Someone call IT, the state needs to update its 40-year-old computer

Since at that time, key upgrades have been made to avoid criticalfailures. However the bill allows the state's chief innovation officerto explore some of the most advanced computing strategies availableto adapt the state's core computer systems that handle highvolume.

"With the current rate of advancement in information innovation,the computer systems which were cutting edge yesterday are obsoleteby tomorrow," state Sen. Bob Gordon, D-Bergen, said. 

By early November, staff at the Office of Information Technologymust hand in a report estimating the potential costs and benefitsof transitioning to more modern high-volume systems for tasks suchas managing motor vehicle records, tax returns, Medicaretransactions and employee benefits.

High-volume basic computing systems typically handle stateoperations, which involve tens of millions of transactions perhour, and the storage of trillions of bytes of data.

"Whether we're talking cloud computing, or some other form ofhigh-capacity, high-volume information innovation architecture,these systems have the potential to improve government operationsand reduce costs," Gordon said.