Jennifer Ricker said the pandemic alerted some key state leaders to the need for legacy IT upgrades.

Nobody wants to search for passwords — like the one used to register a boat — only used once every three years, Illinois acting CIO Jennifer Ricker said.

The new facility is just one piece of a $45 billion statewide capital improvement initiative called "Rebuilding Illinois."

Illinois’ Department of Innovation and Technology acting assistant secretary on answering citizen questions with chatbots and virtual agents.

With state CIO Ron Guerrier's role confirmed and chief of staff Jennifer Ricker appointed the state's first deputy CIO, the team says it's ready to address Illinois' many aging systems.