Blog / Five IT Challenges Facing Municipalities Today
Here are five IT challenges your municipality needs to overcome.
When it comes to local governance, municipal IT directors often find themselves getting pulled in several directions at once. Some stakeholders want better services and delivery while others want to cut costs and streamline workflows, while still others are only interested in the security of the data. Satisfying all of them within a budget can be a well-nigh impossible task. That’s why we’d like to take a moment to discuss the major IT challenges that municipalities and businesses face every day.
- Innovation
- Change management
- Time management
- Changing technology
- Security
Innovation
Government, whether municipal, provincial, or federal, isn’t exactly known for its innovative spirit. There are plenty of different (and sometimes ideologically combative) reasons for this, but regardless of why, it’s still generally true. But while some municipal IT leaders may find themselves so busy they just don’t have time to worry about it (and are likely at risk for burnout), the truth of the matter is even local government CIOs need to be actively fostering a culture of innovation. The hierarchical structures of government can be hard to overcome, but for municipalities and businesses serious about providing exceptional services and a thriving IT workplace, finding new and better ways to leverage technology is a must.
Change management
Of course, once you’ve identified an area of your IT that could be improved, it’s important that the project get managed properly. IT disruptions can wreak havoc on any organization, business or governmental, so it’s important everyone is onboard. That means communication is absolutely key. IT departments needs to win the minds and hearts of other departments (or at least get the grumbling down to a minimum) in order to promote change and an innovation-forward work culture.
Time management
As mentioned earlier, most government workers just don’t have the time to spend contemplating how technology and IT can improve their work life, which is ironic because changing things up may be exactly what’s needed to free up more of their time and reduce their burden. So when it comes to innovation and overcoming IT challenges, time management is essential. The last thing you want your IT team to be doing is screwing up other departments’ timelines for projects and making your workplace even less friendly to change.
Changing technology
Staying on top of changing trends and new technology is another important task for CIOs and municipal IT departments to regularly tackle. Thanks to newsletters and emailing lists it’s actually very easy to check in on the latest trends and how they may affect your organization, but don’t forget the need for upskilling and cross-training. Be sure to allow sufficient time for training on new technologies and to measure efficiency gains appropriately.
Security
As you hopefully know by now, we’ve got an entire separate client newsletter devoted to cybersecurity topics because yes, they’re that important. Cybersecurity, ransomware, phishing scams and more can all dramatically affect your efficiency and bottom line, so make sure you’re subscribed to our cybersecurity newsletter to stay up-to-date about this important topic.
If you’re facing any of these technical IT challenges and are looking for assistance, contact a TRINUS technology expert and we’ll be delighted to help out.
Sincerely,
The TRINUS Team
trinustech.com
