State and Local Emergency Managers Explain the Importance of Continuity of Operations Planning mol.doak_yUxs Tue, 04/16/2024 - 09:26 The world can be dangerous and unpredictable. For state and local governments, the difference between weathering a crisis or succumbing to a cascading disaster lies in continuity of operations plans. COOPs are decidedly not sexy. They stay quietly unheralded until an emergency, large or small, makes them essential. This kind of thinking is best handled by people who don’t mind contemplating catastrophes. “I’m the crazy person on the sidewalk with the sandwich bo ..read more

How Do Chief AI Officers Help State Governments Innovate? mol.doak_yUxs Mon, 03/25/2024 - 09:40 Artificial intelligence has been around for a while, but the advent of generative AI has spurred greater interest in how state governments can use AI to enhance citizen services. Through its Center for Best Practices, the National Governors Association put together a list of state resources on AI to offer as guidance for state governments. In December 2023, AI, machine learning and robotic process automation came in at No. 3 on the list of 2024 State CIO Top 10 Priorities from the National Ass ..read more

Q&A: NASCIO’s Doug Robinson Discusses the Expanding Role of the State CIO mol.doak_yUxs Wed, 02/28/2024 - 11:35 In January, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers updated its mission statement for the first time in 20 years. Not since 2004, the year Doug Robinson became NASCIO’s executive director, has the organization tweaked its concisely worded mission to advance government excellence. The mission statement reflects not just what NASCIO should do but also what its members should strive for. StateScoop reports that the changes include: Mentioning the importance of ..read more

Agencies Can Simply Streamline to Reduce Technical Debt mol.doak_yUxs Thu, 02/01/2024 - 10:29 At last year’s annual conference of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO), Julia Richman, then the deputy executive director for the Colorado Office of Information Technology, noted that the work of transforming large legacy platforms can be difficult and expensive. Still, Richman and her colleagues demonstrated to the governor and the legislature that there could be an enormous cost if the state does not modernize critical systems. One factor in that equation is how m ..read more

3 Mistakes Experts Often See in Zero-Trust Initiatives mary.winters Wed, 01/31/2024 - 10:49 State and local agencies undergoing digital transformation rely increasingly on massive amounts of data to propel every facet of government business. As that seismic shift collides with today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape, zero trust’s always-on approach to cybersecurity has become a requirement — not just a nice-to-have — for organizations of all sizes. The zero-trust security model offers greater protection against remote exploitation than traditional perimeter-based security because it require ..read more

Resilience for the State Government Enterprise mary.winters Thu, 12/21/2023 - 03:52 The National Association of State Chief Information Officers, the Center for Digital Government and IBM recently released a report titled “Preparing for Future Shocks in State Government.” The report comes at an opportune time, NASCIO Executive Director Doug Robinson said, according to an IBM press release: “The past few years have presented a multitude of challenges and increased demands on state CIOs.” The report is intended to help position state CIOs to be more resilient, approaching the concept from sever ..read more

Embrace the ABCs to Close Government Talent Gaps mol.doak_yUxs Wed, 12/06/2023 - 13:40 While the American economy remains on solid footing as it navigates challenging headwinds, today’s workforce development ecosystem is struggling to keep pace. The global talent shortage has reached a 16-year high, with nearly 75 percent of employers — including federal, state and local agencies — unable to recruit enough skilled workers. At the same time, nearly half of American workers believe they’re underemployed or working in roles that do not fully utilize their education, experience or training. These ..read more

Smart Cities Connect 2023: Navigating the Digital Transformation Process michael.hickey_ofuc Thu, 11/30/2023 - 11:38 Since the pandemic began, cities across the country have been on a fast track to digital transformation. To meet constituents where they were, state and local governments needed to modernize citizen resources and services quickly and accept emerging technologies. Almost four years on, cities are still working hard to innovate to improve the citizen experience. However, agencies need buy-in, budget and strategic planning to make their city visions come together. This was the top ..read more

How State and Local Agencies Can Transition to Windows 11 michael.hickey_ofuc Wed, 11/22/2023 - 10:09 Windows 11, the newest iteration of Microsoft’s operating system, is ready for deployment by organizations. But is your organization ready for Windows 11? The end of life for Windows 10 — Oct. 14, 2025 — will be here soon enough, and Windows 11 comes with new software and hardware requirements along with important changes to its user interface. The time to prepare for a transition to Windows 11 is now. To get ready, organizations must assess their environments and create effective migration p ..read more

How State CIOs Can Build a More Resilient Workforce michael.hickey_ofuc Thu, 11/09/2023 - 13:16 At NASCIO 2023 Midyear, government IT leaders emphasized staff retention, inclusivity and workforce flexibility. The message: To win the war for cyber talent, agencies must accommodate more flexible working arrangements such as hybrid work, as recommended by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers and the National Governors Association. The conversation , where state CIOs spoke of lingering issues with recruiting and retaining IT staff. State CIOs will continue to reckon with t ..read more