Evolving Acquisition

For years, government has worked to streamline acquisition so needed technologies get in the hands of agencies more quickly. With the new administration's focus on efficiency and improved use of emerging technology, these ongoing efforts to evolve government acquisition will likely move into high gear.

Legislation Driving Change

2024 saw a number of bi-partisan legislative proposals aimed at streamlining acquisition and spending. The Federal Improvement in Technology (FIT) Procurement Act was introduced in March 2024 to eliminate restrictive requirements and expand procurement options that let agencies move quickly to buy and utilize technology. A key focus of the legislation is enabling agencies to make advance payments for cloud computing, data center solutions, and other technology acquired on a subscription or tenancy basis. A pay-in-advance model is standard for these technologies, but not something that government procurement rules are set up to easily allow. Continue reading

Blockchain on Your Block

Beyond its use for cryptocurrency, Blockchain is proving to be a valuable technology to help modernize government service delivery. The key quality of blockchain is its ability to record transactions immutably. Managing transactions is a key function of state and local governments, and as such, they are looking for ways to incorporate blockchain as part of their digital modernization processes.

The decentralization of blockchain provides a level of transparency and accountability not typically associated with government. It can give citizens more control over their data and let them more easily check the status of requests they've made of their state and local governments. Continue reading

Focus on Citizen Experience Results in Improved Customer Satisfaction

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Federal Government Study 2024 found that consumers' satisfaction with government services is at a seven-year high. In fact, the government experienced its largest gain in citizen satisfaction over a four-year period--a net 9.9 percent--since the ACSI began conducting these studies.

This rise in satisfaction is a result of a long-term, cross-administration focus on improving customer service to citizens. The bipartisan 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act was passed during the first Trump administration and enforced during the Biden administration. This law required agencies to modernize websites, digitize services and forms, accelerate the use of e-signatures, and adopt shared standards and services. Both administrations made customer experience core goals of their respective President's Management Agenda. The Biden administration issued a customer experience executive order that provided additional guidance and mandates for improving the quality of services the federal government delivers. Continue reading

The State of Cybersecurity in the States

State and local agencies are some of the most attractive and vulnerable targets for cyber criminals. In 2023, malware attacks increased by 148%, and ransomware incidents increased by 51%. These agencies are targeted because they hold valuable personal data on citizens and control critical services--yet their security efforts have historically been underfunded and under-resourced. However, the tide may be changing.

A report on the ransomware experiences of state and local government in 2024 showed a dramatic decrease in the number of those organizations that were impacted this year. The report found ransomware attacks impacting 34% of state and local governments, marking a sharp decrease from the 69% affected in 2023. Let's take a look at some of the trends and activities that are fueling the improvement in state and local cybersecurity. Continue reading

Zero Trust Passes Key Milestone

In January 2022, the Zero Trust Federal Strategy set a deadline of September 30, 2024, for agencies to adopt some level of zero trust architecture. Based on early indications, agencies have largely met zero-trust goals. The Federal CIO reported in early September that the 24 CFO Act agencies were all over 90% of the way to meeting the zero-trust goals. Beyond that group, the federal government as a whole was at 87% goal completion.

What's Changed?

The shift to zero trust is a response to the way government and citizens are using technology. With the increased use of cloud-based solutions, the traditional "castle and moat" security that protected on-premise infrastructure no longer supports the way applications are being deployed. Zero Trust focuses on continually verifying that users have permission to access the data and systems they are using. Gaining access requires coordination among a number of technologies that all work with a common set of user identification and access policies. Continue reading