https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Commentaries


Photo by Engin Akyurt / Unsplash

Commentary

COVID-19 and pivoting into a new year: It may be 2021, but did we really leave 2020?

COVID-19 and pivoting into a new year: It may be 2021, but did we really leave 2020?

As we continue to navigate 2021, many issues will require continued tech leadership and support to carry everyone through
  • Written by Alan Shark
  • 24th February 2021

Usually, the start of a new year brings great hope and promise – and memories of the past fade rather quickly. Not this time if you are in city and county tech. In fact, to many, 2021 is more like an extension of 2020. Regardless of the mindset of time, “the great pivot” not only remains in place – it’s fast becoming institutionalized. What was temporary is starting to become permanent.

Until March of last year, tech leaders and managers were consumed by computer virus apprehension. They would soon learn they were facing a new threat, a new type of virus, and one that doesn’t affect machines – but people. Suddenly, local government tech managers had to pivot without a playbook and amazingly moved most government services to a remote and virtual environment in both days and weeks. Few, if any, in this generation had contemplated what happens when a government is forced to shut down their buildings. What happens when key employees are either sick or too worried to show up for work? What happens if a government is forced to close? How does government continue to operate in such emergencies? How does the public interact with a “closed” government? IT professionals carried the day and perhaps for the first time were publicly recognized and acknowledged for the many hours of work and sacrifice. In a sense, governments were closed but operated as being open!

Towards the end of last year, it was becoming clearer that many of the temporary work-arounds were here to stay. Today, the reality is that most local governments are forecasting major revenue shortfalls – unless the federal government comes to the rescue. Much uncertainty remains and is already impacting budgets and staff. Memories of the Great Recession of 2008/2009 have come back to haunt – and sadly, some jurisdictions have only recently fully recovered. While it’s too early to know just how bad things can or will get, one thing is certain: the significance of information technology is here to stay. In many ways it can be said that information technology has become the glue that holds it all together.

As we continue to navigate 2021, many issues will require continued tech leadership and support to carry everyone through. Here are just six areas that will shape the future of cities and counties across the nation as they relate to information technology.

  • Cybersecurity focus intensifies as the shift to a remote workforce becomes normalized. The growth of ransomware attacks continues to place more pressure for IT to be more proactive and greater investment in IT resources will be required. Localities will have no choice but to place cyber funding as a much higher priority.

 

  • Managed services will continue to grow as local governments struggle to keep up with cybersecurity, application and storage needs. Many local governments will find that they can better achieve their operational objectives by turning to managed service providers who can leverage their infrastructure amongst many accounts thus offering the potential for better and more secure services, and expectantly in a cost-effective manner. This will be evident through third-party vendors as well as cloud service providers.

 

  • The CIO stature, either in title or function (not everyone has the title of CIO), has risen and is now recognized for the leadership role played throughout the pandemic. As the overall role becomes rightfully elevated – they will continue to have a major impact in the way services are offered to its internal customers and citizens for years to come. This recognition also lifts the careers of tech professionals in all areas.

 

  • Citizen centric focus grows in emphasis and importance. Citizens have become more insistent that they be treated as stakeholders as opposed to mass consumers of services. Public managers have observed that greater citizen focus leads to improved communications, citizen satisfaction, and builds a greater sense of community pride along with meaningful community involvement.

 

  • Remote work options become permanent as public managers recognize the importance and efficiency of having at least some workers maintain their option of working from home. Underlying this shift is the recognition that productivity can be measured, and accountability maintained just as well as onsite staff.

 

  • The future of the office is forever changed. Based on the experience of the “Great Pivot of 2020” many are re-thinking the need to expand, build or maintain costly office space that may no longer be viable. There will of course always be a need for physical space to meet, but individual offices may shift to shared temporary workstations used by workers when they are in the office. As local governments seek ways to cut operational costs, office space may top the list.

Information technology has demonstrated its critical support and strategic planning role.  2021 began as if 2020 had never ended. With the pressure to do more with less, technology has become an inescapable ally in helping to reduce costs and working towards making government work smarter. With the promise of increased vaccinations and the hope of federal rescue dollars for local governments, there are finally meaningful signs of hope and promise. This new year might turn out to be a great year – but one must never forget all the lessons learned. City and county tech professionals will always have at least one virus to worry about.

 

Dr. Alan Shark is Executive Director of CompTIA’s Public Technology Institute.

 

Tags: homepage-featured-3 Smart Cities & Technology Commentaries Smart Cities & Technology Commentary

Most Recent


  • Tech companies partner with Texas city to bring connectivity to five underserved communities
    A few years ago, the issue of equity in broadband access and connectivity was suddenly thrust to the forefront of public discourse when news of schoolchildren logging into remote classrooms from library parking lots and the local McDonald’s broke headlines. Since then, public and private organizations across the country have been working hard to make […]
  • broadband
    Funding fiber broadband: The path to growing communities
    The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) presents communities with the ability to build broadband infrastructure that has been shown to deliver substantial and long-lasting economic benefits by creating jobs and attracting businesses as well as improving the quality of life for the people who live there. Local leaders need to be proactive and engaged […]
  • CRM
    CRM beyond sales: How government CRM can improve citizen engagement and satisfaction
    Private companies know the value of customer relationship management and CRM workflows. For anyone new to CRM, it is a technology that helps companies manage relationships with current and potential customers. CRM systems help companies manage customer relationships throughout the entire customer life cycle, including sales, ecommerce, marketing and more. CRMs help organizations focus on […]
  • heat
    Taking on the heat with tech: Cities create chief heat officers
    Usually, my writing has focused on all things tech leadership in local government. And if the term “heat” was ever mentioned, it was directed towards either IT or the CIO. Given all the weather tragedies across the globe it is time we simply stop just talking about it and start doing something about it. This […]

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

  • North Texas alliance partners with Marketplace.city on smart government solutions
  • Harris County deploys next-generation security in 150 public buildings
  • Prioritizing rapid restore leads to stronger ransomware attack recovery
  • Today’s infrastructure needs greater than roads and bridges - It’s time to face our digital connectiveness

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Tech companies partner with Texas city to bring connectivity to five underserved communities dlvr.it/SWwRRH

19th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Staying safe in a hotter world dlvr.it/SWwRN0

19th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

A case for broadening remote work in the public sector dlvr.it/SWvpYt

19th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Funding fiber broadband: The path to growing communities dlvr.it/SWsW6f

18th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Report: Traffic fatalities from motor vehicle accidents increased by 7% in the first quarter dlvr.it/SWsJFc

18th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Biden: Inflation Reduction Act represents ‘one of the most significant laws in our history’ dlvr.it/SWpMDZ

17th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

CRM beyond sales: How government CRM can improve citizen engagement and satisfaction dlvr.it/SWp9lg

17th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Taking on the heat with tech: Cities create chief heat officers dlvr.it/SWp77d

17th August 2022

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 © 2022 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