Commentary Expanding opportunities: Nebraska’s bold procurement Concierge Program 8th April 2021 I have been writing columns for this publication on and off for 15 years. And during that decade and a half, I’ve written about countless chief procurement officers trying to make changes in their jurisdictions. Some of those changes were operational like implementing strategic sourcing. Others were organizational as states moved to shared services. Finally, […]
Commentary Preventing cloud data leaks: four key actions city and county government organizations can apply to mitigate risk 6th April 2021 City and county governments are wary of mounting security risks, particularly for data they store in the cloud. Ransomware, phishing attacks and other cybersecurity threats on local governments are hitting the news regularly—such as the recent DoppelPaymer ransomware and Ryuk malware attacks on Chatham County, Orange County and the City of Durham, all in North […]
Commentary Backup and restore: a powerful data duo 5th April 2021 Over the past few years, ransomware attacks against state and local governments have grown both in frequency and cost. Baltimore; Albany, N.Y.; Lake City, Fla.; and New Orleans—these are just a handful of cities that have suffered a public ransomware attack. State and local IT leaders are looking to strengthen their data protection infrastructure. According […]
Commentary Take the wheel on a driverless future 2nd April 2021 For the last five years, self-driving cars have slowly begun to enter the public consciousness. As is often the case with new technology, private sector resources and investment allow it to advance quickly beyond most governing bodies’ ability to regulate, let alone develop the technology in partnership. If that trend continues, it will be a […]
Commentary How local governments can combat the affordable housing crisis 1st April 2021 Our country is facing an affordable housing crisis that’s being felt from coast to coast. But unlike the current COVID-19 pandemic, this crisis didn’t happen overnight—it’s been decades in the making with American households continuing to spend an ever-growing portion of their income on rent year after year. One 2020 report found that 37.1 million […]
Commentary How cities and states can benefit from Biden’s infrastructure, climate proposals 1st April 2021 It’s no secret that U.S. infrastructure could use some improvement. Power outages cost the U.S. economy billions annually. Cities like Jackson, Miss., and Flint, Mich., have suffered from a lack of clean water. Climate volatility has made people, property and infrastructure in states like Texas, New York and Louisiana vulnerable to catastrophic storms, while the […]
Commentary How cities are reclaiming street parking spaces for public use 31st March 2021 Cornelius Vanderbilt—one of the richest men in American history—famously said that the best possible investment was New York City real estate. More than 150 years after his death, his words have proven to be prescient: property prices in the Big Apple have risen to astronomical levels that even the Commodore himself could have never imagined. […]
Commentary Four ways city and county governments can use technology to protect revenues and engage citizens 25th March 2021 There are many words to describe what we collectively went through in 2020, both positive and negative, with clear lessons hopefully learned along the way. One of those words that found its way into our lexicon was “pivot.” It spoke to those who were either forced to adapt or recognized an opportunity to move away […]
Commentary The future of work is hybrid: why city and county workers need secure remote access 24th March 2021 With the United States now leading the world in the rollout of vaccination programs, there’s a sense of optimism that many aspects of life may soon return to normal. But the big question for city, local, state and federal government agencies of all sizes isn’t necessarily about how to safely bring employees back to the […]
Commentary Making cities safer means making security simpler 22nd March 2021 When it comes to managing multiple security systems within a city, a good rule of thumb is simpler equals safer. This happens by moving away from inefficient, siloed technology systems that require constant monitoring and input, to information-based systems that proactively manage the increasing amount of data flowing into a centralized control room. The era […]
Supercharge your ERP: How ERPs and Purpose-Built Solutions Work Together to Future-Proof Your Digital Strategy 15th May 2023
Mechanizing the Mop: How modernized floor cleaning technologies are delivering powerful competitive advantages 25th April 2023
Mind the Development Gaps: Keep Growth on Track by Aligning Planning, Zoning, Permitting, Licensing, and Enterprise Asset Management 19th April 2023
Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina 13th October 2020
Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz. 1st July 2020