Commentaries

Commentaries are contributed, non-commercial and educational articles that subject matter experts write for American City & County. If you would like to submit an exclusive commentary, click here to view our guidelines.

Highlights

After the cloud, is a software-defined data center in your future?

All roads lead to the cloud. In fact, a recent survey revealed that a majority of state IT...

3 reasons state and local governments need a strategic approach to online services

Most people probably don’t think too much about how an application performs that is, until...

The new public safety workplace: Designed for officer wellness

It’s a shocking reality that, according to statistics from the Ruderman Family Foundation...

Commentary

Roadmap to a smart city master plan

Cities have a unique opportunity to enable the seamless integration of new technologies that will help meet societal challenges, while efficiently and equitably providing essential services to residents and businesses. The digitization and electrification of technologies, sharp increase in the quantity and speed of data transmitted, and rapid rise of artificial intelligence all offer cities […]

Commentary

How digital transformation helped the Los Angeles County Development Authority become a “high performer”

The Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA) is responsible for the management of programs related to subsidized housing, community and economic development, and affordable housing development and preservation. Similar to most government agencies, paperwork is the starting point for much of the progress and growth at the LACDA, which can range from applications for Community […]

The right playbook to fight against ransomware

In October, the FBI released a public service announcement warning of potential “high-impact” ransomware attacks against U.S. organizations. Ransomware and the associated fallout continues to burden organizations every day. Major cities felt the brunt of this impact, with more than 81 attacks on municipalities in 2019 alone. Ransomware can plague operations and hamper everything from […]

Commentary

Creating the optimal living environment in today’s public housing

Public housing authorities (PHAs) and owners are tasked with creating and maintaining living environments that provide a safe and comfortable home for their residents, whether they be the elderly, low-income families or individuals with disabilities. But that goal must also be balanced with operational concerns; these buildings must remain affordable, energy efficient and resilient for […]

Commentary

Off duty policing gets a bad rap, but modern technology can fix it

Separate from their day job in nearly every community both large and small across the country, law enforcement officers are working at churches, malls, cinemas, restaurants, stadiums or patrolling neighborhoods at the request of a homeowner’s association. In uniform or plain clothes, these officers are directing traffic or providing security. They may be driving department-issued […]

Commentary

Treading carefully: How public employers can combat heightened exposure in the #MeToo era

The #MeToo movement is of unprecedented magnitude, having spread quickly and widely through social media. It has featured the stories of survivors, from Olympic gold medalists and Hollywood headliners, to next-door neighbors. The movement has provided awareness of the ubiquity of sexual harassment in the workplace and daily life In the wake of the #MeToo […]

Commentary

Surviving ransomware: Advice for governmental lawyers

Realizing that governments serve many purposes for their citizens, it is often difficult to fully understand the scope of the possible vectors that are vulnerable to cyberattack. Governments must place cybersecurity on their lists of priorities for funding, often competing for attention with schools, police and public safety, sanitation, parks, roads, and water delivery. It […]

Commentary

Why should governments move to the cloud?

Making the shift to the cloud should be a primary component of any city or county’s digital transformation initiative. For the unfamiliar, a cloud service is a hosted technology solution that is accessible to verified users anytime, anywhere. In short, it’s a simple approach to software that relieves organizations from the worry of data centers, […]

Commentary

After the cloud, is a software-defined data center in your future?

All roads lead to the cloud. In fact, a recent survey revealed that a majority of state IT leaders are planning major investments in public and hybrid clouds in addition to their on-premises data centers. Data security is a major driver behind this investment. Over the past couple of years, a plague of ransomware attacks […]

Commentary

Parks Department removes offensive signage in Flovilla, Ga.

When my complaint about the historical plaques at Indian Springs State Park landed on Park Manager Katherine Darsey’s desk, she was more than a little surprised. “I’ve been [in my position] for over 5 years, and in that time no one’s said anything about [the plaques],” she said. “A lot of people overlook them and […]

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Commentaries

Commentaries are contributed, non-commercial and educational articles that subject matter experts write for American City & County. If you would like to submit an exclusive commentary, click here to view our guidelines.

Highlights

After the cloud, is a software-defined data center in your future?

3 reasons state and local governments need a strategic approach to online services

The new public safety workplace: Designed for officer wellness

Commentary

Roadmap to a smart city master plan

Commentary

How digital transformation helped the Los Angeles County Development Authority become a “high performer”

The right playbook to fight against ransomware

Commentary

Creating the optimal living environment in today’s public housing

Commentary

Off duty policing gets a bad rap, but modern technology can fix it

Commentary

Treading carefully: How public employers can combat heightened exposure in the #MeToo era

Commentary

Surviving ransomware: Advice for governmental lawyers

Commentary

Why should governments move to the cloud?

Commentary

After the cloud, is a software-defined data center in your future?

Commentary

Parks Department removes offensive signage in Flovilla, Ga.

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#PeachtreeCorners, Ga joins a slew of communities experiencing #transportation innovation by unveiling its technolo… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Today at 2 PM ET we're hosting the Internal Alerting Webinar! Join us and @OnSolve to dive deeper into the importan… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

A new report by @ESIThoughtLab, ranks 100 #hyperconnected cities across the globe. Click through our gallery to see… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Join us for the internal alerting webinar on Wednesday! @OnSolve will diver deeper into the importance of an… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Building a #publictransportation network in a city is tough. However, for many residents, it's become a necessity.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

#Marijuanalegalization is gaining momentum, and the small beach community of #PortHueneme, CA decided to capitalize… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Join us for the internal alerting webinar on Wednesday! @OnSolve will dive deeper into the importance of an… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

The NYPD pulled it's LiveScan #fingerprinttracking system offline after a #ransomware virus spread to 23 machines c… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…