Established as a department in 1999, NDIT's history dates from 1969 when it was first created as the Central Data Processing Division with the Office of Management and Budget. The division set up an electronic data processing center used by all state agencies except the institutions of higher education, Job Service, and the office of the Adjutant General. The Higher Education Computer Network (HECN) was funded after a 1969-70 interim legislative study. In 1981 the director of CDP was directed to supervise all executive branch agency data processing activities and to approve data processing equipment acquisitions.
The division was renamed the Information Services Division in 1989. At this time, the division was required to prepare guidelines for agency information technology plans, develop a statewide plan based on those plans, develop statewide information technology policies, standards, and guidelines, coordinate services with political subdivisions and systems and services with higher education, and report non-compliance to the legislature.
Milestones in ND State IT History
- 1969
- Established Central Data Processing within Accounts and Purchasing
- 1983
- First statewide network roll-out
- 1987
- Telephone system responsibilities transferred from OMB
- 1989
- Changed the name to Information Services Division (ISD)
- 1992
- First statewide email system implemented
- 1995
- First state homepage launched on the Internet
- 1997
- Legislative IT Committee created
- 1998
- First statewide IT Plan produced
- 1999
- Agency became a cabinet level department called the Information Technology Department (NDIT) and the CIO position was created
- 2000
- Statewide Technology Access for Government and Education Network (STAGEnet) rollout
- 2001
- Education Technology Council created and moved to NDIT for coordination of all K-12 education initiatives
- 2001
- Enterprise Architecture initiated to determine technology direction and set IT standards for state government
- 2001
- Criminal Justice Information Sharing (CJIS) program was established for exchanging information among criminal justice-related entities
- 2001
- Geographic Information Systems (GIS) implemented to share geospatial information held in state agencies
- 2001
- ConnectND launched by the state and ND University System to replace all financial, human resources, and student information systems
- 2003
- State IT Technology Advisory Committee given responsibility for the prioritization of state government strategic initiatives
- 2004
- Server consolidation launched; resulting in maintenance efficiencies and cost savings
- 2006
- Second datacenter located in North Dakota came online; increasing the speed of recovering critical systems in the event of a disaster
- 2007
- Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) began providing data to improve the outcomes of individuals provided service
- 2009
- Health Information Technology (HIT) program began implementing statewide interoperable health information infrastructure
- 2014
- Centralized Desktop Support service launched for 19+ agencies
- 2015
- Criminal Justice Information Sharing (CJIS) program was transferred to the Attorney General's Office
- 2015
- Feasibility study of the Statewide Interoperability Radio Network began
- 2015
- NDIT position added to the North Dakota State and Local Intelligence Center (NDSLIC)