The plight of the local government entity is a unique one. They are tasked with providing ground-level services and amenities to people who work right alongside them. These are people whose children share the soccer field with yours. They are at the local high school fundraiser, working next to you. They know their constituents. When things break down, it’s personal. Knowing this, let’s take a look at the top 3 local government tech challenges.
Challenge 1: Aging Infrastructure, Obsolete, Inefficient Processes
Aging IT infrastructure and obsolete, inefficient processes can have a number of negative effects on local government. Chief among them is a decrease in efficiency and productivity. Working with outdated systems and processes takes longer. This can lead to delays in service delivery and increased costs. Customer satisfaction plummets and trust is frayed.
Old infrastructure is more vulnerable to cyberattacks. This exposes sensitive data to increased risk. Fraud becomes a greater concern. In addition, aging IT infrastructure and obsolete processes can put them at a disadvantage in terms of competing for economic development. This stagnation can even affect a local government’s reputation.
Challenge 2: Incorporating and Readying Teams for AI Integration
Local governments face a number of challenges as they incorporate AI and ready their teams for AI integration into their technology infrastructure. Foremost among these is a lack of expertise. AI is a complex and rapidly evolving field and in-house expertise to develop, implement, and manage these solutions is in short supply.
Aside from human resource deficiencies, general resources are always stretched thin. AI solutions can be expensive to develop and implement, and many local governments have limited budgets. Financial constraints can make it difficult for local governments to keep up with the latest AI technologies and to deploy AI solutions at scale. These solutions can prove complicated to implement. They require significant computing power and data storage. Assuming an AI solution is selected and implemented, who’s going to train the team to use it effectively?
Despite these challenges, AI has the potential to transform local government. AI can help local governments to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their services, to make better decisions, and to better serve their constituents.
Challenge 3: Protecting Data Access and Privileges: Trust in Gov’t.
As with any enterprise, it doesn’t take much to lose stakeholder trust. Factor in that you’re the local DMV or city hall clerk, and the effect of a data breach can be catastrophic. The public sector typically has to do at least the same as the private sector regarding technology solutions, but more often than not, more, and on a tighter budget.
Challenges range from implementing strong data security measures to fortifying defenses by educating employees about data security and privacy. This is just the start.
Encryption, firewalls, and other security measures are necessary but not cheap. Factor in security policies, access controls, and disaster recovery plans and the plate just gets fuller.
Tackling the Top 3 Challenges
Our philosophy is simple: We’ll do what we do best to free you up to do what you do best. At PKA, we value partnerships and understand the importance of the public trust. With decades of experience working with local government, we can take our understanding of what’s next and make it your “what’s now.”
As a valued partner in the public government space, we can bring AI to you. We’ll help you navigate the tricky waters of upgrading old and aging systems. Our expertise becomes yours when you partner with us. We’ll help you tackle these top 3 local government tech challenges together.
If you’re experiencing any of these challenges in your local government work, let’s talk. Reach out today. PKA is always listening.
