Delaware cyber chief Solomon Adote to depart after six years

Solomon Adote, Delaware’s chief security officer, will leave the state government after six years at the Department of Technology and Information, according to an internal memo dated Tuesday.

During his tenure, Adote helped oversee statewide IT projects such as a text-to-911 service, digital driver’s licenses and exploring blockchain technology for record-keeping.

“Throughout his tenure, Solomon has played a vital role in strengthening our cybersecurity framework, enhancing risk management strategies, and ensuring the security of Delaware’s IT infrastructure,” read the memo from state Chief Information Officer Greg Lane.

Aashish Patel, a team director at DTI, has taken over as Adote’s interim replacement, according to the memo.

Adote joined the technology department in 2018, after serving as the information security manager for the global chemical manufacturer FMC Corporation, where he oversaw global supply chains for chemicals used in agriculture for six years. A month into his role as CSO, he told StateScoop that he aimed to support a single sign-on for accessing services across the entire state government, or “identity as a service.”

“As a citizen, one of the things I’m challenged with is that there are multiple third-party providers offering services on behalf of the state,” he told StateScoop in 2018. “They’re collecting all this sensitive information from you. They can see you’re in the system. I’d like to see us do that. If [the state does] that, you can take that identity and add services on top of that like getting a driver’s license or buying an apartment.”

During Adote’s tenure as the state’s top cybersecurity official, DTI launched ID.delaware.gov during the COVID-19 pandemic, a portal for state employees to remotely access state systems and applications. The state’s currently building a services portal for Delaware residents.