Mainframe Decommission Program
About the program
Decommissioning the mainframe is the most important project in our work to remediate technical debt in state systems and applications. The state mainframe is a 30-year-old central data center housing millions of data points and linking computers and services throughout the state. While it powers applications that provide critical services to Coloradans, the decades-old technology has become unreliable and expensive to maintain. To remove the risk of mainframe failure and the interruption of service delivery to residents, the state will shift to a more modern and secure cloud-based solution.
Key Outcomes:
Removing applications from the decades-old mainframe will reduce the risk of technology failure and the interruption of service delivery to Coloradans seeking much-needed assistance, support and benefits from the state.
What are the projects?
Decommissioning the state mainframe and moving operations to a hosted mainframe
In operations since the early 90s, the mainframe system operated by the Governor's Office of Information Technology (OIT) needs to be updated.
By shifting to a vendor-hosted solution for mainframe storage and operations, OIT can continue to deliver critical services supporting Coloradans by providing uninterrupted state benefits and payments, access to child-related services, and processing payroll for state employees.
In addition, the interface between state and federal government agencies (Social Security Administration, Internal Revenue Service, and the Office of Child Support Enforcement) will be upgraded and made more secure.
These changes will ensure government services are more accessible, easier to use and more secure for all Coloradans.
Stabilizing & modernizing the Colorado Personnel & Payroll System (CPPS) to a cloud-based system
CPPS is an application that processes payroll for state employees.
The modernization of CPPS is separate from the work to decommission the State's mainframe. The Department of Personnel and Administration (DPA) will handle that effort to support its new payroll system (coming in 2024).
Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) system improvements
The current system for all direct money transfers to Coloradans is part of eligibility and relief programs.
Modernization efforts will improve the existing system's functionality and overall system capability.
The new system will provide enhanced security, functionality and cost-savings while improving the user experience for all Coloradans.
Update the file transfer application between state agencies and the Social Security Administration
The project will update TIBCO Cyberfusion, the product currently used to securely transfer files between the State of Colorado agencies and the Social Security Administration (SSA), with TIBCO Managed File Transfer (MFT), the latest version of TIBCO’s file transfer product and the one which the SSA supports.
This is a regulatory requirement, and Colorado needs to make this change to comply with the federal government.
The existing product and all related files will be removed from the mainframe, and the new product will be in the cloud, allowing for improved security and reliability.
State ID number (SIDMOD) application modernization
The State ID Module (SIDMOD) provides a unique number for client identification for the Colorado Benefits Management System (CBMS), Child Care Automated Tracking System (CHATS), Colorado Childcare Assistance Program (CCCAP), Child Welfare application supporting the Division of Child Welfare and Division of Youth Services (TRAILS), and Automated Child Support Enforcement System (ACSES). SIDMOD also allows state benefit systems to coordinate eligibility information to ensure that Coloradans receive access and information about all available benefits.
Modernization will improve services, reduce costs, manage risk and help make the IT environment easier to maintain.
Modernizing the Automated Child Support Enforcement System (ACSES) application
The current state system for automated child support payments and child support enforcement (ACSES) is one of the critical state applications on the mainframe.
It was developed using what is now very outdated code.
The ACSES system transmits data to the federal government and other agencies utilizing the mainframe components.
Modernizing this application will ensure Colorado remains compliant with state and federal child support laws and Colorado's children get the financial support they need to thrive.
Modernizing the State Verification Exchange System (SVES) - New
The State Verification Exchange System (SVES) application on the mainframe allows certain agencies to do Social Security Administration (SSA) verifications as needed by their business processes.
Modernizing the SVES mainframe application will make it compatible with other state and federal systems. It will also reduce maintenance costs and enhance security.