Recent advancements in technology have led to a significant transformation in government services at the state and local levels. Transformational government focuses on providing services to citizens wherever they are, with an emphasis on convenience and accessibility. Gone are the days of visiting physical government offices for basic tasks, as residents can now accomplish much of what they need from their computers or smartphones.
Chief Information Officers (CIOs) have played a key role in this transformation by breaking down data silos and sharing information across different domains. They have also worked to optimize and modernize legacy systems to better meet the needs of citizens and increase overall satisfaction. The goal of transformational government is to provide simple, accessible, and unified services across agencies, a goal that state and local governments have been making significant progress towards.
In 2001, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers defined digital government as the delivery of public services through the Internet. This groundbreaking report laid the foundation for the transformation of government services to be more user-friendly and easily accessible. Today, this goal remains at the forefront of transformational government efforts, with state and local agencies continuously striving to improve services for their citizens.
Several examples of transformational government in action showcase the impact of these efforts. For instance, the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services utilized Microsoft Azure to modernize its unemployment insurance system, enabling it to handle the surge in claims during the pandemic. Similarly, the county of Sonoma, Calif., uses solutions from IBM and Microsoft to support at-risk youth and prevent homelessness through a smartphone app. The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services has also improved child welfare services by adopting cloud solutions from Amazon Web Services.
These success stories highlight the progress that state and local governments have made in the age of transformational government. By leveraging technology and focusing on citizen needs, government agencies are better equipped to meet the demands of today’s society.