IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Establishing a new business in Utah used to be an uphill battle, but now the Internet is offering a faster and better solution.

Utah moved from its fourth-place ranking to first in the Digital States Survey, conducted every two years by the Center for Digital Government, because the online services it provides match up to users' needs.

The state's chief technology officer said he welcomed the critique and can make more authentic records available online.

Overall, Utah scored sixth among states for making the most of its government Web sites to post information on everything from death certificates to lawmakers' political contributions, according to the survey by three media organizations.

The State of Utah has been named the best managed state in the nation, based on the most authoritative and respected review of States, the Pew Center on States’ 2008 report. Utah’s top spot with the highest grade point average is an improvement over the State’s previous No. 2 ranking.

Part of Utah’s 1st place ranking in The Pew Center on States’ 2008 report is due to the State’s ability to leverage technologies to enhance government efficiency. In 2007 Utah.gov won an unprecedented number of awards including number one in the prestigious Best of the Web competition awarded by the Center for Digital Government. In addition to the Best of the Web award, the state’s official Web portal (www.Utah.gov) was honored with eight prominent awards recognizing innovation in government technology.

The free online service lets citizens complete all required paperwork and schedule appointments at times that are convenient for them.

With the new service, teachers can complete the entire renewal process instantly online and print their renewed certificate directly from their home computer. The service is available through the state’s official Web site at https://secure.utah.gov/elr/welcome.html. In the first year the service was offered, 90% of eligible educators renewed their licenses online.

The Digital States Survey is the most complete survey of state government use of information technology and examines almost every aspect of how states utilize technology to improve service in each area of government. The state has consistently ranked high in this survey, but has not received an “A” grade since 2008.

To reduce energy costs and carbon emissions, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. announced in June that most state offices would be closed on Fridays. With more than 800 state government services online -- many boasting high user adoption rates -- Utah could close physical offices statewide without inconveniencing citizens.

The annual awards program recognizes the most innovative, user-friendly state and local government portals. Utah.gov was also awarded the honor in 2003, making Utah the only state to win the award twice.

Government Computer News (GCN), a leading provider of government technology news and information, recently recognized Utah as having one of the top government IT projects of 2009. The Utah Department of Administrative Services, Division of Finance was honored recently in Washington, D.C., at GCN’s 22nd Annual Awards Gala for the Utah Public Finance Web sitesite.

Darrell M. West, director of the Taubman Center for Public Policy at Brown University, and a team of researchers examined 1,620 state and federal sites. The researchers analyzed 1,559 state sites (or an average of 31 sites per state) plus 48 federal government legislative and executive sites, and 13 federal court sites. They completed their research during June and July, 2005. Previous e-government studies were released in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004.

Utahns now have one more reason to use the state's most popular online government service -- it's better than ever before. Utah drivers will now see a new, user-friendly design when they renew their vehicle registrations with Renewal Express, which can be found online at www.Utah.gov, the state's official Web site.

Utah’s official state Web site, www.Utah.gov, unveiled a completely new design, with new features that aim to provide a more engaging experience and encourage users to increase their civic involvement in all state and local government issues.

Customer service and government may not always go hand in hand. But in Utah, they do. Utah's official Web site, www.Utah.gov, took home the top prize at the 2005 Government Customer Support Excellence Awards in the customer focus category.

In response to citizen needs, the Utah Driver License Division announced today the launch of the new Online Scheduler that allows citizens to schedule appointments to obtain, renew, and change driver licenses. This free online tool helps speed up the service by allowing citizens to arrange a convenient time to take care of their driver license needs.

Utah.Gov, the official Web site of the state of Utah, announced today the release of the free “Utah.Gov” and “Utah Professional License Lookup” iPhone applications, available immediately through the Apple iTunes Store. Utah is the first state government in the nation to develop and release an iPhone application.

The Utah.Gov application can be found directly at http://is.gd/rf8V. The Utah Professional License Lookup application can be found directly at http://is.gd/rffP.

"We are very excited by this improvement," says Utah's Governor Olene Walker. "We strive to provide online services that make life easier for Utah's citizens and businesses, and I'm pleased that Utah.gov has garnered national attention."

"We are very excited by this improvement," says Utah's Governor Olene Walker. "We strive to provide online services that make life easier for Utah's citizens and businesses, and I'm pleased that Utah.gov has garnered national attention."

The site received first place in the 2009 Best of the Web competition, sponsored by the Center for Digital Government. The annual awards program recognizes the most innovative and user-friendly state and local government portals.