Cloud

Cloud and Edge Computing Will Be Key for Government Agencies in 2022

State and local agencies will also need to maintain momentum around digital services.

Christopher Black is a Business Architect who leads the IoT/Digital Transformation Practice for CDW, and focuses on providing solutions for federal, state and local governments. He serves as a business leader and technical resource for over 400 salespeople at CDW selling into the government IT market.

The coronavirus pandemic has reshaped how state and local governments operate, with many more services now accessible online, hybrid work setups more common for government workers, and a much greater need for governments to provide adequate broadband access to citizens.

Two years ago, there was not nearly the appetite there is today for cloud services in state and local agencies, for everything from basic computing needs for government applications to video surveillance systems for public safety.

The pandemic has made it more apparent than ever that governments need to be responsive, agile and have services that are scalable — all of which makes the cloud more important to government operations moving forward.

Looking ahead to 2022, there are clear trends that are easy to discern. And while I don’t have a crystal ball, it’s a safe bet that investing in cloud, edge computing and digital services will pay dividends for state and local IT leaders next year and into the future.

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Edge Computing Will Deliver Insights Faster for Agencies

The cloud, coupled with edge computing, will likely become much more prominent moving forward, especially as cities move ahead with smart city deployments and new infrastructure that has embedded or attached sensors.

Edge computing will be particularly important for public safety and surveillance use cases, allowing agencies to conduct more data analysis at the network edge, on IP-connected cameras, without having to send that information back to central servers. That will deliver faster and more actionable insights for first responders, traffic managers and other government employees who monitor those feeds.

Agencies will likely grow accustomed to more data residing in the cloud. But it won’t be an overnight change, as government agencies continue to face hurdles in migrating to the cloud.

However, I think IT leaders will start to realize the power of the technology they already have deployed in the field, from cameras to sensors and other connected devices. They will soon understand that those devices have a lot more intelligence than they previously thought.

EXPLORE: How can state and local agencies modernize their apps?

Governments Will Need to Continue to Invest in Digital Services

Another trend likely to take root in 2022 is governments’ evolving interactions with the citizens they serve.

The challenges governments have faced with staffing and retention and delivering vital services are not going away. IT leaders will need to lean into technology solutions to help solve those problems instead.

That will require continued investment in modern, digital government services and the infrastructure to support them. Thankfully, IT leaders can turn to trusted partners like CDW to help them close the gap and deliver the agile, mobile-friendly services that citizens need and have come to rely on.

State and local agencies will face no shortage of hurdles in 2022, but with the right technology — and leadership that leans into innovative solutions — those challenges can be overcome.

This article is part of StateTech’s CITizen blog series. Please join the discussion on Twitter by using the #StateLocalIT hashtag.