Cloud

Cloud Accelerates Time-to-Value for Citizen Services

Secure, mobile-first citizen services are a reality for state and local entities, thanks to the cloud.

Peter Dunn is Federal CTO for CDW Government.

Neil Graver is an executive technology strategist for CDW and an accomplished technology leader with more than 20 years of experience.

Today’s modern cloud platforms provide preconfigured services, including serverless computing, global load balancers and content delivery networks. This makes the deployment of complex scalable applications far more accessible.

It’s no exaggeration to say that what used to take a year can now happen in a day. It might be an exaggeration to say this could be done in 24 hours for state and local entities, as procurement cycles extend everything by months. But once you’re past procurement, a cloud application can in fact be launched significantly faster now than at any point in history.

We’ve seen this in real-world scenarios in California and Florida. As citizens’ needs change, jurisdictions have been able to pivot quickly to provide cross-platform services that offer immediate value to constituents. Cloud technology, including low-code and no-code systems, make this possible. As a result, powerful, cross-platform applications can start yielding a return on investment faster and more efficiently than before.

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Mobile-First, Citizen-Centric Services

Los Angeles's LA 311 app is a prime example of cloud agility meeting citizen expectations. Hosted in Microsoft Azure, it delivers key city information and services through a mobile-first design, the importance of which cannot be overstated: More than ever, residents are engaging with public services through phones or tablets.

Florida took a similar path, prioritizing mobile access over traditional websites. They optimized the experience for mobile apps and browsers from the start, avoiding clumsy dot-com navigation. While usability is a core benefit, this approach also dramatically reduces time-to-value. Citizens can more immediately engage with services on the devices they’re most likely to reach for.

Today’s users expect smooth, app-like experiences. They don't want to be redirected across sites or platforms. They want answers and actions at their fingertips, and if they don’t get that, they will disengage.

By building mobile-first from day one, agencies also reduce support tickets, streamline service delivery and improve satisfaction metrics. In the long run, this lowers the total cost of ownership while quickly bringing value to citizens.

CASE STUDY: A nonprofit brought value to customers faster with cloud architecture.

Cloud Makes Low-Code Development a Reality

Cloud platforms also accelerate time-to-value via low-code and no-code tools. Platforms such as Microsoft Power Platform, Salesforce, ServiceNow and Appian let agencies build fully functional applications using visual interfaces instead of lines of code. This means fewer developers are needed. Power users and business analysts can configure workflows, automate processes and even embed AI features such as chatbots or document analyzers without writing traditional code.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, California used a low-code solution to rapidly spin up benefit portals and exposure-tracking tools. The turnaround time was far shorter than what traditional development would have allowed.

Low-code also supports hybrid environments through prebuilt connectors. Whether data lives in a cloud-based application programming interface, legacy mainframe or local enterprise resource planning system, prebuilt connectors eliminate the need for expensive middleware or custom integration.

Some manual development is still required, especially when unique customization is needed. But in many cases, low-code platforms provide most of what an agency needs to launch fast and scale quickly with minimal developer intervention.

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Security and Compliance Is Built In

For any of this to work, security must be a priority. Cloud service providers such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud offer prebuilt frameworks aligned to standards such as HIPAA, the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services security policy and StateRAMP.

Agencies don’t have to manually implement every control. Instead, they can select a compliance policy template, apply it to their environment and immediately adhere to baseline requirements.

Cloud providers also manage the underlying hardware and infrastructure compliance. That allows agencies to focus on operational functions, such as managing data inputs and user permissions and maintaining security posture through policy rather than manually.

Granted, there is always risk. But the shared-responsibility model significantly shifts how those are managed. Agencies can now launch a mobile-first service knowing that most of their critical compliance boxes have been checked.

It All Boils Down to Efficiency

State and local government revenues have generally declined, and some federal funding has dried up or been cancelled. At the same time, a large portion of the workforce is eligible for retirement. Despite these challenges, citizens will still expect consumer-grade applications and services.

Building a mobile app with minimal manual development and applying a compliance framework with a few clicks are powerful advantages delivered through the cloud. They close the gap between the idea and the execution quickly, helping governments and their constituents get value out of projects much faster.

For agencies that want to meet citizens where they are — and do so securely, affordably and quickly — the path forward is clearer than ever.

This article is part of StateTech’s CITizen blog series.