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Elevating State and Local Government Services in California Through Transformative Technology

Posted on by Robert Moore

State and Local Government agencies are constantly seeking ways to improve their services and processes to better serve their constituents and must embrace new technologies, prioritize cybersecurity and ensure data privacy to achieve this goal. These important topics were discussed by Government IT and industry leaders at the ̽��Ƶ Digital Transformation Roadshow in San Jose, California. Speakers covered how to implement emerging technologies, enhance customer experience and protect constituents’ privacy and security through innovation, artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity and data privacy solutions.

Innovating Service Delivery to Constituents

Using advanced technologies can significantly elevate service delivery to constituents in several ways. Firstly, it can enhance the speed and efficiency of Government services, allowing constituents to access information and services more quickly and easily. Secondly, advanced technologies improve the accuracy and quality of Government services through data analytics that help identify patterns and trends, reduce errors and improve outcomes. Finally, advanced technologies increase transparency and accountability, allowing constituents to track the progress of their requests and hold agencies accountable for their actions.

State and Local agencies are often faced with a lack of resources, making it imperative to leverage new technologies and processes to save time and money. The updated systems must also be secured to protect their constituents’ data which requires significant planning, resources and collaboration to achieve successful implementation. Additionally, agencies must ensure that any changes they make comply with legal and regulatory requirements, such as data privacy laws and accessibility standards.

State and Local Government Roadshow Series California Blog Embedded Image 2024

AI solutions are just one of the successful implementations that has enabled agencies to streamline processes and upgrade service offerings to constituents. The adoption of innovative technologies has facilitated faster and more efficient interactions with constituents, leading to improved customer service and satisfaction. The integration of AI technology for real-time data analysis has also empowered agencies to make informed decisions and respond promptly to community needs.

Assessing the Impact of AI

Generative AI is a type of AI that can create new content, such as images, videos and text based on data it has compiled. By studying generative AI, State and Local agencies can develop policies and guidelines for the responsible use of this technology, including measures to prevent the creation and dissemination of harmful or misleading content.

Additionally, studying generative AI helps Government agencies identify potential applications for this technology that can benefit society, such as creating realistic simulations for training purposes or prompting new scientific discoveries. By understanding the potential benefits and risks of generative AI, agencies can make informed decisions about incorporating this technology in their operations.

If leveraged for services and processes, AI could provide many benefits to State and Local agencies through several means:

Chatbots and Virtual Assistants: handle citizen inquiries, provide information about Government services and assist with simple transactions.
Data Analysis and Predictive Modeling: analyze large volumes of data to identify patterns and trends, enabling State and Local agencies to make data-driven decisions in areas such as public safety, resource allocation and urban planning.
Automation of Routine Tasks: automate repetitive and time-consuming data entry and document processing, freeing up employees to focus on more complex and high-value activities.
Fraud Detection and Prevention: detect and prevent fraudulent activities, such as tax evasion and benefit fraud, thereby safeguarding Government resources and taxpayer funds.
Accessibility and Inclusivity: improve accessibility for individuals with disabilities by providing speech-to-text and text-to-speech capabilities, as well as other assistive technologies.

Cybersecurity and the Current Threat Landscape

State and Local Government agencies play a crucial role in national security, and their systems and data must be protected to prevent potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited by malicious actors. The current threat landscape includes sophisticated cyber threats such as ransomware, phishing attacks and advanced persistent threats. Robust cybersecurity measures are necessary to defend against these evolving threats and prevent disruptions to Government services.

Sensitive citizen data, including personal, financial and health information is often handled by State and Local agencies. Therefore, it is important for agencies to maintain strong cybersecurity and data privacy to uphold the public’s trust and confidence. By adhering to data protection regulations and compliance requirements, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), agencies can preserve the integrity of Government operations.

Several agencies have successfully implemented cybersecurity and data privacy measures:

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to strengthen access controls and protect sensitive systems and data from unauthorized access.
Data encryption to protect sensitive information both at rest and in transit.
Incident response planning to effectively address and mitigate cybersecurity incidents.
Compliance with data protection regulations such as HIPAA, GDPR and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).
Cybersecurity training and awareness programs to educate employees about cybersecurity best practices, phishing awareness and the importance of data privacy.
Collaboration and information sharing with other agencies, law enforcement and cybersecurity organizations to stay informed about emerging threats and best practices in cybersecurity.

The path to elevating State and Local Government services requires a strategic incorporation of transformative technologies, notably AI, cybersecurity and data privacy. Leveraging advanced technologies can enhance interactions with constituents, fostering efficiency and transparency. Amidst resource constraints, agencies must implement AI solutions while also prioritizing robust cybersecurity measures. Agencies must navigate digital transformation with responsibility, ensuring the delivery of efficient, secure and privacy-focused services, thereby forging a future where technology elevates governance while upholding public trust.

Explore more resources and learn more about ̽��Ƶ’s State and Local Roadshow Series: Digital Transformation by visiting our Roadshow portfolio.

EdTech Talks: Exploring the Impact of Technology on Student Growth and Development

Posted on by Tim Boltz

Schools and universities strive every day to give their students an effective, fulfilling, successful personal growth and academic learning experience. Harnessing technology innovations can pave the way to achieving those goals. During ̽��Ƶ’s annual EdTech Talks Summit, experts in education and the IT industry discussed how existing and emerging solutions such as observability, the ‘secure by design’ approach and analytics can enhance education to personalize experiences, provide developmental insights on learning approaches and achieve maximum support for all students.��

Addressing Post-Pandemic Digital Transformation with Observability��

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, there were many education challenges including a rapid shift to remote learning, the need to adapt quickly to new technologies and evolving cybersecurity threats. Schools and universities play a major role in the nation’s critical infrastructure along with the transportation sector, water and pipeline management, utilities and more making them vulnerable to cyberattacks. Bolstering the strength of cybersecurity infrastructure is a key component of the student experience as schools are responsible for safeguarding student’s educational, health and personal identification records.��

One step towards achieving cybersecurity is observability. In a time when education leaders are asked to do more with less, observability allows institutions to understand what is happening within their networks and why. Observability should be used to empower education IT teams and in conjunction with active monitoring platforms, which will help them understand the full scope of the data in their network management systems to then apply actionable intelligence to solve issues. When exploring this data, IT staff should consider these questions:��

Is the network following the proper compliance rules that are in place? If not, what change was made to take the network out of compliance?��
What is the user experience like right now?��
What vulnerabilities are there within the network?��
Are students able to reliably access what they need and are those systems performing correctly?��
Are the internal safeguards working as efficiently as external safeguards?��
Do students have proper online safety awareness to aid in avoiding potential risks?��

Implementing observability best practices can boost the security and manageability of schools’ network infrastructures, leading to improved experiences for students, faculty and cross-campus communities.��

Secure by Design for Education��

One of the leading ways manufacturers, developers and education institutions can ensure their products are safe and efficient for students and staff is to create and utilize products that are secure by design. This holistic approach establishes that each product code, solution bundle and packages is tested and validated before an end user receives them, and therefore, contains a built-in cybersecurity insurance policy. In the future, this will save schools time and costs by decreasing the number of cyber threats they face. Students and faculty will experience an increased learning capacity. For example, these solutions help keep students in schools and experiencing less interruption and downtime because of ransomware attacks. This approach empowers faculty to seamlessly adopt and integrate the use of secure solutions into their curriculum and lesson plans. With secure by design solutions, educators and students can rely on the fact that their data will be protected by modernized products tailored with them in mind.��

The Importance of Analytics in Higher Education��

Data plays a crucial role in educational infrastructure, offering valuable insights into the ever-evolving trends in learning. Most schools have siloed data in multiple areas such as learning management systems, enrollment systems and alumni engagement systems. Some colleges and universities within the Public Sector are only able to perform localized, descriptive analytics such as running spreadsheets and creating dashboards to see enrollment and graduation rates. The key to valuable, actionable and intelligent analytics is being able to discern how data intersects and correlates for more predictive and prescriptive analytics across the various digital spaces where institution data is stored. To do this, schools can leverage the power of automation through artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to augment data and use the insights gained to improve analytic maturity, helping faculty and administrators better serve students and their education missions.��

From increased security through observability and intentional technology designs to data-driven insights, the impact of these solutions on student growth is reshaping the educational landscape and creating an environment where students can thrive both academically and personally.��

Visit the EdTech Talks Conference Resource Center to view panel discussions and other innovative insights surrounding security, AI and student success from ̽��Ƶ and our partners.��

About ̽��Ƶ in the Education Market��

̽��Ƶ. is The Trusted Education IT Solutions Provider™.��

Together with our technology manufacturers and reseller partners, we are committed to providing IT products, services and training to support Education organizations.��

̽��Ƶ is a leading IT distributor and top-performing E&I Cooperative Services, Golden State Technology Solutions, Internet2, NJSBA, OMNIA Partners and The Quilt contract holder, enhancing student learning and enabling faculty to meet the needs of Higher Education institutions.��

Learn more at .��

Drones Revolutionize First Response: Search & Rescue and Accident Investigations

Posted on by Lacey Wean

In the fast-evolving landscape of public safety, a silent revolution has emerged with the concept of drones as first responders (DFR), search and rescue (SAR) life-savers and accident investigation accelerators. Incidents can happen anytime, anywhere. Whether it is a 911 call to the police, a missing person case or a traffic collision, time is of the essence. DFRs improve traditional response and investigation methods to save resources and time as well as reduce risk for first responders. With the emergence of drones as a public safety tool for initial response, DFR, SAR and accident investigations, a new era of efficiency and effectiveness has dawned.��

Utilizing Drones as First Responders

In the past, arriving at the scene after any 911 call required precious minutes to mobilize personnel and equipment. The DFR model has changed this by significantly cutting response times. Equipped with high-resolution cameras, thermal imaging or other advanced sensors, drones can swiftly survey any scene from the skies and provide crucial data to first responders.

In December 2015, the Chula Vista Police Department (CVPD) established the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Committee with the primary aim of evaluating the integration of UAS into its public safety operations.^[1] The subsequent drone program represents a groundbreaking milestone, as the nation’s first instance of employing drones as first responders. Since then, the initiative has reached a total of 16,736 calls responded to, 2,273 assisted arrests and an average response time of 96.66 seconds from dispatch to on-scene arrival.^[2]

In addition to speed, drones offer a unique aerial perspective and allow public safety professionals to understand the extent of the incident, identify potential hazards and allocate resources more effectively. This improved situational awareness helps first responders make informed decisions, while enhancing the safety of both citizens and personnel.��

Enabling Search and Rescue Missions

SAR operations often involve difficult terrains and adverse weather conditions. These challenges have seen a remarkable transformation with the integration of drones. Drones can cover vast areas quickly and efficiently, greatly improving the chances of locating missing persons or survivors.

For example, the Weber County Search and Rescue (WCSAR) has taken a significant stride towards augmenting safety and efficiency through the establishment of a Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) program which provides invaluable aerial support to ground personnel. Prior to the sUAS program, the average search time for a person in distress was 4 hours and 35 minutes. Since the program’s inception, this time has been drastically reduced to 58 minutes.^[3] These statistics underscore the impact of UAS technology on SAR operations, greatly enhancing response times and ultimately increasing the chances of successful outcomes.��

Offering More Efficient and Effective Investigations��

Accident investigations play a crucial role in determining the causes and contributing factors behind incidents, especially for traffic-related mishaps. Drones equipped with 3D mapping technology have revolutionized manual measurements and reconstructions by creating accurate digital reconstructions of accident scenes in record time. With a drone, a process that sometimes can take 6-8 hours by investigators can be accomplished in 3-4.^[4]

What sets this modern approach apart is its data-driven essence. Drones, armed with their high-resolution cameras and advanced sensors, facilitate the collection of intricate data from accident scenes. This wealth of information serves as the bedrock for constructing precise digital reconstructions, offering investigators unprecedented insights into the unfolding of events. The Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office in Indiana reported a 60% reduction in overall scene time thanks to UAS deployment, allowing them to efficiently measure an 800-foot scene in just 22 minutes.^[5]��

Similarly, the Oro Valley Police Department in Arizona and the Houston Fire Department in Texas witnessed significant improvements in incident response times, with the former achieving a 32% reduction in roadway and incident clearance times, and the latter experiencing a 40% reduction in scene time, ultimately enhancing safety and efficiency in their operations.^[6]

Looking Ahead��

The journey of drones from being mere recreational gadgets to becoming indispensable tools for the public safety community has been truly remarkable. With advancements in technology, it can be expected that drones will become even more sophisticated and versatile in the future. The potential for integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance drone capabilities, such as real-time object recognition or predictive analytics, holds exciting possibilities for improving emergency response, SAR and accident investigations.��

In the near future, industry can anticipate drones with enhanced autonomy to work in coordinated swarms, learn from past missions and employ advanced object recognition. Fully autonomous drones will include on-demand deployment, emergency alert response, target tracking, obstacle avoidance, indoor flight, AI capabilities, GPS connectivity, voice commands, patrol vehicle integration, advanced threat detection and real-time situational awareness through live feeds.^[7]��

The concept of DFR and drones utilized in SAR and accident investigations is no longer a distant dream but a reality reshaping the landscape of public safety. These flying machines have proven to be first responders’ best allies, aiding them in saving lives, conducting efficient accident investigations and navigating challenging rescue missions. As regulations evolve and technology continues to advance, drones will play an even more pivotal role in protecting and defending the public.��

To learn more about how ̽��Ƶ can support your drones technology initiatives, visit our Autonomy and Robotics technology solutions portfolio.��

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References:

[1] “Chula Vista Police Department Drone Program,” Chula Vista Police Department,

[2] “Dawn of Drones Podcast,” Dawn Zoldi,

[3] Credit: Captain Kyle Nordfors, Mountain Rescue Association (MRA) UAS Chairman Weber County Sheriff’s Office (Utah) Captain – Alaska Airlines B737

[4] “Drones For Good: Saving Time And Lives With Faster Crash Scene Reconstruction,” DJI,

[5] “UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS FOR TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT,” U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration,

[6] “Next-Generation TIM: Integrating Technology, Data, and Training,” U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration,

[7] “Can AI drones help protect officers in these dangerous times?,” Police 1,

Transforming State and Local Government in Ohio Through Technology

Posted on by Robert Moore

Innovation and collaboration are imperative to drive growth and transformation in State and Local Governments, as well as the need to invest in education and training to prepare the workforce for the jobs of the future. At the ̽��Ƶ Digital Transformation Roadshow in Columbus, Ohio, Government IT and industry leaders engaged in dynamic discussions around the role of technology in shaping the modernization of the state of Ohio and beyond.

Technology Innovation in State and Local Government

Ohio State and Local agencies have begun to integrate innovative technologies to drive better decision-making while lowering the cost of ownership for IT systems; however, this requires significant investment in infrastructure, training and talent acquisition. Agencies must also ensure cybersecurity and risk management, as the use of new technology can create new vulnerabilities. There is a critical need for education, collaboration and innovation as State and Local agencies reimagine the future workforce which is an ever evolving complex and diverse ecosystem.

When faced with implementing technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT) and other transformational technologies, comprehensive planning is the best way forward for State and Local agencies. By doing the planning upfront, agencies can ensure that they have the right tools to manage vulnerabilities, mitigate risks and drive innovation.

Utilizing a single platform that connects automation of other tools into that platform helps agencies get real-time data reporting and addresses risk within the organization. By using multiple endpoint management and security tools in a single platform, agencies can streamline their operations, reduce costs and improve their overall security posture.

A local agency in Westerville, Ohio has started using data for applied analytics and customizing citizen experiences using a feedback model. This approach involves analyzing and interpreting data to improve services and provide a more streamlined citizen experience for services like trash collection, public safety and traffic management. By using data to drive decision-making and improve services, agencies can become more efficient, effective and responsive to the needs of citizens.

Building a Resilient Government

Modernizing systems, which is the top priority for building a resilient Government, will improve citizen services, generate cost savings, increase security and provide a more holistic, human-centered Government experience. Many State and Local agencies have outdated systems and need to modernize their infrastructure and business processes to make commerce more accessible and efficient. This involves evaluating areas for improvement, such as replacing fax machines with modernized digital tools and platforms and consolidating multiple systems into a few with all the key functionality they need.

The Ohio Department of Aging (DoA) implemented a tenant of rapid response in which automated systems provide emergency staffing within 24 hours for long-term care facilities and nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to this day. The DoA has also worked on predictive modeling utilizing the Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) organizational strategy to identify potential issues and respond proactively. Additionally, it has focused on meeting citizens’ needs through an omnichannel approach, using interoperable data analytics and predictive modeling to provide a more personalized and efficient experience.

Combating Cyber Threats in Government

Public Sector organizations face a range of cybersecurity risks, including data exploitation, insider threats, third party vulnerabilities, ransomware, identity theft and fraudulent access to State Government services. To mitigate these risks, agencies can take steps such as implementing strong access controls, regularly updating software and systems, conducting employee training on cybersecurity best practices and partnering with other organizations to share threat intelligence and collaborate on incident response.

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) offers several services to assist Government agencies with cybersecurity, including assessments and external dependency mapping. These services are provided at no cost to agencies, as they are already paid for by federal taxpayers. The services include:

Cybersecurity assessments: conduct cybersecurity assessments, which can help identify vulnerabilities and areas for improvement.
Ransomware readiness assessments: prepare for and respond to ransomware attacks, which are a growing threat to State and Local Governments.
External dependency mapping: identify and assess third-party vendors and other external dependencies, which can be a source of cybersecurity risk.
Threat intelligence sharing: provide agencies with information on emerging threats and best practices for defending against cyber-attacks.
Incident response planning: develop and test incident response plans, which can help ensure a coordinated and effective response in the event of a cyber-attack.

As cybersecurity threats become more sophisticated, it is increasingly critical for individual employees to be aware of the risks and take steps to protect their agency. Following best practices for password management, avoiding suspicious emails and links and reporting any potential security incidents to IT or security personnel is imperative. Agencies should provide regular training and offer resources such as phishing simulations to help employees become more vigilant.

Agencies must continue to leverage technology, utilize resources like CISA, stay up to date on the latest best practices and remain committed to meeting citizens’ needs. By embracing technology innovation, State and Local agencies can create a brighter future for all.

Explore more resources and learn more about ̽��Ƶ’s State and Local Roadshow Series: Digital Transformation by visiting our Roadshow portfolio.

*The information contained in this blog has been written based off the thought-leadership discussions presented by speakers at ̽��Ƶ’s Digital Transformation Roadshow.*

3 Strategies the State Department Can Adopt to Successfully Balance Infrastructure Modernization and Security

Posted on by Chip Daniels

The Department of State’s (DOS) has two focuses: adopting critical and emerging technologies and strengthening cybersecurity. Secretary Antony Blinken cites these initiatives as an “aspect of foreign policy that has become critical in recent years.”

Yet, a recent survey indicates when it comes to protecting against cybersecurity threats. The more technology added to a network, the harder it is to defend.

That’s why the DOS must adopt a security-first approach when building and deploying new IT infrastructure. By shifting security left, the organization will be better positioned to successfully balance modernization with security.

Here are three ways the DOS and other government agencies can achieve this objective.

Adopt a “secure by design” approach

Infrastructure modernization isn’t just about the tools that are added to a network. It’s also about the people who must manage the tools, and the different processes teams might use to ensure that everything works as it should. All of this creates additional complexity and increases how an attacker could infiltrate a network.

That’s why it’s critical to weave cybersecurity throughout every phase of infrastructure deployment. Every time a new system or application is installed, its introduction and implementation should be carefully vetted by a dedicated security team. All endpoints should be carefully monitored and inspected to ensure their fortification and all systems tested by red teams to verify their security postures and resiliency.

Simultaneously, all IT professionals should follow predetermined security guidelines throughout the software implementation process. These guidelines should be easily accessible and understood by everyone involved in the process. Simple, direct, and sequential instructions can help prevent vulnerabilities.

Implement observability for proactive cybersecurity

As the DOS’s software factories continue to develop and deploy new technologies, the agency must adopt methods that allow it to keep close tabs on how those technologies connect and interact with one another. Implementing a process of observability is a good way to accomplish this task.

Observability provides a complete view of every asset that comprises an organization’s IT infrastructure, whether on-premises, in the cloud, or hybrid environments. IT teams can observe how assets operate and interact with each other and rapidly identify issues as they arise, including potential security risks.

Observability goes beyond traditional network monitoring, but both are essential. The latter pushes alerts to IT teams whenever there’s a deviation from a predetermined metric, while the former allows teams to detect and analyze abnormalities in real time. So, while monitoring is reactive, and observability is proactive, both work together to form a critical foundation for infrastructure security.

Take an “assume breach” mentality

Zero-trust is an effective best practice that the DOS has adopted from the Department of Defense’s leadership. In the wake of continually evolving cybersecurity threats, adopting a zero-trust posture should be considered the minimum protection standard.

The DOS can take this approach even further by taking an “assume breach” mentality. An assume breach mindset includes several strategies designed to protect the agency throughout the entire lifecycle of a cyberattack. In addition to incorporating zero-trust principles, assuming a breach involves:

Identifying and addressing gaps in security coverage
Planning how to react and respond to an attack
Detailing the steps needed to recover from an attack
Learning from an attack
Implementing processes to prevent future attacks

Assuming a breach is just as it sounds—embracing a position that it’s not if a breach will happen, it’s when it will take place. If agencies base their cybersecurity efforts around this mentality, they will be more prepared to both deal with and prevent the eventuality.

Cyber resiliency must be a top focus as the DOS continues its push toward modernization, but without a systematic plan in place, the agency’s efforts to contain and prevent vulnerabilities can easily become overwhelming. Adhering to the three strategies outlined here can help the DOS prioritize cybersecurity and tackle potential threats in a way that will not only protect the organization but also do so in a manner that is efficient and effective.

These best practices are fundamental elements to SolarWinds’ approach, developed in collaboration with leading cybersecurity experts in the wake of the 2020 SUNBURST attack. It’s a solid blueprint for the DOS to refer to as it continues its modernization efforts.

Okta and ServiceNow: Modernizing Public Sector Operations

Posted on by Matt Egan

Federal, state, and local agencies and educational institutions are facing a With increasing they face further challenges balancing security with the need to deliver frictionless experiences for users and systems, both within and beyond the premises of agencies and campuses. Public sector organizations can lean further on industry partners to help them modernize operations to improve cybersecurity, support distributed workforces and users, remain compliant with audit and policy mandates, and, ultimately, better serve the public.

Roadblocks to Modernization

To modernize operations, agencies and institutions need to transition from legacy systems to cloud-based tools. Creating collaborative, seamless, and secure work environments that not only attract and retain top talent but also comply with key audit and policy mandates is necessary.

But building this kind of robust environment that can securely support mission-critical work isn’t easy.

Okta ServiceNow Modernizing Public Sector Operations Blog Embedded Image 2023

For one, as the public sector implements cloud-based tools that deliver modern, continuous digital services, they must also ensure the new technology works seamlessly alongside existing processes. And securing work environments both in-office and remotely has never been more challenging, with a Unfortunately, busy IT teams’ resources are too often spent completing manual work instead of implementing changes needed to focus on the high-value work that propels their missions.

How Okta and ServiceNow Solutions Help With Modernization and Automation

Okta and ServiceNow solutions enable agencies and institutions to overcome these obstacles by providing tools that enhance security, modernize operations, comply with strategic policies, and improve service delivery to meet critical mission goals.

Together, Okta and ServiceNow help with:

Identity and access management: A centralized Identity solution offers a complete view of users and phishing-resistant authentication to protect accounts from cyberattacks and least-privilege access. This gives users just the right access at the right time for the right purposes.
User lifecycle and workflow automation: Advanced algorithms and customizable templates streamline onboarding and offboarding for IT teams, reducing time-consuming work, eliminating manual, repetitive tasks, and increasing productivity.
Compliance and policy oversight: Detailed logs and refined reporting capabilities perform automated compliance checks, and policy enforcement mechanisms help reduce the risk of non-compliance.
No-code automation: No-code/low-code automation enables IT teams to quickly launch modern services while still adhering to Zero Trust integrations.
Risk management and monitoring: Advanced analytics and real-time reporting enable continuous visibility of all systems, improving service availability and accelerating incident response that can better protect the sensitive information of public sector organizations.
System integration: API management and middleware tools enable seamless integration with automated data exchange to improve communication and reduce errors.

Why Okta and ServiceNow are Better Together

These solutions combine ServiceNow’s expertise in policy and compliance management and internal and vendor risk management with Okta’s expertise in Identity and access management, such as single sign-on (SSO) and multi-factor authentication (MFA).

More specifically, with a rich, bidirectional integration, Okta and ServiceNow work seamlessly together, empowering public sector organizations to modernize and automate their services to support their evolving missions with:

Okta Integration Network (OIN)
ServiceNow Security Incident Module
StateRAMP Ready authorization
FedRAMP High authorization
Department of Defense Impact Level (IL) 4 and IL5 workloads

Contact our team today to learn more about about how, together, Okta and ServiceNow provide the public sector with an open, future-ready platform to automate, secure, orchestrate, and simplify their workflows.

Transforming Digital Services and Modernizing Risk Posture in Colorado

Posted on by Robert Moore

Throughout Colorado State and Local departments, utilizing emerging technology is imperative to combating cyber threats and improving efficiency. At the ̽��Ƶ Digital Transformation Roadshow in Denver, Colorado, Government IT and industry leaders engaged in dynamic discussions around transforming Colorado through technology.

Transforming Technology in Government

Reducing technical debt is a pivotal step in transforming the way Colorado responds to citizens and facilitates digital services. Modernization contributes to building a streamlined constituent experience, enabling data integration for better decision-making and lowering the cost of ownership. That further requires top technology talent to redesign aging technology systems and deliver better outcomes for the state.

The Digital Government strategic plan gathered over 2,000 Coloradans to understand their experience with Digital Government. The group heard from citizens requesting easier forms and more accessible Government services. From that survey, administration learned that State and Local departments can make an impact through three initiatives: expanding broadband access, making Government accessible by reducing burden of access for constituents and reducing poverty.

Change and increased needs seem to be the only constants in today’s world. Workloads are ever increasing and requirements from new and unexpected sources are creating backlogs that are becoming critical. This can put an incredible burden on plans, resources and personnel. The next step is looking at how technology and innovation can improve these new processes and address new demands through live chats, Artificial Intelligence (AI) modeling, etc. There is immense opportunity for Local agencies in Colorado to use this technology to make workflows more efficient, learn about their citizens and offer that instant gratification that customers have come to expect.

One of the biggest challenges Local Government faces is the interoperability across departments to share resources and capabilities. By focusing on utilizing new technologies to encourage that interoperability and optimize through data, user experience improves. There also must be a balance when handling sensitive data within these departments, as well as an effort to avoid technology sprawl and cost complexity. Automation and AI is foundational when it comes to daily operations and best practices as innovative technical solutions continue to make access from the edge easier, more transparent and secure.

The Role of Emerging Technologies in Digital Government

By eliminating legacy systems and investing in emerging enterprise technologies, agencies are generating cost savings, increasing security and accessibility and providing a more holistic, human-centered Government experience for Colorado.

Understanding how Colorado is securing the remote workforce in light of the telework and deployment explosion is important to connect where those emerging technologies can improve communication and networking issues. It is important that the state gets broadband access to its most rural and underserved communities to expand high-speed internet and 5G to increase citizen engagement with Government services. By utilizing endpoint detection, multi-factor authentication and mobile device management, Colorado protects citizens’ data and gains an understanding of user behavior to protect the data from any cyber threats.

The emerging technology approach is also about an innovative mindset to use tools in a better way that improves citizens’ digital experience. Colorado has been modernizing its approach to citizen-facing services by consolidating into simple, quick and more digital interactions to ease how citizens access essential services and programs with the state.

Technology acceleration takes center stage as part of Colorado’s Digital Government Strategic Plan. For the City and County of Denver, collaboration is imperative for coordinating technology deployment across the State and Local Government and within communities, at speeds capable of meeting the plan’s timelines. With these modernization efforts and changes across the state, agencies must invest in change management by preparing citizens for more digitized services. This includes walking residents through new processes and applications as incremental changes occur.

Combating Cyber Threats in Government

As their communities increasingly become targets of hackers and other cyber criminals, State and Local agencies must stand united to prevent and recover from cyberattacks. Cybersecurity risks range from data exploitation, insider threats, third-party practices as outsourcing increases, ransomware, identity theft and fraudulent access to State Government services.

Risk tolerance and risk posture must factor in human risk, application risk, physical security risk, datacenter risk and cloud risk to comprehensively assess cyber threats. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the workforce access changed overnight, creating an even greater need for multi-factor authentication, password management, cloud security and Zero Trust compliance.

Data integrity attacks include unauthorized insertion, deletion or modification of data to Government information such as emails, employee records, financial records and citizen data. Public facing identity is a big aspect going forward for Colorado agencies.

The safeguards in use today ensure data is secure, protected and effectively backed up, yet readily available when needed. Lifecycle management is critical to making sure users have the right level of access to the right applications. Today, most agencies are in a position where if someone logs in, they make an identity claim with a username and password and a one-time code. The agency should then know what application that user accessed, and the process stops there; however, with the diversity in endpoints, more information needs to be acquired. Agencies can then make better risk-based decisions on who is allowed to log in, thereby protecting their environment, detecting and remediating threats while continuing to modernize their risk posture.

Emerging technologies and new digital services provide State and Local agencies more opportunities to easily connect with their citizens and make sure the user experience is as smooth as possible. As increased access to applications and Government data continues, agencies must continuously improve their risk posture to protect citizens’ sensitive information by upholding Zero Trust best practices.

Visit our roadshow resource hub to learn more about the State and Local Roadshow Series: Digital Transformation.

Innovation in Cybersecurity: Technology Modernization and Improving Public Safety in Florida

Posted on by Robert Moore

From emergency response to IT teams, technology modernization plays a key role in improving cyber resiliency and efficiency in Florida’s state and local government agencies. At the ̽��Ƶ Digital Transformation Roadshow in Tallahassee, Florida, Government IT and industry leaders engaged in dynamic discussions around transforming Florida through technology in three different sessions.

Leveraging Technology for Data-Driven Government

The use of emerging and innovative technologies is transforming legacy systems to better respond to citizens and facilitate digital services. Using cloud-ready architectures, agile methods and data interoperability, Florida is tapping top technology talent to redesign aging technology systems and deliver better outcomes for Floridians. The governor of Florida established the Florida Digital Service with the goal to deliver better government services and transparency to Floridians through design and technology. This goal expands the role of technology for delivering secure digital government services across the state.

When examining information technology at the Office of Inspector General, the key focuses are management, risk and internal audit. The inspector general community plays a critical role in offering assurance services for cybersecurity management, which was acknowledged by Florida governing bodies in 2021 with legislation requiring every inspector general to have a dedicated cybersecurity audit plan as part of their normal workflow. This expanded the focus from IT-specific audits to planning ahead with cybersecurity through an enterprise-wide audit.

Modernizing the procurement process has drastically changed the technology environment within the City of Tallahassee. By examining more than just business processes, identifying where to improve and how to implement those changes, agencies can set better standards, meet security compliance and improve overall efficiency. Investing in the correct tools allows agencies to leverage the interoperability of these solutions to improve communication and optimize performance. Whether that be a singular platform or different point solutions which are tied together, agencies need to find a solution that minimizes cost and maximizes output.

The ultimate goal for Florida agencies is to prioritize the modernization of their technology to leverage their hybrid environments while maintaining efficiency and combating cybersecurity attacks. Taking a hybrid approach builds up a level of comfort with the technology for agency teams as they tackle legacy modernization. With this approach, both internal teams and the public will gain understanding of these new systems all while scaling for future growth.

The Roadmap to Emergency Response through Technology

As natural disasters seem to be increasing in intensity and frequency, emergency response capabilities are critical to the safety of communities. Americans’ health, security and economic wellbeing are tied to climate and weather. In a state that often faces natural disasters such as hurricanes and flooding, recovery depends on fast, secure IT resources to match manpower and machinery with the locations most in need, while delivering fast and secure assistance to victims. The ability to collect, analyze and communicate data is critical for effective and efficient emergency management.

Throughout the pandemic, State and Local Government Agencies have leveraged new technologies and fast tracked their digital transformation. This journey of maturing technology quacking moving into smaller agencies in order to maximize their potential. The quality of video and efficiency for sharing photos and data within emergency management and first response has become a high priority for technology partners. The simplicity and frictionless aspect of video platforms have become critical for emergency management to provide transparency and safety to those individuals in the field.

AI, machine learning and voice recognition are just some of the technologies that can help improve the quality of communication and response time within emergency management. When dealing with phone calls, an agency can mature their voice recognition and AI to cut down the workload of call operators and encourage more people in the field to help with disaster response.

Combating Cyber Threats in Government

Federal, State and Local Agencies stand together in the fight to prevent and recover from cyberattacks, as their communities increasingly become targets of hackers and other cyber criminals. Cybersecurity risks range from data exploitation, insider threats and third-party practices as outsourcing increases ransomware, identity theft and fraudulent access to state government services.

Innovative policy and cyber resiliency have become some of the top priorities for public sector agencies. Over the past few years, agencies have seen how these bad actors are becoming more sophisticated, attacks are growing in scale and new techniques are being used to infiltrate Government systems. Wanting to prevent injuries and intrusions, cybersecurity teams have had to evaluate how to detect and respond quickly in this new hybrid workplace environment.

There is no more network perimeter as employees work from anywhere, so traditional on-prem technology has now had to expand to other point solutions, VPNs and mobile device management. Agencies now want to reach unified endpoint management in order to manage devices in the air, in office, on the field or at home. By leveraging automation and multiple cloud providers, agencies can improve security posture while eliminating manual effort which in turn cuts down cost and human error.

The massive migration to cloud and multicloud environments as well as computing from the edge to include the telecommuting and remote connected devices has fundamentally changed the way state and local agencies look at protecting their data. Taking on Zero Trust when it comes to identities, endpoints, applications, network data and infrastructure has become imperative for every government agency to move past perimeter-based security and into the future.

Learn more about ̽��Ƶ’s experiences at the State and Local Roadshow Series: Digital Transformation at carah.io/slg-roadshow-series

*The information contained in this blog has been written based off the thought-leadership discussions presented by speakers at the ̽��Ƶ Digital Transformation Roadshow.*

States Can Build Economic Efficiencies Into Complex, Sophisticated IT Environments

Posted on by Brandon Shopp

Modernizing IT is a priority for all levels of government. Despite its importance, a recent National Association of State Technology Directors found only 50% of the 38 states surveyed have “budget mechanisms for specifically addressing IT modernization.” At the same time, 84% reported they had increased cloud services—and 76% increased their network infrastructure and bandwidth—because of the pandemic. To put it mildly, growing and scaling services without a budget isn’t ideal. However, building economic efficiencies into an increasingly complex, sophisticated IT environment is possible.

One way to approach cost containment is to build it into the approach taken when developing cloud-native applications and instilling the management of these applications with this mindset. This will likely pose challenges—developers are rarely responsible for the decisions about how their apps are implemented, used, or scaled. Likewise, those responsible for making decisions about infrastructure resources, maintenance, and operations may not understand or account for how much it costs to keep these cloud-native apps going. Here’s a look at how developers and operations management teams can better understand and manage the cost of application modernization programs:

The Relationship Between Cost Containment and the Modern Developer

The application development phase offers an opportunity to lay the foundation for cost containment and is a vital part of developer maturity.

An easy way to move toward cost-effective, sustainable applications is to adopt the underpinning of reliable operations—monitoring and observability. When developers ensure new and modernized applications include monitoring from the outset,��and site reliability engineering (SRE) teams can better understand the state of their systems and proactively debug systems in production. This benefits the organizations who own these applications in the long run.

Here’s an example: suppose an application relies on platform-managed serverless or orchestrated containerization. There’s no shortage of opportunities to provide rich performance data for both developers and operations using commercial cloud-native or open-source monitoring options.

Through monitoring, developers can quickly get a sense of application durability and develop more sustainable applications to support cost containment. Considering sustainable cost containment during the dev phase isn’t best left to IT leaders; agency leaders will greatly appreciate the developer who builds the foundation into their apps.

Keys to Containing Cost

It’s also crucial to address agency leaders’ responsibility for ensuring the high performance of cloud-native applications once deployed. As much as we’d like them to, cloud-enabled technologies don’t maintain a minimum latency or uptime on their own. IT and network operations teams continuously monitor the health of cloud applications, infrastructure, and the networks they rely on to ensure a quality user experience and an uninterrupted mission.

They need full-stack observability without added costs for procuring and managing multiple monitoring tools and accommodating new reporting, alerting, and automation needs as time progresses. IT leaders can control costs in a cloud-native future by ensuring their developers��and��IT operations teams utilize the same centralized and automated monitoring tools—from launch to sunset.

By consolidating tools and achieving observability across services and agencies from a single integrated pane of glass, these teams can occupy the same monitoring domain and ensure peak performance of the entire application, infrastructure, and network environment while saving time and containing costs.

The cost-containment advantages of automation also can’t be overstated. Instead of IT pros spending hours trying to identify, diagnose, and fix hard-to-find performance issues, modern monitoring tools run in the background, automatically identifying performance issues and recommending optimization fixes.

As new systems and cloud-native applications come online, these systems allow agencies to quickly and easily scale their monitoring capabilities without additional expense, no matter how complex their cloud, multicloud, or hybrid environment becomes.

The results? A pathway for states without the budget for cloud and IT modernization to create economic efficiencies.

To learn more about SolarWinds’ observability platform, click .

How to get StateRAMP Ready Faster with Security Snapshot

Posted on by John Lee

Security is of utmost importance to government agencies because they have access to the sensitive information of millions of people. To ensure this information stays private, StateRAMP (State Risk and Authorization Management Program) offers several guidelines to help.

StateRAMP is a nonprofit launched in 2021 and modeled after FedRAMP, a government-wide program that promotes secure cloud usage across the Federal government. State and local governments created StateRAMP to extend this authorization to the relationships between cloud service providers (CSPs) and state and local governments to improve cybersecurity posture. As an independent ��nonprofit organization, StateRAMP has created a process for continuous cybersecurity improvement to efficiently and cost-effectively verify the cybersecurity of cloud service providers.

A main initiative is evaluating the data security capabilities of cloud solution providers that sell to state and local governments. StateRAMP ensures CSPs meet minimum security requirements and helps them obtain verification and achieve certification. These verification statuses were created by StateRAMP and must be certified by a third party. To simplify this certification process, StateRAMP has introduced “Security Snapshot.”

Hurdles to Attaining StateRAMP Verification

StateRAMP has had an Authorized Product List since 2021,updated at the end of every business day. This list is comprised of verified providers who meet the minimum security requirements and provide an independent audit conducted by a Third Party Assessment Organization (3PAO). StateRAMP recognizes three verified statuses:

Ready: The product meets minimum requirements.
Provisional: The product exceeds minimum requirements and has a government sponsor.
Authorized: The product satisfies all requirements and has a government sponsor.

There are 38 cloud service offerings (CSOs), 4 local government agencies, 2 universities and 17 states that are qualified in the above three tiers.

A Simpler Future with Security Snapshot

After StateRAMP’s verification process was introduced, providers encountered several questions. For some CSPs, it wasn’t easy to know if they could achieve a StateRAMP-Ready approval. The fear that CSPs would be left with a public, poor StateRAMP score induced anxiety in starting the approval process. Many agencies were unsure if they were making progress in the right direction. To combat this, StateRAMP released a new solution in early January 2023—the “Security Snapshot.”

Security Snapshot provides detailed information on how companies can get StateRAMP-certified. The snapshot offers a preliminary numerical score that CSPs can share with prospective government clients, which will not appear on the CSP’s record.

This resource acts as an early-stage security maturity assessment tool for cloud products. The intent of the service is to provide a first step toward achieving StateRAMP security status. The criteria are designed to help agencies validate minimum requirements and provide controls and additional benchmarks that would further aid in certification.

The Security Snapshot also helps providers gain quality insight into security postures and third-party cloud solutions such as Software as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) products. Ultimately, it provides insights for providers and the government branches they serve.

With the introduction of Security Snapshot, CSPs can ease their concerns, knowing they will receive detailed, personalized support to help them qualify for StateRAMP’s verification.

For more information on StateRAMP’s security approach, visit our StateRAMP resource hub and watch our ̽��Ƶ briefing at .