Department of Information
Technology

The Department of Information Technology (DIT) provides for the sustained, efficient, and effective delivery of IT services, infrastructure, and telecommunications to enhance service delivery to Honolulu’s residents, businesses, employees, and visitors.

The prevalence of the online services and general technological literacy have made information technology and telecommunications services critical to the operation of the City.

Unlike most state, county, and city government IT agencies, the City and County of Honolulu centralizes IT functions into a single department. DIT’s unique software development capabilities and vision make Honolulu a leader in technology transformation in Hawaii. The department’s technical agility allows the City to respond quickly and effectively to the demands brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Have clear vision, back it up with a detailed plan, and put systems in place to manage projects and keep them on track. Hands-on involvement with projects
• Provide technical leadership in all areas
• Formalize policies and procedures and update them annually
• Train your employees to be the best – HACK sessions
• Off-the-shelf solutions have many pitfalls – cost, numerous unused features result in difficult to learn and use systems
• Integration allows a smaller staff to focus on more solutions, to have enterprise standards, and to require a smaller investment in infrastructure due to shared components
• Great IT doesn’t require a big budget, and a big budget doesn’t guarantee great IT
• Incorporate Strategic Planning into a regularly updated Technology Roadmap

DIT is a leading innovator in the government IT space and is developing the latest AI solutions for City customers.

• We maintain multiple data centers 24/7.
• We develop applications with the latest languages and tools – open source, mobile, micro-services, GIS, AI/ML, CI/CD, lexical analyzers and parsers.
• We provide cybersecurity and infrastructure support – servers, storage, backup/recovery, email.
• We run an ERP system that supports the City’s financial, budgeting, human resources, and learning management systems.
• We provide support, maintenance, and upgrades for the network Infrastructure which includes data, video, voice over IP (VoIP), teleconferencing and radio.
• We monitor systems around the clock, operate a full-service document imaging center, run a help desk, manage data center infrastructure, and repair desktop computers and printers.

Finding the right technical solution starts by asking the right question. At DIT, we combine extensive questioning with evaluation to understand our customer’s challenges and desired outcomes. Only then can we join the business need with technology.

Data Governance. Open Data Policy and Technical Standards Manual for the City and County of Honolulu can be found here.  This document sets the Open Data Policy and the Technical Standards Manual (TSM) that define the Citywide policies, standards, and guidelines required to support the legislation.

A catalog of shared data could be found at the Honolulu Open Data Portal.

Digital Inclusion. The City and County of Honolulu support initiatives set forth by the Broadband Hui to encourage digital equality so that all citizens are connected with the City.  The three pillars include:

1. Access: Affordable, quality broadband for all;
2. Literacy: A baseline of digital competence for all; and
3. Livelihood:  Societal systems effectively leveraging digital opportunities to improve lives.

More information on free wireless internet access service provided by the Department of Information Technology and our private sector partners can be found here.