Examining the Top Priorities and Challenges in the Public Sector
Published: October 23, 2023
Every year, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) researches state CIOs' top priorities, challenges, and initiatives. This year, NASCIO got responses from 49 state CIOs to better understand what actions they are taking toward accomplishing their goals. The results of this survey represent what state and local governments across the United States will be focusing on over the coming years, how they plan to address challenges they are facing, and providing insights to other government agencies on what is working.
This year, the top concerns overlapped with previous years, showing that priorities haven't shifted too much over the last few years. State CIOs are still focusing, first and foremost, on their cybersecurity strategy but also addressing cloud management, modernization, and implementing emerging technologies with the aim to better the citizen experience.
Cybersecurity and Risk Management
For over ten years, cybersecurity has been the #1 concern for state and local governments. Comparing the results on the question of the status of state cybersecurity programs over the last few years, more and more IT teams are implementing more and more strategies to safeguard their data and information better.
The network is the true foundation of a robust cybersecurity and risk management strategy. Everything touches the network; therefore, you must have a strong network partnered with management tools that give you visibility to see what is happening within your network to mitigate threats proactively and control who has access to what. This not only keeps your information safe but also enhances trust with citizens.
Hear how Nevada DOT is using Extreme Solutions to increase network visibility and control as part of their cybersecurity and risk management strategy:
Legacy Migration and Modernization
Legacy migration and modernization have been a top priority for several years, as modern technology significantly impacts citizen satisfaction. Governments don't tend to be early adopters of new technologies to reduce risk; however, not having modern technology poses more of a risk at some point. Outdated technology doesn't have the inherent security or capabilities of modern technology, limiting the government agencies' ability to support new technology initiatives, from digital services to public-facing Wi-Fi.
A modern technology backbone is critical to support these initiatives, and it all starts with the network. Hear how the City of Milwaukee built a fabric network to act as the foundation of their modernization efforts:
Emerging Technologies
Another major priority for state and local government is implementing more emerging technologies to help advance the citizen experience in their community. Whether through digital services or in the agencies and departments they support to help them run more efficiently, emerging technologies are making an impact across governments.
For example, the City of Seguin was able to stand up a fire station alerting solution that runs over their network to enable faster response times from their local fire department and increase the quality of life of their firefighters as the solution is designed to help with their stress levels. Hear how the city was able to implement that solution because of their modern network foundation:
Cloud Management Strategies
The cloud is another critical component of state and local government IT solutions. Cloud-based network management simplifies IT workload and increases visibility into what is going on within your network. Governments have been adopting cloud-based network management to combat workforce challenges, address security concerns, and access network analytics to better understand their users and how their network is running. The consistently running network increases the productivity of your workforce, keeping citizens satisfied with government services.
Hear about how the City of Memphis uses cloud solutions to simplify their network management:
New Ways, Better Outcomes with Extreme
While the technology landscape constantly changes, some concerns have remained top priorities over the last decade. Year after year, cybersecurity maintains its position at the top of every State CIO's list. It is typically followed by modernization, migrating to the cloud, and focusing on emerging technologies to improve the citizen experience. The critical component to each of these priorities is the network, which serves as the foundation on which every other digital initiative is built.