Indiana Secretary of State modernizes business services platform under departing CIO

Indiana has modernized its INBiz business services platform, improving how entrepreneurs and businesses digitally interact with state government. 

The initiative to modernize the platform was led by Secretary of State Chief Information Officer Robert Fulk, who announced his departure Friday.

Launched last week, the new INBiz business portal is the latest piece of the SOS office’s broader effort under Fulk to modernize how businesses and residents interact with state government. The overhaul goes beyond just a redesigned portal, incorporating new tools such as cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence and cross-agency integrations. 

Fulk said the state needed a new way for business owners to gather information about everything from choosing a business structure and registering with the state to tools to assist with managing tax obligations, finding financing and accessing expansion resources.  

Before kicking off the process, Fulk said the state first migrated its legacy Microsoft workloads to Amazon Web Services’ cloud, which Fulk said was a requisite to completing a “deeper” modernization. Then, global tech consulting firm MTX Group helped lead the core application modernization, which included restructuring the platform into more modular services, updating its user interface, improving payment processing and strengthening integrations with other state agencies, Fulk said. 

AI was another key component of the modernization. The portal now features Liz, a bilingual AI assistant developed with Google and Google Public Sector that provides answers in English and Spanish using approved sources of state information to ensure responses are accurate. The state also worked with AI company mavQ on intelligent document processing and workflow automation, which allows the system to classify documents that are submitted through the business portal by extracting information and routing some documents for employee review.

The redesign was informed by a nearly nine-month customer experience research effort. Fulk said the state collected 6,717 survey responses, conducted 76 interviews and co-creation sessions, and benchmarked business services across all 50 states. The researchers, he said, identified several recurring problems with the previous system, including confusing navigation, fragmented agency services, complicated legal language and limited mobile usability.

Fulk said the project also required a shift in how the Secretary of State’s office approached business services. Rather than viewing entrepreneurs as people completing individual transactions, the state began treating them as customers navigating the different stages of running a business, with commonalities shared amongst them. The redesigned portal reflects that approach, he said, organizing services around four stages of the business lifecycle: plan, start, manage and grow.

The broader goal is to create a more seamless experience across state government by connecting services that have traditionally been spread across multiple state agencies. Fulk said INBiz helps better the connections among the Indiana Department of Revenue, Department of Workforce Development and other agencies, while maintaining their separate responsibilities and systems.

“A business owner should never need to understand the organizational chart of state government to make progress,” Fulk said. “Our job is to connect the systems and simplify the experience so that government works as one service.”

He also pointed out the scale of the platform’s use as a reason that modernization was particularly important. The Secretary of State’s office recently reported more than 1.4 million users on the site, representing about 800,000 businesses across the state. In fiscal 2025, the system processed 614,774 filings and 92,500 new business registrations, according to the state’s data.

Fulk said that while the refreshed public-facing experience is available, the remaining modernization and integrations will be delivered in phases after his departure. 

As Fulk prepares to leave the Secretary of State’s office, he said he views INBiz as part of a broader modernization, which has included technology upgrades to digitize historical records, improve notary services and modernize other business-related functions. Fulk said those projects, along with additional initiatives nearing completion, make him proud. 

“From Captain Record and our award-winning Notary platform to INBiz, we’ve built a foundation for lasting transformation. With Auto Dealer Services in final testing and preparing to launch in the coming weeks, and our Securities modernization expected to follow shortly thereafter, I couldn’t be prouder of what our team and partners have accomplished,” Fulk said. “Most importantly, I leave knowing that the exceptional team we’ve built will continue advancing this vision, delivering meaningful results for Indiana businesses, employees, and the Hoosiers we serve. That is the legacy I’m most proud of.”