Tech Debt
We’re future-proofing Colorado’s technology.
At the Governor's Office of Information Technology (OIT), transformation is part of our DNA. We are continuously thinking differently about how we work together to serve our customers and improve the delivery of government services to Coloradans. Our goal is to make it easier for Coloradans to access and receive state government services through simple, seamless online interactions.
Updating aging technology is key to delivering high-quality, human-centric online services.
In 2022, OIT began a targeted effort to reduce technical (tech) debt, which is the cost of maintaining and operating unsupported and insecure technology. Tech debt had been accumulating for decades in aging network infrastructure and in applications that were no longer being updated or protected against security vulnerabilities. Recognizing that state services could be delayed if critical applications failed or security vulnerabilities were exploited, we identified the most significant risks and got to work removing and updating legacy technology.
We’ve accomplished a lot since 2022, including decommissioning a legacy mainframe and migrating applications previously hosted on it to the cloud. This reduced the risk to those applications if the mainframe failed. We increased the resilience of our state network by replacing the technology infrastructure. We also consolidated our data center footprint, saving money on an expensive lease and moving assets into a more secure environment.
We’re not finished yet. There are many other ways we are modernizing outdated technology and working to keep tech debt from accumulating in the years to come. We look forward to sharing our accomplishments. Continue reading to discover more about our accomplishments and how we are developing a modern infrastructure to deliver high-quality online state services.
Modernizing technology helps us
- Lower the cost of maintaining outdated and unsupported systems
- Bolster our security
- Reduce system outages, ensuring consistent access to state services
- Create a solid foundation for digital government
- Improve ease of use and access to state services for all Coloradans
In The Works
The Forecast: High Chance of Cloud Storage
For many, the cloud is where vacation photos and files live, accessible from anywhere. For OIT, it’s becoming our secure digital headquarters—the key destination for many OIT technology optimization projects.
A Network of the Future: SD-WAN
Imagine you're stuck in rush hour, and every time there's an accident, all traffic is forced onto the exact same detour, creating an even bigger jam. That’s a lot like what can happen with a traditional network when a route gets blocked: bottlenecks are inevitable. That’s why OIT is making a smart change: upgrading to Software-Defined Wide-Area Networking, or SD-WAN.
Ensuring an accessible, trustworthy and resilient technology experience
Over the past seven years, we have made significant progress in improving the systems Coloradans use daily. As we continue to update old systems, we will ensure that Coloradans continue to have access to services that help them thrive.
The Lasting Impact
Closing the Gap: Highlighting a Year of Tech Debt Wins/Year In Review
OIT teams made significant progress in modernizing aging tech and securing our systems in 2025.
Unsung Heroes: Our Testers
We all use applications and software every day, but they never reach our devices until they complete testing first. Who performs this vital work, and why is it so important?
Completed project saves taxpayers nearly $2 million
We officially moved out of the eFORT Data Center in 2025, one of our biggest priorities to eliminate costly, aging technology and one of the most expensive capital leases in the state's budget. Data centers are large facilities that house IT infrastructure, such as servers, and can be very costly to maintain due to high energy consumption, operational expenses, and expensive hardware.
Over 300 project team members invested more than 19,000 hours over three years to support this achievement. Watch this eFORT Data Center Migration video to hear from team members who were a part of the effort. For a deeper dive, check out the story in StateScoop.
From Dial-up to Digital: End of an Era
America Online (AOL) recently discontinued its dial-up service, reminding us of how rapidly internet connectivity has advanced over the past two decades. At OIT, we continue to strengthen the state network and transform existing infrastructure to bridge the digital divide still experienced by some Coloradans.
Teams complete statewide phone upgrade
We upgraded agency phone systems and software to provide more efficiency, improved service and one important feature: compliance with 911 laws.
We will continue to fully implement IT Lifecycle Management in the coming years and adopt it as the model for managing the ongoing tech debt footprint going forward.