Illinois Safeguarding Data in the Cloud

For the Illinois State Treasurer’s office, adopting a security-first and technology-driven strategy has been key to safeguarding $50 billion of assets and the large volumes of sensitive data that it oversees. However, protecting the data was not enough – the agency had to back it up too.

With that goal in mind, it became clear that the agency’s existing on-premises backup solutions were no longer a viable option. And agency IT officials quickly recognized a need to tap into cloud technologies, in the belief that a cloud backup would offer further protection in the event of a cyberattack, and without needing to stand up any new infrastructure.

That thinking is what led the Treasurer’s office to partner with Dell Technologies and leverage Dell APEX Backup Services. By leveraging Dell’s ProDeploy Plus for Enterprise, the state Treasurer was able to implement APEX Backup Services with speed and simplicity.

APEX Backup Services is a SaaS-based data protection solution that ensures predictable, controllable costs without increasing complexity. The Treasurer’s office is using Dell’s APEX Backup Services to modernize its data storage and security capabilities, avoid overprovisioning, streamline processes, and unlock new opportunities to innovate.

In addition, the agency will be able to create a new cloud-based data backup and a vastly simplified auditing process – which is of particular importance as the agency is subject to audits nine out of twelve months a year, and must undergo a lot of rigorous testing.

“APEX has made it easier for the IT team to provide both internal and external auditors with the logs they need,” the agency said in a statement.

“Dell Technologies and their strategic partners have helped us get to where we are today. Without that, we wouldn’t be able to serve the people of Illinois the way that we do now,” said Joseph Daniels, Chief Information Officer for the Illinois State Treasurer.

In addition, APEX Backup Services has enabled the Treasurer’s office to successfully create a new copy of its data in the cloud. This allows every transaction made, mail received, text sent, and a sheet of paper filed away in the building to be safely digitized, stored, and secured.

The IT team is also benefiting from automation and simplified data management, greatly streamlining previously time-consuming processes.

“Every time we deploy a new solution, other state agencies are watching. They love what we do. They love how we innovate. We are hopeful that our partnership with Dell and solutions like APEX Backup Services will continue to make strides in the state of Illinois,” Daniels said.

But the agency’s digital transformation journey is far from over, officials said. The Treasurer’s office plans to continue its strategic partnership with Dell for guidance and technology that will help the office improve “the lives of citizens with transparency and accountability.”

“Technology plays an integral role in everything we do here. At the end of the day, our goal is to help people in the state, but to help them more efficiently and to protect their safety, we rely on technology,” said Michael W. Frerichs, Illinois State Treasurer.