Treasury
Inspector General for Tax Administration
Office of Audit
THE
SUSTAINING INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM IS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED AND A COMPREHENSIVE
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE STRATEGY HAS BEEN DEVELOPED
Issued on December 30, 2010
Highlights
Highlights of
Report Number: 2011-20-006 to the
Internal Revenue Service Chief Technology Officer.
IMPACT ON TAXPAYERS
The Sustaining Infrastructure Program centrally funds
the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) information technology infrastructure investments
primarily to replace computer hardware that has reached or surpassed its useful
life. The Sustaining Infrastructure Program
is significantly improved, and agreed-upon prior recommendations are being
implemented. Taxpayers and IRS employees
rely on the information technology infrastructure to ensure satisfaction of tax
liabilities, quick resolution of any issues, and a high level of service to
both taxpayers and the Federal Government.
WHY TIGTA DID THE AUDIT
This
audit was initiated at the request of a Modernization and
Information Technology Services organization executive. The overall objective of this review was to
determine the effectiveness of the IRS’s efforts to address the critical issue
of sustaining the IRS information technology infrastructure.
WHAT
TIGTA FOUND
The annual baseline amount
allocated to the Sustaining Infrastructure Program is approximately $150
million, and the program is centralized to ensure the replacement of the IRS
information technology infrastructure is addressed corporately. The Sustaining Infrastructure Program
developed and implemented a process for identifying, reviewing, prioritizing,
and making decisions on funding the replacement of aged computer hardware as
well as other critical infrastructure needs.
The Sustaining Infrastructure Program is significantly improved, and
agreed-upon prior recommendations are being implemented. For example, monthly reports are generated
showing the number and value of aged computer hardware. IRS management uses the reports to monitor
their progress in replacing the aged computer hardware. The appropriate executive steering committee
is overseeing the Sustaining Infrastructure Program. The IRS also approved the business case for a
new tool called the Knowledge, Incident/Problem, Service Asset Management
system which can associate information technology problem tickets with the aged
hardware that caused the problem. The Knowledge,
Incident/Problem, Service Asset Management system implementation involves
replacing the current inventory and problem management system and is scheduled
to be implemented by July 2011. The
business case also reported potential benefits resulting from the Knowledge,
Incident/Problem, Service Asset Management system implementation
of $28,825,667.
In addition,
the IRS developed a comprehensive information technology Infrastructure
Strategy that will be used to improve access to data, access to information
technology services, responsiveness to demand, optimization, and cost
effectiveness in a sustainable manner.
WHAT TIGTA RECOMMENDED
TIGTA made no recommendations.
In their response to the report, IRS management was pleased with TIGTA’s comments and observations acknowledging the Sustaining Infrastructure Program had significantly improved.
READ THE FULL
REPORT
To view the report,
including the scope, methodology, and full IRS response, go
to:
http://www.treas.gov/tigta/auditreports/2011reports/201120006fr.html.
Email Address: inquiries@tigta.treas.gov
Phone
Number: 202-622-6500
Web Site: http://www.tigta.gov