The State of Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) was recently honored with two awards for its suite of mobile business applications. The mobile apps are the first of their kind worldwide and the first mobile apps launched by the
state.

The International Association of Commercial Administrators (IACA) awarded a prestigious 2012 Merit Award
for Outstanding Innovation, one of the top international honors for business registries, to DCCA’s Business Registration Division (BREG) on May 21, 2012, at the IACA annual conference.

“Hawaii’s technological transformation remains atop priority for my administration, and this award is recognition that we are on track to bringing state government where it needs to be in the 21st century,” said Governor Neil Abercrombie. “Through the innovative work now being done by DCCA and others in our state, we are creating technological assets that improve efficiency, expand services and save businesses money.”

BREG has repeatedly won awards for online innovation over the years. This most recent IACA award is the third for BREG since 2007.

Recently, DCCA’s BREG mobile apps were also awarded Best Government Mobile Website in the inaugural Mobile Web Awards Competition, held by the Web Marketing Association.

“We are excited to be one of the first in the country and worldwide to offer these mobile app services to our filers,” Commissioner of Securities and head of BREG Tung Chan said. “Business registries from around the world have expressed excitement at Hawaii’s leadership and innovation. We chose our most popular services for the mobile apps so people can access business information and file annuals with unmatched speed and ease using their mobile phone or tablets.”

It is rewarding to see our efforts recognized for DCCA’s work in leveraging technology to help Hawaii businesses,” DCCA Director Keali’i Lopez said. “I applaud all of those on the team who helped to develop and promote our mobile tools for the business community.”

The apps are modified versions of services available on the Business Registration website, including business name searches, document purchases and annual filings. To access the mobile apps, go to business.ehawaii.gov on any mobile device or tablet and the site will default to the mobile apps.

The new mobile apps optimize touch screen technology and smart phone interfaces by providing larger text, buttons designed for touch response and custom layouts for smaller screens. With more than 120,000 annual reports filed by businesses in Hawaii and over 6.5 million unique name hits for the business name search service, the new apps provide speed and efficiency that should help users find business information and keep their businesses in good standing throughout the year.

The mobile apps are part of the Abercrombie administration’s New Day initiatives as set forth by the Office of Information Management Technology (OIMT). They were developed through the eHawaii.gov program, a largely self-funded public-private partnership between the State of Hawaii and Hawaii Information Consortium LLC (HIC).

About eHawaii.gov

Hawaii’s official Internet portal, eHawaii.gov, is managed by Hawaii Information Consortium, LLC, a Hawaii corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of eGovernment firm NIC Inc. Hawaii Information Consortium works with state agencies to enable them to conduct state business online and improve public access to government information.

About NIC

NIC Inc. (NASDAQ: EGOV) is the nation’s leading provider of official government portals, online services, and secure payment processing solutions. The company’s innovative eGovernment services help reduce costs and increase efficiencies for government agencies, citizens, and businesses across the country. NIC provides eGovernment solutions for more than 3,500 federal, state, and local agencies in the United States. Additional information is available at egov.com.