Web hosting is available through DII for all state and quasi-state entities, including boards and councils via the Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) with no direct cost. (see Getting Started for details) This is possible because the  ECMS is a product of the Web Portal Project, a self-funded project to promote eGovernment in Vermont. A self-funded program works by a series of small convenience fees added to certain transactions that occur online. These fees will fund the development of the entire project. Vermont Information Consortium (VIC), the contractor selected to run the portal, will collect these fees as payment for application development and ongoing maintenance costs. The transactions requiring fees will be primarily Business to Government transactions and are accepted by all parties. VIC will be providing value added transactions that more than justify the extra fees.

Self-Funded System

A "self-funded" system does not mean people will be paying twice for transactions conducted online. If we look at the options for obtaining state services all have some kind of cost. A trip to a state office to do business with the state in person will cost you whatever travel time is required to reach the office plus the cost of transportation to reach the office. Not all online transactions will require a fee. Those that do will carry a fee that will probably be comparable to a gallon of gas. Again, most fees of this sort will be generated by businesses that will receive value added service that is not currently available online or off.

Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS)

The ECMS was envisioned as a tool for State of Vermont Web developers to much more easily and quickly design and implement Web sites. The infrastructure created for the CMS will be designed in such a way that it can become a tool available across the enterprise for managing Web resources. For individuals or programs that own online content the ECMS will allow non-technical staff of individual state government organizations to manage their own Web content on a remote server using only their current Web browser as a development tool.

The ECMS is an entirely new way to think about Web sites. With this system Web site creation, hosting and maintenance will no longer be issues that state staff members need to consider. Web hosting will be a service rather than project based. Just as email addresses are now requested for new staff members, organizations will now be able to request new Web sites. Within a few weeks of receiving the requirements for a new site the site will be created and ready for content to be added. Where today a new Web site can take months to get launched, with the web portal this time could be cut to a few weeks for a small site.

The ECMS also is intended to provide a stimulus to state organizations to improve the usability and integration of state Web sites. The State of Vermont has been ranked among the lowest nationally in providing state government content and services online over the last half decade. Therefore, all considerations in the design of the new portal will be secondary to whether the design provides a useful interface between our various audiences and the state. There are several aspects to this low ranking but some of the more important are:

• There is no consistency in the naming of official Web sites of the state.
• There is no consistency to the navigation on the various state Web sites.
• State information and services are grouped by internal bureaucratic structure rather than in ways useful to visitors.
• There was no search feature that is capable of searching all state web sites.
• Common information produced by organizations across state government, such as press releases and notifications, are produced in a wide variety of mutually incompatible formats.

Cost Savings

The Web Portal represents a large cost savings for agencies and departments. There will be no hosting cost, no development cost, no creation of RFPs to alter old or create new Web sites, no waiting for the RFP process to conclude, and no involvement of technical staff in content creation or maintenance.

ECMS Benefits

There are now 20 State Web Sites live in the ECMS and more than 30 more in development. The ECMS has become the default platform for all state web development. Any site that is newly built or significantly redesigned from this point forward will need to move to this environment.

There are a great many positive aspects to hosting a site on the new system.

• Non-technical staff can substantially maintain the site.
• The site structure can be built and activated in a matter of days.
• There will be no need for creating an RFP or contracting with a vendor to create a new Web site.
• A site will not require the purchase or maintenance of any hardware.
• A site will have no ongoing maintenance costs.
• All new sites built in the ECMS automatically comply with ADA Web requirements.
• All new sites built in the ECMS automatically comply with all state Web standards.
• A site is hosted in a guaranteed 24/7 facility with redundant power and telecommunication infrastructure.
• Support will be available from experienced Web developers on ways to improve a site's performance.
• The actual server hosting the sites will be in a secure location with advanced site and electronic security.
• The hosting facility will be able to provide 24/7 availability due to redundant power sources.

Oversight

The Web Portal Project will be overseen by an oversight entity. In 2006 the legislature passed Act 891. This act authorized the formation of the Web Portal Board whose responsibility is to approve convenience fees on the new portal and provide oversight in general.

For more information contact:

Harry Bell
Director of Web Services
State of Vermont, Office of the CIO, Dept of Information and Innovation
(802) 828-5338