State and Local Government IT Solutions Balance Tech Needs with Tight Budgets
Government professionals are well versed in getting the most out of limited resources. This includes municipal, county, or state employees who focus on information technology (IT) within local or state government entities. These dedicated personnel deploy a range of mission-critical IT solutions that include end-user support, troubleshooting tech problems, and deploying new devices.
And they could use some help.
Limited resources usually mean IT staff must get creative to meet their objectives, sometimes sharing IT workers across multiple departments, or missing deployment goals altogether. Panasonic Connect addresses these challenges with versatile IT services tailored to meet diverse needs. These custom services offer the necessary level of support to optimize existing technology, ensuring government IT departments have the capacity to focus on strategic initiatives and maintain efficient operations.
Why Is There a Need for State and Local Government IT Solutions?
Technology is vital for governments of any size to function effectively and efficiently. Municipal, state, and federal governments deploy an array of technology which allows them to communicate with residents, compile critical data, and tackle the myriad of challenges inherent with managing a community.
Having a sufficient IT focused staff to ensure all necessary technology works as intended should be a no-brainer. Yet, many government entities struggle to employ sufficient professionals. One reason governments avoid employing additional staff is the legacy costs associated with health and retirement benefits.
Taking into consideration that the private sector can offer annual salaries of more than $100,000 for these same positions, it can be hard for public sector employers to compete. In fact, 73% of local governments report having more open IT positions than they have applicants for the jobs.
The most recent U.S. Census data illustrates the budget challenges governments face, with local governments accounting for 63.8% of the $3.3 trillion in annual debt. In other words, budgets are tight, making it hard to increase government salaries and fill open IT positions.
This isn’t just an IT issue either. As of 2023, private sector employment has exceeded pre-pandemic levels, whereas the public sector still lags well behind. Compared with pre-pandemic employment levels:
- Private sector employment is now 2.5% higher
- State government employment is 3.8% lower
- Local government employment is 2.1% lower
Governments are faced with a lack of monetary and human resources, both of which can create downstream problems in IT departments. These include:
- Productivity. Tech issues take longer to fix without sufficient or knowledgeable IT staff. This leads to more downtime and a loss of productivity across all departments.
- Security. IT departments are responsible for ensuring device security. Understaffed IT departments increase vulnerability to cyberattacks from bad actors.
- Compliance. IT workers are responsible for ensuring that departmental systems have the necessary qualifications to facilitate access to state and federal databases. A lack of IT resources may result in compliance issues when attempting to access state and federal resources.
- Deployment and training. Even when local and state governments do find the resources to upgrade their tech, there are still challenges when deploying these new devices and ensuring workers have the proper training to use them.
Government IT Solutions Relieve IT Department Pain Points
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to the problems government IT faces. That’s why Panasonic Connect offers a suite of state and local government IT solutions that can work within budgetary and staffing shortages.
Professional Services Tailored to Your Needs
Panasonic Connect Professional Services provides on-demand expert support available throughout the life of your devices. Even before new devices arrive, our experts support IT departments by making sure all devices are kitted with needed accessories and third-party components, so devices arrive ready to use. Our experts can also make sure all software is installed and will assist with on-site hardware installation.
Then, once devices are in use, the support continues with installation support, 24/7 U.S. based technical support, warranty support, and more. Additionally, Panasonic Connect’s Smart Essentials offers remote, real-time analytics of smart devices — including non-Panasonic Windows computers, Android devices, smart batteries, and more — addressing issues before they reach the service desk.
State and Local IT departments can leverage Panasonic Connect’s suite of services and capabilities, including TOUGHBOOK Client Deployment Support, as needed and tailor them to a department’s individual needs. This enterprise-level scalability and flexibility afford state and local governments the expertise that comes with having a true partner for all their technological needs while ensuring the plan can fit into the budget.
TOUGHBOOK and Absolute Security Safeguard Device Security
To best serve their communities, state and local governments are entrusted with citizen’s most sensitive data. This trust is one reason that device security is so important. TOUGHBOOK had partnered with Absolute Software to create the most secure devices available. Combining rugged TOUGHBOOK devices with Absolute ensures:
- Unprecedented visibility so IT teams can understand the status of all sensitive data
- The ability to respond to risks and secure endpoints even if a device becomes compromised
- Security at the firmware level, including self-healing capabilities (even if BIOS is flashed)
Technology is only effective if it can be trusted. TOUGHBOOK and Absolute offer the highest level of security available.
Last Mile Deployment Ensures Smooth Implementation of Local Government IT Solutions
Workers in many local government IT departments know how to deal with the day-to-day. Even understaffed IT departments may get by being stretched thin until a demanding project comes along that adds to their normal workload.
For instance, the deployment of new devices or software can be one of the most stressful jobs an IT department faces. Some of the challenges that come with deployment include:
- Installing new devices in offices/vehicles without creating long downtimes.
- Installing new software and ensuring all devices are working properly.
- Training employees on new devices and providing support when issues arise.
- Mitigating productivity loss when switching from old devices to new ones and successfully transferring all needed data.
Each of these concerns also pulls focus from day-to-day operations, which can create a logjam of issues even after deployment is complete.
With Last Mile Deployment, Panasonic Connect experts take care of the entire deployment process, handling all levels of installation from unboxing to configuration. This allows your IT department to remain focused on daily operations, saving both time and money in the long run.
Smart Compliance Bulletproofs Your Tech
State and local governments are especially thoughtful about cybsecurity. In addition to compliance issues when accessing federal or state resources, lax control on devices can lead to data breaches that affect the citizens of your community and even national security.
Technological security and compliance are complicated issues even for IT departments with ample resources. Powered by Eclypsium, Panasonic Connect Smart Compliance uses advanced techniques to secure devices on the software, hardware, and firmware levels. Typical cybersecurity scanners focus on operating systems, programs, and applications. Smart Compliance is focused on ensuring the integrity of firmware on endpoint devices and all network appliances.
Smart Compliance allows you to use your tech with confidence, knowing it is fully secure and compliant on every possible level.
TOUGHBOOK-as-a-Service Provides Financial Flexibility
There is another common reason state and local government IT departments get overextended, and it has nothing to do with staffing: Their tech is simply outdated. Older tech can be hard to maintain and is more likely to break down, leading to productivity and security issues. But with budgets already so tight, many state and local governments may feel there’s no option but to keep operating with outdated devices.
TOUGHBOOK-as-a-Service (TaaS) provides another path. TaaS allows local governments to shift costs for new tech from CAPEX to OPEX funds, creating budget flexibility and stretching the cost of new tech over longer durations. This provides room for needed and regular technology upgrades that can save money in the long run and relieve unnecessary IT stress.
Support to Unlock Funding For New Projects
Panasonic Connect Grant Support helps state and local governments procure funds that can facilitate any number of new projects, even if they’re not directly related to technology.
While grants are incredibly useful to state and local governments, they can also be difficult to procure. Grant applications take time, require specificity, and can be very competitive. By providing expert support, Panasonic Connect helps local governments identify potential grants and guides them through the application process.
Partnerships with State and Local Governments to Help Communities Thrive
State and local governments are the lifeblood of communities. Panasonic Connect recognizes this and strives to be the best tech partner possible. From top-of-the-line TOUGHBOOK rugged devices with the best possible security to tailored state and local government IT solutions, including always-available Professional Services, Panasonic Connect offers state and local governments the tools they need to keep communities thriving.
