Category Archives: smart cities

Learn How the Cloud and SaaS Can Enhance State and City Recruitment Efforts

Hiring top IT talent has always been the bane of government and today it is even harder as technologies evolve, budgets shrink and a wave of baby boomers finish their careers. The AARP estimates there are approximately 10,000 baby boomers turning 65, retirement age, every single day — a trend projected to go past 2030. In state and local IT departments the exodus has resulted in a loss of expertise that has become difficult and costly to replicate. Technical skillsets needed to maintain older systems are vanishing, with new staff unwilling or apprehensive to learn outdated coding languages and techniques…. Continue reading

Tags: SaaS, Government Software, IT staffing, IT leadership

Microsoft and Accela Spotlight Benefits Found in the Next Generation of Software-as-a-Service

By Adam Stone / Accela As government technology leaders aim to modernize their operations, they’re looking for tools that will pare down capital refresh cycles and sunset old legacy systems. Additionally, they often seek to better respond with agility to evolving citizen expectations, protect privacy, and even help attract new talent. While there’s no silver bullet, many government entities are moving toward Software as a Service (SaaS) to deliver the solutions to these challenges.Over 41 percent of government IT leaders say they are making headway in migrating to the cloud, Deloitte reports,… Continue reading

Tags: Accela Civic Platform, SaaS, #Microsoft, Software as a Service, Accela Civic Solutions, Microsoft Azure

Things to Consider When Weighing What Systems to Revamp or Refurbish

Unreadable data, lethargic load times, unmanageable maintenance, unsupported software, high security risks and shoddy service. These are just a few symptoms that plague governments as they struggle to modernize their antiquated systems.The difficulties act as both a constraint and catalyst, fueling an industry push for contemporary technologies found in the cloud and Software-as-a-Service solutions. Evidence of this wave of IT revitalization can be found in a survey conducted by the National Association fo State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO). Since 2013, NASCIO has reported that state CIOs have consistently ranked cloud services, cybersecurity, and IT consolidation and optimization as their top three priorities,… Continue reading

Tags: SaaS, Cloud, smart cities, Legacy IT, legacy modernization

San Francisco CIO Linda Gerull Identifies Key Elements to Deploying Lasting Technology and the Partnership Strategies that Make the Difference

San Francisco CIO Linda Gerull With downtown streets bustling with software engineers, tech entrepreneurs and eager investors, San Francisco is an epicenter for digital invention. The innovative spirit is evident in the towering offices of tech companies that span its skyline, in its makeshift workspaces where startups test new ideas and products, and in City Hall, where Linda Gerull, San Francisco’s chief information officer, toils with her team at the Department of Technology to serve the city and county’s nearly 900,000 residents. The work requires tenacity and an aptitude to engage the tech community in partnerships and new procurements…. Continue reading

Tags: Customer Success, customer service, planning licenses, building licenses, civic solutions

From adaptable design to launch-readiness, learn the essential technical components you should demand in an IT business and occupational licensing solution

Effective business and occupational licensing tools are an essential ingredient to any modern city. They amplify customer service, increase agency revenues, reduce costs, break down the barriers for data sharing between departments and energize economic development initiatives. Yet the complexities of government, coupled with an immense variety of licensing tools, can present difficulties. State and local CIOs can be hard pressed to decipher what is needed. Departments have to consider the level of integration between their new licensing systems and supporting systems. They must decide whether to build their solution on premise or off…. Continue reading

Tags: Business Licensing, occupational licensing, city licensing, business license software, business license solution

It’s no secret that cities and states have an affinity for small businesses.They provide services in areas big box stores might dismiss for lack of size. They pay locals to deliver local goods. They add a sense of originality to localities and are often the key contributors to tax revenues. State and local governments know that enabling business growth enables communities. With this mindset, governments should always be hunting for business and occupational licensing solutions that can simplify the regulatory process so business owners can focus on services instead of paperwork.Unfortunately, finding the right IT vendor can be precarious. Some business and occupational licensing solutions radiate sheer innovation,… Continue reading

Tags: occupational licensing, city licensing, business licensing software, business licenses, state licensing

The Center for Digital Government and the National Association of Counties report cybersecurity is the greatest concern for county CIOs

The Center for Digital Government and the National Association of Counties report cybersecurity is the greatest concern for county CIOs

(Blogtrepreneur / Flickr ) This month the Center for Digital Government (CDG) reported county CIOs top priority in 2018 is cybersecurity, a concern that reflects a growing urgency in government to safeguard systems and data. The CDG findings are part of its annual Digital Counties Survey conducted in partnership with the National Association of Counties (NACo). The survey evaluates counties on their use of technology and best technology practices. After cybersecurity, the top five priorities for CIOs included disaster recovery and continuity of operations,… Continue reading

Tags: cybersecurity, county government, CIO, cyber, malware

When Abraham Lincoln spoke the phrase, “government of the people, by the people, for the people,” he envisioned a government that existed to better serve its own constituents—one that was open to change and innovation, and would better the lives of every citizen. Although it’s easy to get caught up in the wave of cynicism that’s so popular these days, there are government agencies around the world that consider improving the lives of constituents a top priority, and are creating new and innovative technologies that embrace that populist ideal by making it easier for citizens to engage with their governments. The Accela Engage Customer Awards were created to honor agencies that are using technology to build better communities by providing online and mobile services,… Continue reading

Tags: Civic Innovation, Accela Engage, Citizen Engagement, Customer Awards, Mobile Apps, mobility

At Accela, we’re committed to finding ways to leverage the talents and ideas of civic entrepreneurs and open data hackers to benefit the governments we serve. We believe that fostering the creation of new civic startups has enormous potential to benefit public sector agencies, and we’re committed to finding ways to do this. That’s why we were thrilled several weeks ago to launch the Accela Civic App Challenge. The ProblemThe biggest challenge facing governments in adopting new civic technologies is the absence of an easy way to incorporate new solutions into their existing IT infrastructure. Creating a framework in which civic hackers and entrepreneurs can build smart new apps that can easily be adopted by governments has proved daunting and has caused some in the civic technology community to worry about the movement’s future viability…. Continue reading

Tags: Apps, Civic Hacking, Civic Innovation, Mobile Apps, Accela API, Civic Platform, API

The Accela Crew was out in full force this week in the heart of the South, with stops in Atlanta, GA, and Charlotte, NC. Our gracious host cities invited us into their offices to talk about Accela’s new mission for #civicgood, to preview the new Civic Hero 311/service request app, to hear a brief introduction to the Accela Developer Portal (available at developer.accela.com), and to interact at the first ever Southeastern regional user group meetings. Accela Sr. Software Architect Kris Trujillo discusses App Development in Atlanta In our discussions with Accela administrators and users, government leaders, and others from the local development community, several trends emerged: Engagement Is HOT Indeed!… Continue reading

Tags: Civic Engagement, Civic Good, Civic Hero, Regionalization