OHA technology services seeks network and cybersecurity upgrades, telework home kits and a server-room fire-suppression project

Office of Technology Services senior systems engineer Kevin Chop and new director Kai Moriwaki briefed trustees on IT priorities for the 2026–27 biennium, highlighting network upgrades, cybersecurity enhancements, equipment refreshes and a planned fire-protection installation for the server room.

Chop said the OTS team supports OHA's day-to-day operations across Oʻahu and neighbor-island offices and recommended investment to improve network reliability and secure links to statewide infrastructure. He described planned cybersecurity work with a newly contracted vendor and said the division is considering a new ticket-management system to improve internal support.

The proposed IT spending in the presentation included personnel costs (about $1.6 million over the biennium), overhead for internet and phone services (roughly $223,000), a server-room fire-protection upgrade estimated at about $234,000, and equipment and licenses (around $1.1 million). Chop said equipment needs include laptop replacements, monitors and standard application licenses (Microsoft, Adobe, et al.).

Chop and Moriwaki told trustees the office expects regular travel for in-state site support and BOT island meetings; travel for server-room, site and neighbor-island setups was budgeted at roughly $57,000 for the biennium. Moriwaki, the new director, introduced himself and described priorities for stabilizing IT operations and supporting digital transformation projects such as paper-to-digital workflows and software-as-a-service migrations.

The IT team also provided an estimate for equipping staff for telework: about $355 per staff member for a home package that would include a monitor, keyboard, mouse and headset. Chop said equipping 150 employees at that per-person rate would cost roughly $53,250.

Trustees asked for clarifications on whether telework equipment is a laptop replacement or an auxiliary home kit; Chop clarified laptops remain standard issue and the home package covers peripherals for a home workstation. Trustees also discussed locating OIT work space during a proposed relocation of the third floor to the second floor and the need to enclose and secure IT equipment.

Chop said the division will return with more detailed line-item breakdowns as trustees requested. No formal action was taken; trustees asked for follow-up details tied to the agency's broader biennium budget process.