As we wrap up 2023, it’s a nice time to mirror on the present state of expertise in state and native governments and look forward to the priorities for the approaching yr. 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 high tech precedence
Sustaining the safety of networks and the info they carry continues to be the first concern of high authorities officers and has been for the final 10 years, in line with NASCIO’s annual survey of State CIOs. As the quantity and influence of malware and breaches proceed to rise, states are evolving their safety capabilities and specializing in cyber-resilience to rapidly react and get well 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 might add the accountability for State CIOs and CISOs to coordinate whole-of-state safety plans. This heightened coordination and data 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 corresponding 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 higher 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 purpose of sharing real-time safety telemetry to create a extra full image of threats and dangerous actors throughout their State.
Delivering digital authorities providers nonetheless of excessive significance
Serving residents quicker and at a decrease price by deploying safe and dependable digital authorities providers additionally stays a high precedence in state and native authorities. From on-line tax funds to digital renewals of licenses and permits, digital providers accessible from cellular gadgets 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 straight, 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 first-rate instance of this shift.
States creating coverage guardrails for acceptable use of AI
Simply over a yr after the general public launch of ChatGPT, Generative AI has taken middle 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 industrial functions utilized by businesses to make sure they observe the foundations for acceptable use.
As Generative AI expertise quickly advances, the definitions of correct use will should be adjusted. AI is broadly seen as a device to enhance people in conducting their work, not as a device to make choices. With persistent workforce shortages throughout authorities businesses, authorities businesses are taken with applied sciences like AI-powered chatbots to proceed to satisfy the wants of residents with their decreased workforce — particularly in important providers that always expertise spikes in demand (corresponding to unemployment service firstly of the COVID-19 pandemic).
States have more and more created the place of chief knowledge officer and chief privateness officer to make sure the privateness of resident knowledge as it’s managed inside and between businesses. By harnessing the ability of information, states can acquire helpful insights into resident wants, monitor tendencies, and inform policymaking. This evidence-based method can result in simpler 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 visitors lights and including cameras to maneuver visitors extra effectively. They’re additionally utilizing these applied sciences to preempt stoplights, permitting ambulances and different first responders to achieve individuals in want quicker whereas responding higher to accidents and street circumstances (be taught extra).
Transit authorities are upgrading fee methods, delivering free and simply accessible safe WiFi to passengers, enhancing end-to-end journey administration, and including digital signage to advertise occasions and neighborhood sources.
Transportation businesses even have important knowledge 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 property corresponding to streetlights, initiatives like these can typically be the beginning of a broader good 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, knowledge administration, and analytics underscores a dedication to broader digital transformation. 2024 will see state and native governments proceed to modernize infrastructure. The main focus will likely be on simplification and automation, partly as a result of persistent IT and cyber expertise shortages, but additionally as a result of want for improved flexibility and responsiveness to company wants. 2024 needs to be a yr of transition from coverage creation round Generative AI to energetic use inside the authorized coverage frameworks.
As expertise and resident expectations evolve quickly, authorities IT leaders proceed to paved the way. We stay up for seeing new priorities and alternatives emerge within the new yr.
Study extra: state and native authorities priorities 2024
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