	Background

SSA currently maintains over 800 agreements that support exchanges  through which the agency provides data to state and federal partners  (approximately 700 state and almost 100 federal agency partners). The request transactions  are processed and the responses pro file or online, real-time processing. They agreed that SSA was  responsive and quickly resolved problems when they did occur and stated  that, as a result of SSA’s efforts, their ability to conduct business  operations that depend on data provided by the agency had not been  adversely affected by systems-related problems associated with SSA’s IT  infrastructure. For example:    AAMVA partners reported that the SSA system that supports their data  exchange historically was fully available during the hours of system  availability specified in their exchange agreement. SSA Is Taking Steps to Prepare for a Future Data Exchange Environment, but Has Not Effectively Planned for Increasing Demands for Outgoing Data

Although SSA’s existing IT infrastructure is sufficient to support current  outgoing data exchanges, SSA officials and the agency’s partners  anticipate that the number of these exchanges will continue to increase  and become more complex, placing greater demands on the infrastructure  and systems. To address overall agency needs for a more cost-effective  and efficient computing environment, SSA is currently taking steps to  modernize its IT infrastructure, including components that support its data  exchange programs. However, the agency has  not established and executed IT management practices needed to  effectively guide and oversee the direction of its outgoing electronic data  exchange programs, such as conducting the analyses required to project  future workload needs and performance requirements—information that  is essential to developing a target architecture that identifies business and  technical requirements for a future data exchange environment. Officials from four of the state and federal agencies with  whom we spoke stated that their needs for online access to SSA’s data  exchange systems are expanding. Even as SSA proceeds with planned updates to its IT infrastructure, the  agency has not fully implemented IT management practices that are  essential to help guide its direction related to data exchanges. Recommendations for Executive Action

To help ensure that SSA’s IT infrastructure effectively supports the  anticipated increase in demand for electronic data exchange services, we  recommend that the Commissioner of Social Security direct the Associate  Commissioner, Office of Earnings, Enumeration and Administrative  Systems to    conduct detailed analyses to determine workload projections and define  requirements for effectively and efficiently delivering data exchange  services to the agency’s partners in the future and    use the results of these analyses to update the agency’s target architecture  to address business and technical requirements of a future data exchange  environment. If these actions are taken, the agency should be better  positioned to meet the growing needs of its data exchange partners. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

Our objectives were to (1) determine the extent to which the Social  Security Administration’s (SSA) information technology (IT) infrastructure  effectively and efficiently supports its current data exchange programs,  and describe any systems-related problems affecting the agency’s data  exchange partners and (2) describe SSA’s efforts to ensure that its IT  infrastructure can support the agency’s and its partners’ future data  exchange environment. To address both of these objectives, we focused our study on SSA’s data  exchanges that provide information to support state and other federal  agencies’ programs, and that affect partners’ abilities to provide services  to individuals—that is, “outgoing” data exchanges. To do  this, we obtained and analyzed agency documentation, such as internal  management reports; spreadsheets describing data exchange programs,  partners, and systems; descriptions of systems development and IT  management processes; and descriptions of IT infrastructure components.
Why GAO Did This Study

The Social Security Administration (SSA) receives electronic data from other agencies to support its own programs, and provides electronic data to support more than 800 state and federal agency partners. This information aids in, among other things, the processing and distribution of beneficiary payments and the delivery of services such as driver's license issuance and voter registration. SSA relies on its information technology (IT) infrastructure--its databases, applications, networks, and IT management practices--to support its current and future needs for exchanging data with its state and federal partners. GAO was asked to (1) determine the extent to which SSA's IT infrastructure effectively and efficiently supports current data exchanges, and any system-related problems affecting its exchange partners; and (2) describe SSA's efforts to ensure that its IT infrastructure can support the agency's and its partners' future data exchange environment. To do this, GAO analyzed agency documentation and interviewed SSA officials, as well as federal and state data exchange partners.

What GAO Found

Systems-related problems that affect SSA's ability to support outgoing data exchange programs have been few, and the agency has established effective procedures and mechanisms for addressing the problems that do occur. In this regard, SSA provides help-desk and on-site support to data exchange partners to help prevent or resolve problems, and uses procedures supported by a problem-identification and tracking system to facilitate problem resolution. State and federal partners with whom GAO held discussions stated that these efforts resulted in quick responses from SSA and effective resolution of problems that occurred. For example, a system that provides information for two data exchange programs that support driver's license issuance and voter registration in all 50 states was reported to have had almost 100 percent availability during the hours specified in the agreements governing these data exchanges. Further, all of the data exchange partners with whom GAO held discussions reported that the data that SSA provided were reliable. As a result, these partners stated that their ability to conduct business operations that depend on SSA data was not adversely affected by systems-related problems associated with SSA's IT infrastructure. SSA and its partners anticipate that the number of requests for outgoing data exchanges will continue to increase and that the exchanges will become more complex as agencies request that these exchanges take place through online, real-time transactions. However, SSA officials stated that the agency's existing IT infrastructure may not be able to support the increased demand that they and their partners anticipate. To address overall agency needs for a more cost-effective and efficient computing environment, the agency is taking steps to modernize its computing capabilities and supporting infrastructure. For example, the agency is in the process of implementing an updated database environment and upgrading its software applications--steps that are intended to enable expanded and more efficient IT service delivery, including the electronic exchange of data. However, the agency has not fully implemented IT management practices specifically related to its outgoing data exchange environment, such as conducting thorough analyses to project the expected increase in requests for data and online access. Conducting these analyses and using this information as input to the agency's target architecture (i.e., a formal description of the agency's future environment) are important practices to clearly define future requirements to guide the direction of the agency's data exchange programs. Implementing these management practices is essential to ensuring that the agency is well positioned to meet the growing needs of its data exchange partners.