As we wrap up 2023, it’s a nice time to mirror on the present state of expertise in state and native governments and sit up for the priorities for the approaching 12 months. As we enter 2024, we’re seeing IT leaders in authorities crystalizing their efforts in 4 key areas:
- cybersecurity
- digital providers
- synthetic intelligence (AI)
- and modernizing transportation infrastructure.
Cybersecurity continues to be prime tech precedence
Sustaining the safety of networks and the info they carry continues to be the first concern of prime authorities officers and has been for the final 10 years, in accordance with NASCIO’s annual survey of State CIOs. As the amount and affect of malware and breaches proceed to rise, states are evolving their safety capabilities and specializing in cyber-resilience to shortly react and recuperate from safety incidents.
Most states are additionally leveraging Federal Infrastructure and Funding Jobs Act (IIJA) grants to enhance the safety posture of their native authorities and faculties, which may add the accountability for State CIOs and CISOs to coordinate whole-of-state safety plans. This heightened coordination and knowledge sharing (plus typically useful resource sharing) is required most within the smallest and under-resourced cities, counties, and faculties.
States have carried out assessments to determine the capabilities and wishes of their native governments and faculties. They’re centered on addressing basic wants comparable to coaching, endpoint protections, e-mail safety, and multi-factor authentication.
Whereas approaches differ by state, everyone seems to be specializing in making certain the sustainability of their method past the IIJA funding window. States are additionally establishing facilities of excellence, fusion facilities and cyber ranges, typically in partnership with native Universities or state community suppliers. These partnerships are delivering basic cybersecurity training, main table-top workouts to raised put together for breaches, and in some instances creating regional safety operations facilities (SOCs) to supply safety monitoring providers for native governments and faculties within the area.
Whereas many States require native governments and faculties to inform the State of safety breaches, a number of have a long-term aim of sharing real-time safety telemetry to create a extra full image of threats and unhealthy actors throughout their State.
Delivering digital authorities providers nonetheless of excessive significance
Serving residents sooner and at a decrease price by deploying safe and dependable digital authorities providers additionally stays a prime precedence in state and native authorities. From on-line tax funds to digital renewals of licenses and permits, digital providers accessible from cellular units have gotten the norm.
States and cities are consolidating portals to current a single face of presidency, with a single resident identifier and login for all providers. This represents an intentional shift from agency-centric to resident-centric service supply and might considerably decrease the barrier for residents to determine the providers they want and meet {qualifications} for.
Cities are additionally leveraging video expertise to attach residents in want with authorities staff immediately, permitting them to get well timed and private service with out the scheduling and journey to a authorities workplace. The Metropolis of El Paso, Texas El Paso Helps initiative is a main instance of this shift.
States creating coverage guardrails for applicable use of AI
Simply over a 12 months after the general public launch of ChatGPT, Generative AI has taken heart stage within the expertise dialog (see what Cisco is doing with Generative AI). State CISOs are main the coverage creation for correct use of AI, and requiring registration of AI capabilities in all authorities methods and business functions utilized by businesses to make sure they observe the foundations for applicable use.
As Generative AI expertise quickly advances, the definitions of correct use will must be adjusted. AI is extensively seen as a software to enhance people in conducting their work, not as a software to make choices. With persistent workforce shortages throughout authorities businesses, authorities businesses are all for applied sciences like AI-powered chatbots to proceed to fulfill the wants of residents with their lowered workforce — particularly in important providers that usually expertise spikes in demand (comparable to unemployment service at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic).
States have more and more created the place of chief information officer and chief privateness officer to make sure the privateness of resident information as it’s managed inside and between businesses. By harnessing the facility of information, states can acquire priceless insights into resident wants, monitor tendencies, and inform policymaking. This evidence-based method can result in more practical and environment friendly public providers in important areas that contact a number of businesses like homelessness or opioid abuse.
States and cities are additionally centered on modernizing transportation infrastructure
Departments of Transportation (DoTs) are connecting site visitors lights and including cameras to maneuver site visitors extra effectively. They’re additionally utilizing these applied sciences to preempt stoplights, permitting ambulances and different first responders to achieve individuals in want sooner whereas responding higher to accidents and highway circumstances (be taught extra).
Transit authorities are upgrading cost methods, delivering free and simply accessible safe WiFi to passengers, bettering end-to-end journey administration, and including digital signage to advertise occasions and group assets.
Transportation businesses even have important information about historic ridership to enhance effectivity and make data-driven choices about routes primarily based on time, climate, or occasions. Given the attain of transportation and metropolis belongings comparable to streetlights, tasks like these can typically be the beginning of a broader sensible metropolis technique that expands into public security and digital fairness.
The continued push for IT modernization continues in 2024
As we mentioned, cybersecurity stays the highest concern for presidency leaders. However their emphasis on cloud providers, digital authorities, information administration, and analytics underscores a dedication to broader digital transformation. 2024 will see state and native governments proceed to modernize infrastructure. The main target will likely be on simplification and automation, partly because of the persistent IT and cyber expertise shortages, but additionally because of the want for improved flexibility and responsiveness to company wants. 2024 needs to be a 12 months of transition from coverage creation round Generative AI to energetic use inside the accredited coverage frameworks.
As expertise and resident expectations evolve quickly, authorities IT leaders proceed to prepared the ground. We look ahead to seeing new priorities and alternatives emerge within the new 12 months.
Study extra: state and native authorities priorities 2024
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