The COVID-19 pandemic is driving an unprecedented wave of digital transformation. Millions of public sector employees in the US and around the world have shifted to remote work overnight and the need for individuals’ digital engagement with governments has exploded. The far-reaching consequences of the pandemic mean that in order to deliver services to citizens and respond to the large increase in cybersecurity threats, governments need to urgently embrace this wave of digital transformation. The federal government has a responsibility to invest in modernizing state and local government IT systems. That’s why BSA is urging Congress to include significant funding for state and local IT modernization in the upcoming phase 4 COVID-19 legislative package.
Unfortunately, the rapid shift to remote work in the public sector has highlighted major gaps in government IT infrastructure at all levels. Outdated systems and insufficient infrastructure have prevented governments from processing unemployment benefits, reviewing applications for loans, and providing other vital services and assistance. And dated IT systems pose serious cybersecurity risks, as the Cyberspace Solarium Commission recently highlighted in its white paper “Cybersecurity Lessons from the Pandemic.”
It’s important to remember that the vast majority of federal benefits that go to individuals are administered by state governments and their IT systems. Without state IT systems, the federal government can’t administer the benefits that policymakers expect to be urgently delivered. Furthermore, the federal government has a fundamental responsibility for cybersecurity, national security and law enforcement. Foreign actors, criminals, and other nefarious actors are trying to exploit this time of digital transformation by increasing the number and sophistication of their attacks. Attacks on state and local systems can have consequences for national security and international criminal networks. These are important reasons why the federal government has an important stake in maintaining and modernizing state and local IT systems.
To learn more about this timely issue, BSA hosted a virtual event, “Modernizing Government IT: Citizen Services, Cybersecurity Attacks, and Federal-State Collaboration.” We were honored to be joined by Dr. Samantha Ravich, a commissioner on the Cyberspace Solarium Commission; Calvin Rhodes, Chief Information Officer for the state of Georgia; and Ervan Rodgers II, Chief Information Officer for the State of Ohio.
Software.org’s Ha McNeill opened the discussion with a reminder of the importance of government IT, noting that for the seventh year in a row, state CIOs surveyed by the National State Association of State Chief Information Officers identified cybersecurity as their number one priority.
Dr. Samantha Ravich then kicked off the panel by discussing the work of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission. She noted, “The United States is struggling to deter and punish bad actors in cyberspace – and things aren’t getting any better. The digital connectivity that has brought economic growth, technological dominance, and improved quality of life to nearly every American has also brought a strategic dilemma.” Dr. Ravich highlighted the fact that state, local, tribal, and territorial governments operate some of the United States’ most important, critical infrastructure that American adversaries seek to corrupt.
We then heard from Calvin Rhodes, the Chief Information Officer for the state of Georgia and one of the longest-serving state CIOs. Rhodes discussed the close collaboration between state governments and their federal partners, emphasizing the need for operational funding to implement federal projects in a rapidly changing technological landscape. “In procurement and cybersecurity, we don’t have our normal timeframes – a year to make a decision, a year to do procurement, a year to implement,” he said. “Especially in cyber, those technologies are changing every six months. Part of our model is embracing service providers so we can move quickly and adopt new technologies and new tools.”
Ervan Rodgers II, the Chief Information Officer for the state of Ohio, wrapped up our panel with an overview of his work over the past 18 months to innovate the way Ohio delivers government digital services. That preparation came in handy during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The core mission of the Innovate Ohio initiative has really transformed the way we’ve been able to provide services during COVID-19. Not having to have folks come to physical offices has been a real value-add for our citizens,” Rodgers said.
Although each panelist offered a unique perspective, they all agreed on one thing: cybersecurity is everyone’s concern, and the federal government has an important role to play in protecting and serving citizens by investing in efficient, modern IT infrastructure.
If you weren’t able to attend the event, you can access a recording here. To learn more about the need for modernized government IT, visit Software.org to read their latest paper, “The Case for Modernizing IT Now.”
