Concourse

Ohio

IT Status Report & Strategic Plan

February 23, 2026 · Version 2.0

Executive Summary

Governor

Mike DeWine (R)

CIO

Katrina Flory

CISO

Matthew Hemker

IT Organization

Department of Administrative Services -- Office of Information Technology (OIT)

State Agencies

30

Population

11.8M

Key Strengths

  • InnovateOhio Platform recognized as NASCIO State IT Innovation of the Year -- unified identity and access management integrating BMV, Taxation, and other high-traffic agencies with expansion roadmap
  • Published Ohio Comprehensive Cybersecurity Plan (OCCP) with five NIST CSF-aligned functions and new House Bill 96 mandating cybersecurity programs for all local governments by 2026
  • Over 100 generative AI use cases approved through AI Council governance framework with tools like RegExplorer for regulatory assessment and agency chatbots already in production
  • $793M BEAD broadband allocation with NTIA-approved Final Proposal (December 2025) targeting 60,000 unserved households for universal high-speed access by 2030

Key Risks

  • Columbus ransomware attack (July 2024) by Rhysida group compromised 500,000 residents' data including SSNs and crime victim details -- city investing $23M in zero-trust remediation, exposing statewide local government cyber gaps
  • CISO Holly Drake departed December 2025 for academia -- interim CISO Matthew Hemker creates leadership continuity risk at critical time when HB96 cybersecurity mandates take effect January 2026
  • InnovateOhio Platform adoption remains concentrated in high-profile agencies (BMV, Taxation) with many smaller agencies not yet integrated, limiting the whole-of-state digital services vision
  • DOJ WCAG 2.1 AA compliance deadline of April 24, 2026 approaching with no published statewide accessibility audit across agency web properties

Capability Areas

Capability Radar

Cybersecurity & …AI & AutomationDigital Governme…Data Management …Workforce & Tale…Cloud ServicesBroadband & Conn…IT Procurement &…Interoperability…Legacy Moderniza…
Ohio

Current IT Projects

ProjectStatusDescriptionTimeline
InnovateOhio Platform ExpansionIn ProgressExtending the NASCIO award-winning unified identity and digital services platform to additional state agencies beyond BMV and Taxation, with enhanced data analytics capabilities.2024-2027
BroadbandOhio BEAD DeploymentActive$793M federal broadband deployment program targeting 60,000 unserved households. Final Proposal approved by NTIA December 2025. Application process relaunched July 2025.2025-2030
HB96 Local Government Cybersecurity ImplementationIn ProgressStatewide implementation of House Bill 96 mandating cybersecurity programs for all political subdivisions. Counties and cities must comply by January 2026, other entities by July 2026.2025-2026
AI Governance & Use Case ExpansionActiveAI Council continuing to evaluate and approve generative AI use cases across agencies, with 100+ approved and 33 deployed. Focus on expanding production deployments and workforce upskilling.2023-ongoing
Next-Generation 911 SystemsPlanningModernization of Ohio's 911 infrastructure to next-generation standards supporting enhanced location services, multimedia, and interoperable communications.2025-2028

100-Day Strategic Plan

Quick-win initiatives for immediate impact

200-Day Strategic Plan

Strategic initiatives for sustained transformation

Sources

  1. Ohio Department of Administrative Services -- Office of Information Technology (accessed 2026-02-23)
  2. Ohio Digital Government Summit 2025 -- CIO Katrina Flory Keynote (accessed 2026-02-23)
  3. StateScoop: Ohio CIO Working to Improve Digital Services for Residents (accessed 2026-02-23)
  4. GovTech: Top Ohio Cybersecurity Official Is Returning to Academia (accessed 2026-02-23)
  5. Ohio Comprehensive Cybersecurity Plan (OCCP, January 2025) (accessed 2026-02-23)
  6. CyberOhio Strategy and Priorities (accessed 2026-02-23)
  7. Ohio House Bill 96 -- Local Government Cybersecurity Mandates (accessed 2026-02-23)
  8. CIS Controls Central to Ohio's New Cybersecurity Law for Political Subdivisions (accessed 2026-02-23)
  9. Columbus Dispatch: Columbus to Spend $23M on Cybersecurity After 2024 Hack (accessed 2026-02-23)
  10. NASCIO: Ohio's Blueprint for Empowering Statewide AI Innovation (accessed 2026-02-23)
  11. BroadbandOhio BEAD Grant Program (accessed 2026-02-23)
  12. Ohio Department of Development: BEAD Application Relaunch (accessed 2026-02-23)
  13. Ohio Technology Consortium (OH-TECH) (accessed 2026-02-23)
  14. NASCIO 2025 State CIO Top 10 Priorities (accessed 2026-02-23)
  15. DOJ Title II Web Accessibility Rule -- WCAG 2.1 AA (April 24, 2026 deadline) (accessed 2026-02-23)
  16. StateTech Magazine: Q&A with Ohio CIO Katrina Flory (accessed 2026-02-23)