In a highly-connected rural state, North Dakota's top IT officials are trying to usher in policies that could change how state government thinks about security.

Dorman Bazzell, who spent 30 years in the private sector, will oversee the state's enterprise information management and software development programs.

If the $12 million request is fulfilled, it would more than quadruple the size of the technology agency's cybersecurity team.

State CIO Shawn Riley says a new partnership with a national educational resources program is how his state will "lead the way" as states seek to attract and retain top IT talent.

"There's nothing more friendly than a chat window," one member of the winning team told StateScoop.

Leaders from Colorado, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota and Virginia will head to Chicago in October to compare notes on statewide connected technology programs.

In support of Gov. Doug Burgum's stated mission to "reinvent government," the technology office has hired a former Amazon user experience manager to fill the role.

North Dakota’s Information Technology Department beat out six other teams from Texas, Minnesota and Indiana.

Senior technology officials say they've received permission to begin one of state government's trickiest tasks.