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With Cloud, the Sky Is the Limit for State and Local Government Innovation
Kim Majerus
Leader, U.S. State and Local Government Business, Amazon Web Services
State and local governments are in the midst of a major digital revolution. New tech is driving smarter, healthier, safer cities that are designed to deliver services to citizens more efficiently and effectively. But digital transformation is not a one-size-fits-all solution, it requires each government and tech lead to evaluate and deliver on their city’s own needs.
This is why Kim Majerus, leader of U.S. State and Local Government Business for Amazon Web Services, is passionate about the ways that cloud can empower governments to deliver creative, right-sized solutions to their citizens.
“State and local governments deliver services that truly help to make the world a better place by stimulating economic growth, optimizing business efficiency, maintaining vital government functions, providing essential programs to the most vulnerable constituents, educating our youth, building the workforce, and caring for our sick and elderly, all while maximizing every budget dollar,” says Majerus. “If we can help that happen more quickly and easily by providing technical, financial and training support, that’s very gratifying.”
We started the City on a Cloud competition because AWS is passionate about sharing the innovative, and strategic work that our customers in the state and local government space are doing every day. Today, I am still passionate about hearing these customers’ stories, sharing ideas, and providing support for organizations that are solving some of today’s most persistent problems using technology.
To honor those cities and states taping the cloud to improve operations and citizen experience, AWS has launched a yearly awards competition that highlights successes in public sector cloud adoption: The City on a Cloud Innovation Challenge.
“We started the City on a Cloud competition because AWS is passionate about sharing the innovative, and strategic work that our customers in the state and local government space are doing every day. Today, I am still passionate about hearing these customers’ stories, sharing ideas, and providing support for organizations that are solving some of today’s most persistent problems using technology,” says Majerus.
Now in its seventh year, the annual competition highlights governments that have successfully tapped cloud to innovate constituent services, solve persistent problems, such as issues around homelessness, opioid addiction and underemployment, and better serve underrepresented groups in regards to sustainability. Awards also honor those state and local governments that are particularly innovative, use public data sets and are powered by AWS.
According to Majerus, the goals of the City on a Cloud Innovation Challenge are three-fold.
“First, to recognize organizations that are streamlining and improving government services for their constituents by leveraging technology. Second, to showcase those who have the vision to solve complex and difficult long-term problems through technology. And finally, to inspire other State and Local Government organizations to think big about new solutions that positively impact their constituents,” she says.
This includes previous honorees like the city of Los Angeles, winner of last year’s Dream Big Award for exceptional innovation, which implemented a cloud-based security information and event management solution for its Integrated Security Operations Center to ward off threats and protect digital assets among its four million residents and others who pass through its busy airport. Another prime example is Louisville Mayor Greg Fisher, winner of the 2017 “Dream Big Award”, who has made it a priority for Louisville Metro Government to be open and transparent, providing citizens with meaningful insights into government priorities and actions in order to analyze, comment and push changes to the ongoing process of their government.
These governments serve as beacons for others looking to transform government, proving that the decision to move to the cloud is not the end of the journey, but a catalyst for transforming government, improving services and solving persistent problems, says Majerus.
“Along the path, organizations realize unparalleled flexibility, collaboration, cost savings, and the ability to focus on program and service delivery rather than developing and maintaining complex and costly data centers. This paradigm shift allows government to share information, break down silos, support mobility, reduce duplication, and streamline processes, all resulting in improved efficiencies and better constituent service and outcomes,” she notes.
Ultimately, Majerus wants the City on a Cloud Innovation Challenge to recognize state and local governments for taking the first step on their cloud journey, as well as to highlight the impact that innovation can have on the level of service delivered to constituents, government perception and function, and constituents’ lives.
From social impacts to educational impacts and economic development to healthcare, cloud technology has the capability of transforming government and having a significant and positive impact on constituents.
Kim Majerus
Leader, U.S. State and Local Government Business, Amazon Web Services
Click here to learn more about AWS’ City on a Cloud Challenge