https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Subscribe to GovPro
    • Manage GovPro Subscription
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
acc.com

Smart Cities & Technology


Photo by Taylor Vick on Unsplash.

Article

Accelerating your IT updates during the pandemic

Accelerating your IT updates during the pandemic

  • Written by Dan Stroman
  • 24th June 2020

State and local agencies are on the front lines in the battle against COVID-19. As part of the fight, leaders are making monumental adjustments to day-to-day operations and processes as they navigate the unknowns caused by the Coronavirus. Extending license renewal dates, expanding online registrations for life cycle events, and retooling essential services like utility crews to respond safely during the crisis are among the dozens of examples of how agencies are adapting.

But as leaders in the public sector, we can’t let challenges — not even a global pandemic — derail plans to future-proof our organizations. It’s more important than ever for us to streamline and upgrade our capabilities to better serve the public. And for those who think balancing digital transformation projects and the current challenges of COVID-19 is an impossible task, Consider this: This virus shouldn’t stop your agency’s path toward a better future. It should accelerate it.

Preventing digital disruption at your agency during COVID-19

The first step toward protecting your digital strategy against disruption is to stray as little as possible from what was already in place. Organizations that already have plans in place for new systems or digital tools should stay the course. Those in the midst of digital transformation should proceed as well, even in the face of some unique challenges. Now more than ever, we can’t afford to stand in place.

No matter how mature your digital operation, there are three components that can prevent disruption from occurring when evaluating (or re-evaluating) your digital strategy in the face of COVID-19.

  1. Don’t panic. Staying calm is easier said than done, especially for overstretched and underfunded public agencies. However, resist the urge to panic or only perform essential functions. Instead, consider the potential for system downtimes or the flexibility some departments may have and use it to propel your agency forward. Now is an ideal time to contact vendors about building a proof of concept for a new platform or migrating certain activities to the cloud. By using this time to make small, incremental changes to non-essential operations you can achieve far greater efficiency when we get a reprieve from the virus.
  2. Don’t overspend. There’s a reason why this advice immediately follows my warning against panic. As the demand for state and local agencies to deliver the same services in this new environment increases, it can be tempting to choose the first solution that promises to solve a problem. Imagine a local municipality that can only process utility refunds on-premises — they’re probably scrambling for a new billing and chargeback solution. But critical platforms like these and the vendors that sell them vary wildly in experience and price. So, it’s important to shop carefully. Additionally, all eyes are on public sector spending during this crisis, so it’s important to be a good steward of the public’s funds as you solve problems.
  3. Don’t lose control. As the pressure to stay open or reopen mounts, we can’t sacrifice controls that keep the public safe. Breaking regulatory compliance or cutting corners on security during a crisis creates bigger problems down the road. Instead, use this time to determine if your agency’s security and compliance strategy needs further consideration. Are the systems in place or planned FedRAMP compliant? Does the digital transformation strategy take into account any Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) issues that may arise from storing medical data? During this crisis, we should raise the bar on security and compliance, not lower it.

Modernization is still possible for public sector leaders facing COVID-19 — plans just may need to be retooled or follow a different path. To ensure that our organizations will emerge healthier and stronger post-pandemic, we must harness ingenuity and agility to keep our agencies running now and achieve our digital futures.

Dan Stroman is the senior director of the public sector at CloudCheckr.

Tags: News Smart Cities & Technology News Smart Cities & Technology Article

Related


  • A city’s innovative downtown master plan sees future in local, inclusive placemaking
    Over the past two decades, as superstar cities like New York and San Francisco have concentrated much of the nation’s wealth, jobs and attention, small and mid-size cities have quietly flipped the script on strategic economic investment, placing renewed focus on local talent and inclusive placemaking. The resource they are focused on: their downtowns. In […]
  • 2020 Crown Communities winner: Gainesville, Fla. closes Dignity Village and houses its homeless population
    Gainesville, Fla., won its 2020 Crown Communities Award for leveraging local partnerships to thoroughly address a major homelessness issue, all while under the pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic. The issue had no easy solution. Dignity Village, a local, 25-acre homeless encampment, had started out as an effort to help people who had been displaced by […]
  • 2020 Crown Communities Winner: South Bay Cities Council of Governments' South Bay Fiber Network
    American City & County traditionally awards its Crown Communities Awards to the exemplary projects of municipalities, counties, and subdivisions of local government like precincts or water districts. However, we felt that California joint powers authority South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG)’s impressive South Bay Fiber Network (SBFN) — which is benefiting its 16 member […]
  • Senate American Rescue Plan includes more than $60 million in direct aid for counties
    The U.S. Senate’s version of the 2021 American Rescue Plan maintains the $350 billion in state and local aid that was in the House bill, including $60.1 billion in direct aid to counties. The U.S. Senate begin debating its version March 4. The House of Representatives passed its version of the $1.9 trillion bill Feb. […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • How technology can ensure equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine
  • American City & County's 2020 Exemplary Public Servant of the Year Award
  • American City & County’s 2020 Crown Communities Awards
  • 2020 Crown Communities winner: Rock Hill, S.C.'s My Ride

White papers


Discover How Public Sector Officials are Monitoring and Managing Overtime in This New White Paper

22nd February 2021

How to Assemble a Successful Government Grant Proposal

5th February 2021

The Rise of Procurement’s Next Normal

5th February 2021
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

2020 Crown Communities winner: El Paso County, Texas’ pretrial justice modernization dlvr.it/Rv4GKL

6th March 2021
AmerCityCounty

A city’s innovative downtown master plan sees future in local, inclusive placemaking dlvr.it/Rv3SfM

5th March 2021
AmerCityCounty

2020 Crown Communities winner: Gainesville, Fla. closes Dignity Village and houses its homeless population dlvr.it/Rv1GS2

5th March 2021
AmerCityCounty

2020 Crown Communities Winner: South Bay Cities Council of Governments’ South Bay Fiber Network dlvr.it/Rv10b7

5th March 2021
AmerCityCounty

Senate American Rescue Plan includes more than $60 million in direct aid for counties dlvr.it/RtzvBK

4th March 2021
AmerCityCounty

ASCE releases 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure dlvr.it/Rtvck5

3rd March 2021
AmerCityCounty

Updating the assessor report: A new approach dlvr.it/RttvDv

3rd March 2021
AmerCityCounty

2020 Crown Communities winner: Phases 2 and 3 of Minot, N.D.’s Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection Plan dlvr.it/RtrWMC

3rd March 2021

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X