Information Systems
The information systems division provides computer support services to the legislative branch of Texas government, including legislators and their
administrative offices, the Texas Legislative Council, the Legislative Reference Library, the State Auditor's Office, the Legislative Budget Board,
and the Sunset Advisory Commission.
Administration
The administration section consists of the director and support personnel who assist in budgeting. The section is responsible
for the overall policy direction of the division, the coordination of day-to-day IS operational activities, and the long-term strategic direction
of the division.
Applications
The applications section works in partnership with legislative clients, the Computer Support Center, and the infrastructure and
operations section to provide specific solutions to meet the needs of the legislature and legislative agencies. The applications section develops custom
software; assists in the evaluation, selection, implementation, and customization of purchased software or other technology; and assists clients
in reviewing their work processes to determine if changes can be made to improve those processes.
Infrastructure and Operations
The infrastructure and operations section is responsible for the development, implementation, maintenance,
and monitoring of the hardware, software, and network infrastructure on the council's computer network. The section is responsible for providing the
client desktop/laptop/server, storage, and mobile/network infrastructure to the Capitol and district office clients. The section provides services
to clients on the infrastructure, including the distribution of council-developed applications, office automation applications, e-mail, remote and
external access, security agents, and Internet access. The section consists of five groups: the data center operations group, the database support group,
the workstation and server support group, the applications support group, and the network and storage support group.
Computer Support Center
The Computer Support Center (CSC) is the initial contact point for all clients of the council's data processing
system. The CSC is composed of six groups: the hardware section, which receives, inventories, installs, and troubleshoots all computer equipment
purchased and supported by the council; the Help Desk, whose primary responsibility is first-level phone support and maintaining and processing
requests for the client user ID system; the network control section, which installs and maintains computer equipment in the legislators' district offices
throughout the state, maintains the network infrastructure, including installing, configuring, and maintaining routers, hubs, and switches for the
Local Area Network (LAN) in the Capitol Complex and the Wide Area Network (WAN); the PC team, which is responsible for second-level computer support,
testing software solutions, and assisting in the selection of personal computer software and hardware;
the training center, which provides classroom training and produces online help and procedural manuals for all legislative applications and PC
software; and the office consultant teams, which evaluate and address legislative offices' computer needs and issues.
