees and agencies as they modernize services for residents,” Governor Lamont said. “Connecticut is once again being nationally recognized for cross-agency collaborations and leadership as we continue our all-digital government efforts. Our Bureau of Information Technology Solutions team, as part of the Department of Administrative Services, works incredibly hard with state agencies to improve services for Connecticut residents. Being recognized on a national level continues to remind us of what we already know – Connecticut has the best state workforce in the country.”

The grade of A- reflects a state whose technology leaders are using “very strong innovation, high performing solutions, and have applied excellent practices in all aspects of operations, governance and administration,” according to Teri Takai, senior vice president of the Center for Digital Government. Since its inception 25 years ago, the biennial e-survey has helped benchmark state government use of digital technologies to improve service delivery, increase capacity, and reach policy goals.

In the Center for Digital Government’s 2022 Category Awards, Connecticut received third place for exemplary work in leadership, which recognizes Connecticut’s information technology optimization strategy and improvements to working relationships, planning, policies and collaborations with agencies.

“The optimization of the state’s IT infrastructure into one bureau – BITS – under the Department of Administrative Services has given state agencies access to deeply talented IT staff and resources,” Connecticut Department of Administrative Services Commissioner Michelle Gilman said. “The results of IT optimization have and will continue to enhance opportunities for our state employees and make government services more accessible to Connecticut residents. I’m incredibly proud of our BITS team for their national recognition and look forward to furthering our all-digital government journey.”

“Continuing to be recognized as a national leader in modernizing government services is a testament to our dedicated employees and collaborations across agencies,” Connecticut Chief Information Officer Mark Raymond said. “Whether it’s making it easier to do business in the state, renewing a driver’s license online, or other accessibility improvements, digital services ease government interactions, put people first, and provide experiences Connecticut residents come to expect in their online transactions.”

A listing of all 50 states and their grades are published on the Center for Digital Government’s website at www.centerdigitalgov.com.