NJAMHAA FY2022 Annual Report

31 This past year, the IT Project has completed numer - ous large rollouts of Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) to enhance e-mail security, as the previous 12 months have seen a large rise in spam, phishing e-mails and attacks to hack e-mail addresses. MFA is another layer of protection to prevent login to e-mail accounts if any individuals’ passwords are compromised. Meanwhile, the IT Project expanded its use of remote tools to provide support to members, including weekly maintenance for contracted agencies. This included implementing Windows server updates; reviewing server, quarantine and third-party spam filter logs and correcting issues that were identified; providing se - curity services; and reviewing antivirus and Malware- bytes cloud service logs, along with other services. The IT Project also continued to assist agencies with recommendations for hardware, software and cloud service purchases and upgrades. Some hardware was delivered to the NJAMHAA office for configura - tion and was then shipped or personally delivered to agencies. Some agencies had hardware delivered to their offices and the IT Project engineers worked with staff at the agencies to start setup and enable remote software for setups to be completed from different locations. In addition, the IT Project assisted agencies with implementing the Avast AV anti-virus managed cloud solution, which is available through TechSoup at a very reasonable cost. While maintaining and expanding services, the IT Project also continued to assist DMHAS, the Depart - ment of Human Services, New Jersey Innovation Institute and other stakeholders with the Substance Use Disorder Promoting Interoperability Program. A three-agency collaborative has worked all year toward a go-live that is planned for this summer. The IT Proj - ect has also assisted with provider outreach, surveys and analysis of responses, and has been a resource for both members and nonmembers who are interest - ed in the program. In addition, the IT Project continued providing help desk services to support the following DMHAS appli - cations: Universal Services Transaction Form, Quar - terly Contract Monitoring Reports and the Contract Information Management System. The IT Project has also been representing providers who are interested in the State Behavioral Health Consent Management workgroup, which enables individuals receiving SUD treatment services to opt in to have their clinical data shared with other providers. The IT Project has been asked to identify provider organizations that would be interested in participating in this pilot program. “Since the inception of the MIS Project in the 1980’s, technology has transformed our world. We have constantly changed, now known as pivoting, including changing our name to the IT Project. The IT Project has had the privilege of working hand in hand with many agencies to implement new technologies, and improve systems to ultimately better help member and nonmember agencies. In the past few years, we have seen amazing growth in cyberattacks and the IT Project has brought to our community many presentations to help agencies learn about cyber security. We have also helped agencies implement reasonable and affordable solutions, along with constant monitoring, to catch any attempts and prevent loss and down time.” – Ron Gordon, IT Project Director, NJAMHAA