Advancements in technology have led to a rapid transformation of government services at the state and local level. The goal of transformational government is to provide citizens with convenient access to services wherever they are, using online platforms. This has eliminated the need for physical visits to government offices for simple tasks.
Chief Information Officers (CIOs) have played a crucial role in this transformation by breaking down data silos and sharing information across different domains. They have also modernized legacy systems to meet the evolving needs of citizens and improve overall satisfaction with government services. The National Association of State Chief Information Officers defined digital government in 2001 as providing simple, accessible, and unified services across agencies, which remains the same today.
State and local agencies have made significant progress towards this goal by embracing transformational government. For example, the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services revamped its unemployment insurance system using Microsoft Azure during the pandemic to better handle the surge in claims. Similarly, Sonoma County, Calif., and the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services used technology solutions from IBM, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services to enhance services for at-risk populations and streamline operations.
These success stories demonstrate that transformational government is not just a concept but a reality that state and local agencies are successfully implementing to meet the needs of citizens in the digital age.