Sat.Nov 02, 2024 - Fri.Nov 08, 2024

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Ransomware presents a growing threat to vulnerable local governments

American City & Country

In the past, cities and counties were not a prime target for ransomware attacks, says Rahul Mahna , a partner who leads the Outsourced IT Services team at Eisner Advisory Group LLC. The company is a licensed independent CPA firm providing tax and business consulting services to their clients, which includes governments. Mahna has more than 20 years of experience in cybersecurity and information technology.

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Why do Public Servants Become Policy Entrepreneurs?

Policy & Politics Journal blog

by Evangelia Petridou, Jörgen Sparf and Per Becker Being an entrepreneur takes effort. It requires energy and presupposes the willingness to stick one’s neck out to bring about innovation.

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How leaders can tap the power of vulnerability

McKinsey Public & Social Sector Insights

Showing vulnerability can build connections and trust. One place to start: create a ‘to be’ list rather than a ‘to do’ list.

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How Data Recovery and Backup Strategies Form the Blueprint for DOD’s Cybersecurity Plans

FedTech Magazine

The Department of Defense’s holistic approach to cybersecurity and building resilience hinges on data security and recovery, fortifying the defense industrial base (DIB), and securing its networks along with the nation’s supply chain. DOD aims to protect its mission-critical systems and achieve its objectives with greater efficiency by following a comprehensive strategy centered around the zero-trust framework.

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How Breckenridge, CO Ensures Tax & Licensing Compliance

Breckenridge’s short-term rental boom—over 4,200 licenses —put intense pressure on the town’s small staff and manual processes. Facing compliance and efficiency challenges, the town teamed up with GovOS to automate its STR licensing. The new system: Cut admin time Reduced errors Improved the experience for property owners and town staff Discover the full impact of automation on Breckenridge’s STR management—download the case study.

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Empathy in Local Government: The Role of Human-Centered Design From GovPilot

GovPilot

In today’s rapidly evolving societal landscape, local governments are continually pressed to deliver public services that are deeply responsive to the unique needs of their communities.

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Community trust is a firefighter’s greatest asset

American City & Country

Firefighters are society’s first line of defense against natural disasters. When catastrophes like wildfires, floods or earthquakes ensue, these professionals aren’t just tasked with preventing the disaster from spreading; they’re also responsible for keeping community members safe from harm and maintaining order under high-stress situations. As climate change wreaks havoc on the planet, both the impact and frequency of severe weather events are growing by the day.

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A Decade of Improvement at the Dept. of Veterans Affairs

GovLoop

Ten years ago, when the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) became one of the first agencies to elevate customer experience (CX) to top priority, leaders created a path toward better serving veterans and their families through improved communications, easier access to information and a focus on restoring veterans’ trust in the agency. In doing so, it also created a path for other agencies to improve the experiences of their own customers.

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DoDIIS 2024: The IC’s Data Reference Architecture Is Coming Soon

FedTech Magazine

The Intelligence Community just signed and will soon release a data reference architecture intended to help its 18 elements connect siloed data across their distributed ecosystem, according to Chief Data Officer Lori Wade. A data and artificial intelligence (AI) summit slated for January will kick off the IC’s efforts to implement the reference architecture, which will involve stress testing it with mission sprints alongside partners such as the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, Wade said.

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Nonprofit Funding in 2025: Preparing for Shifts Under a New Federal Administration

Grants4Good

As we approach 2025 and the anticipated changes that a new federal administration will bring, nonprofit leaders, grant writers, and fundraisers must be proactive to safeguard and sustain their funding sources. While we cannot predict exactly what will happen, we do know that preparation is critical. In the face of such uncertainty, it is more important now, than ever, to be as strategic and organized as possible.

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Supercharging product portfolio performance with generative AI

McKinsey Public & Social Sector Insights

When generative AI tools do the heavy lifting, companies can optimize their product portfolios faster and more effectively.

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Overcoming Operational Challenges in Parks & Recreation

Speaker: Noratek

Maintaining parks and recreation facilities efficiently is no easy task, especially when faced with scheduling issues, aging infrastructure, and inconsistent inspections. Join us for this insightful webinar where we explore the most common challenges departments like yours are facing and how digital tools like CityReporter can help you streamline operations, ensure safety, and make better use of your resources.

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Now that the Election is Over, Here are Some of the Major Issues Facing the Nation and Next Congress

GAO (US Government Accountability Office)

Yesterday, Americans voted for members of the 119th Congress and a new president. Representatives and senators will be sworn in on Friday, January 3. As they take office, our nation faces many significant challenges—including those that threaten.

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Use Your Remaining ARPA Dollars to Fund Workforce Scholarship Programs

NLC (National League of Cities)

Guest blog post authored by Scholarship America American cities have less than 3 months to obligate their remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds or they will lose them. ARPA regulations require local governments to return grant funding that remains unobligated beyond the December 2024 end-of-year deadline to the U.S.

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Empowering Cities To Shape Stronger, More Inclusive NDCs: Lessons from Colombia

The City Fix

Cities are responsible for more than 70% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and are highly vulnerable to the consequences of climate change, yet when it comes to climate action, national governments tend to take center stage. Of the 194.

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A turning point for private brands: How retailers can seize the opportunity

McKinsey Public & Social Sector Insights

Products from private brands are appealing to consumers in new ways. Retailers can follow this well-tested recipe to improve their private-brand offerings and gain market share.

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Empower Digital Government: Strategic Workbook for Modern Transformation

Digital transformation is reshaping government interactions, bringing agencies closer to the communities they serve. However, while many have adopted new digital tools, few have implemented comprehensive strategies to maximize their benefits. Our Strategic Workbook for Modern Government offers a step-by-step guide to developing a sustainable digital strategy.

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AI Isn’t New to Cybersecurity, But Some of Its Use Cases Are

State Tech Magazine

Machine learning and deep learning, which are subsets of artificial intelligence, have been used for intrusion detection as far back as the early 2000s. Even then, it was clear that AI could improve mean time to detection. Anything that can operate at machine speed can spot something of interest in torrents of data faster than a person can. While it’s fair to say that AI is not new to cybersecurity, it’s also true that we can now do more with AI to improve cybersecurity than ever before.

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Harnessing cloud solutions to tackle water challenges

AWS Public Sector Blog

Climate change is a global issue, but its localized impacts can vary significantly across different regions. While some areas are experiencing extreme drought, others are witnessing devastating flash floods. These extreme events, and water quantity and quality issues more broadly, are pressing concerns in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region, further aggravated by the uncertain impacts of climate change.

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DoDIIS 2024: 4 Defense and Intelligence Community Priorities Heading into 2025

FedTech Magazine

Defense and intelligence agencies are working to ensure they have the networks in place to handle artificial intelligence (AI), because that’s the biggest impediment to deploying the emerging technology. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency transports more data globally than any other U.S. agency, so its network needs to scale to keep pace with advances in computer vision, said Navy Vice Adm.

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How banks can supercharge technology speed and productivity

McKinsey Public & Social Sector Insights

Financial institutions can unlock the productivity of their software engineering teams to significantly boost tech innovation without increasing IT budgets.

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7 Signs Your Local Government ERP Is Holding You Back: A Guide for Small Municipalities

Local governments and municipalities serving populations under 200,000 face distinctive challenges in delivering efficient and effective services to their communities. To overcome these challenges, many rely on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems tailored to their specific needs. Not all ERP systems are created equal, and some may hinder progress rather than support it.

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Radio Communication’s Role in an Era of Climate Instability

State Tech Magazine

When Hurricane Helene took out power and cellular communication across western North Carolina, first responders were able to stay connected using the state’s VIPER system, a radio infrastructure that leverages Motorola’s ASTRO P25 radio systems. “That was a widespread power outage and cellphone network failure, and we kept the network operable,” says Katja Millard, vice president of critical communications at Motorola.

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The key components of CISA’s Malcolm on Amazon EKS

AWS Public Sector Blog

Understanding your network traffic is key to improving your security posture. Network traffic analysis tools are one way to dive into network findings and events. Malcolm is a powerful, open source network traffic analysis tool suite created by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to aid public and private sector customers in improving their network security monitoring and incident response.

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DHS Gives K–12 Educators Tools to Protect Kids from Online Sexual Exploitation

FedTech Magazine

The Department of Homeland Security released guidance to help K–12 educators protect children and teens from online child sexual exploitation and abuse. Tools include classroom materials and advice — in the form of training videos, coloring pages and word searches, worksheets, infographics, posters and take-home information for parents — on spotting and stopping CSEA.

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Managing risk in renewable-energy portfolios: The role of flexible assets

McKinsey Public & Social Sector Insights

The growth of renewable-energy sources is making US power pricing more volatile. To reduce risk, energy players can incorporate flexible assets into their portfolios.

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Boost Revenue With Simple Short-Term Rental Registration and Tax Collections

Government agencies that rely on tax revenue to fund critical services and infrastructure are finding it more urgent than ever to bridge the gap between under-reported tax revenue and taxpayers’ understanding of the processes. This is especially true as things like short-term rentals (STRs) have grown in popularity and become new sources of income for residents.

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3 Opportunities to Elevate the Citizen Experience

State Tech Magazine

Elevating the citizen experience is a key goal for state and local agencies as they face pressure to modernize digital services for constituents and improve working conditions for employees. Often, the contact center acts as the front line, where citizens and government employees interact directly. Agencies all over the country are catching on to this.

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UNSW students build an all-electric race car with AWS

AWS Public Sector Blog

Throughout 2023, the students from Redback Racing at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) wove together their many disciplines of engineering prowess to create their latest cars: RB23 and RB21-D. After developing and going live with their real-time telemetry system on Amazon Web Services (AWS) , the team has placed as the highest-ranking Australian squad in the electric vehicle (EV) division of the Australasia Formula SAE competition, placing second overall.

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AI Is Only Part of the Picture

GovLoop

At the state and local level, adopting AI remains only one of a long list of IT priorities. Even when AI is near the top, data and systems often need updates to prepare for it. Scot Barker, Chief Innovation Officer for Burlington, Vermont, carefully considers each AI application before using it. “I really have to dive into how I implement new technology on a limited budget,” he said. “There’s not a lot of room for me to say ‘It will be cool to explore this.'”

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The McKinsey Crossword: Zoo Crew | No. 205

McKinsey Public & Social Sector Insights

Sharpen your problem-solving skills the McKinsey way, with our weekly crossword. Each puzzle is created with the McKinsey audience in mind, and includes a subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) business theme for you to find. Answers that are directionally correct may not cut it if you’re looking for a quick win.

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Maximizing Municipal Budgets: Cutting Costs Without Cutting Corners

Speaker: Noratek

Join this insightful webinar on how local governments can reduce costs and optimize resources. Discover how municipalities like yours are leveraging technology to enhance service delivery, reduce operational costs, and generate lasting ROI. Key Takeaways: Learn actionable steps to reduce operational costs and increase community engagement Explore how digital tools can streamline inspections and reporting Understand the financial and operational benefits of digital management solutions Hear real-

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Making AI trustworthy: UK’s AI assurance market expected to grow

Open Access Government - Technology News

The UK’s market for AI assurance is set to experience significant growth, with projections indicating a six-fold increase by 2035, potentially creating more than £6.5 billion in value This rise in demand comes after AI played a key role in the government’s plans to transform public services and boost economic productivity. Making AI trustworthy Ensuring public trust in AI technologies, ensuring they are fair, and transparent, and safeguarding privacy is at the forefront of this growth.

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European Commission transforms public procurement across Europe with AWS and NTT Data

AWS Public Sector Blog

Public procurement—the process where public authorities like government departments or local councils purchase goods or services from companies—is a vital economic driver in Europe, accounting for more than 13 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). However, the data surrounding these procurement processes has traditionally been fragmented and difficult to access.

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Cybersecurity: A Menu of State Priorities

GovLoop

No state or local entity should assume that it’s too small or innocuous to undergo a cyberattack. Hackers will breach every government network eventually, and agencies that are underfunded and overconfident in their cyber defenses make successful attacks all-too-easy. To manage and recover from a cyber event, organizations need updated, coherent strategies — not faded handbooks pulled off a shelf.

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The state of gen AI in the Middle East’s GCC countries: A 2024 report card

McKinsey Public & Social Sector Insights

Research shows that organizations in the region have been quick to adopt generative AI, but very few are yet seeing much benefit. Those that are demonstrate what it takes.

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ASPA TIMES Magazine: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

PA TIMES Magazine is a publication of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), a not-for-profit corporation. This edition focused on diversity, equity and inclusion in public administration, including guest columns, insights for the field and interviews with city government DEI officers about their work at the local level.