Cloud-Based Services

Whole-of-state procurement gives local agencies better pricing, expert advice

Initially used to extend cybersecurity throughout government, the whole-of-state concept is also being used to push training and software licensing contracts to local agencies.

One state takes on youth mental health by streamlining access to services

For some families, it can take more than a decade to connect children to appropriate mental health resources once they show symptoms. Amid a growing youth mental health crisis, one state is developing an online portal to shave that wait time down.

Friendly competition heats up energy conservation among neighbors

Indiana saw a 30% reduction in residential energy use across four cities after deploying the MySmartE system that incentivizes households to conserve energy.

Cloud a ‘game-changer’ for health insurance marketplace

When California’s health insurance marketplace migrated to the cloud, it cut costs, improved consumer experience and gained the ability to scale to demand.

Addressing the shortage of government accountants: 2 paths to efficiency

COMMENTARY | The dwindling number of qualified, government-savvy accounting professionals makes it imperative municipalities find new efficiencies sooner rather than later.

Cloud adoption essential, but still challenging

Pittsburgh has racked up some early successes with its cloud migration, but a combination of limited finances, technical debt and the need to educate employees slows progress.

How one state pushes cybersecurity to local agencies

Arizona’s whole-of-state cybersecurity program gives local governments free access to cloud-based cybersecurity tools—an approach that extends security and helps build a problem-solving community.

How 911 innovations improve dispatchers’ lives and keep communities safe

COMMENTARY | Using technology to divert administrative and non-emergency calls from 911 centers keeps crews focused on their high impact jobs and makes it easier for communities to hire and retain qualified dispatchers.

States ramp up software security standards amid growing threats

Collaboration among states to tighten the security of cloud software is increasing under the nationwide program StateRAMP. Meanwhile, Texas is embracing its own certification effort after several high-profile cyber incidents.

Lack of access to cloud computing may hinder rural innovation, study shows

Rural businesses innovate at rates similar to urban businesses when they have access to the cloud. But they need fast, stable internet connection to maintain that competitiveness.

How one public defender’s office is embracing tech to better serve its clients

The Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office has digitized many records and is looking to use artificial intelligence and automation in a bid to provide an effective defense.

How one region consolidated homelessness data to improve care

San Diego County, California, turned to the cloud to collate information on its homeless population from disparate sources in an effort to get more people into housing.

How one city streamlined emergency evacuations

Officials in Berkeley, California, can send mass messages as well as targeted, zone-based evacuation alerts, cutting the city’s alert time from hours to minutes.

How one city broke down its data silos

Tacoma, Washington, is using the cloud to bridge information silos across its 25 distinct departments and improve reporting.

Virtual Innovation Center Tackles Health Interoperability Challenges

The center will look to break down some of the barriers to sharing data that can make patient care more challenging.

State Scales Up Cloud Workforce With Free Training for Agency Employees

Georgia is offering any employee at a state agency migrating its operations to the cloud free training in an effort to increase technology skills and build institutional knowledge.

Civic Engagement in One City Takes Off With a Digital Survey and Respect for Feedback

An easily accessible cloud-based questionnaire and analytics tool helped Corona, California, get more than five times more responses from residents than previous efforts.

Georgia Moves Voter Registration to the Cloud

The Georgia Registered Voter Information System will be housed on servers that give election officials a more secure and user-friendly system.

Cloud Boosts Delivery of Government Services During Pandemic, Other Crises

However, state CIOs say there are barriers to transitioning to the cloud, including financial and workforce issues, according to a report.

Building a Cloud-savvy Workforce May Mean Rethinking Degree Requirements

Government and industry officials question how they can keep cloud positions filled when they require various college degrees and certifications, but onboarding is key.