The changes in technology also affected the state’s IT workforce, the survey found, with 34 percent saying the changes increased efficiency and productivity through the use of collaboration tools. Another 18 percent say the changes strengthened the workforce, and 5 percent say their workforces were weakened through further retirements.
Looking ahead, survey respondents say their pandemic response will have several impacts on their states’ IT strategic plans. Thirty-five percent say the response will affect technology adoption, 32 percent say it will affect workforce changes and 26 percent say it will lead to changes in policy and governance.
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Where Improvements Need to Be Made for State Government IT
The survey did reveal some areas for improvement in state IT. While 55 percent of respondents report that their data centers performed adequately without adjustments, 29 percent say they were able to accommodate the needs of state agencies with minor adjustments and 16 percent say they needed to shift workloads to cloud solutions.
And while 37 percent say their existing disaster recovery and business continuity plans were sufficient for responding to the pandemic, an almost equal number, 34 percent, say their plans were not sufficient. Another 29 percent say their existing plans did not include a pandemic response component.
One unnamed respondent in the survey said “the pandemic illuminated areas that had insufficient planning and/or capacity to adjust to the operational shifts.” Another said that all agencies were required to have continuity of operations plans, “but the pandemic highlighted the weaknesses in some of the plans.”
The survey highlights the need for state government IT leaders to remain agile to support a changing work environment. “Even when the pandemic subsides, the future state government workforce will incorporate more telework. Online collaborative tools will also be essential for accomplishing state government business,” the survey report notes.