Embracing New Technologies for Our Local Government

EMBRACING NEW TECHNOLOGIESFor Our Local Governments

William MannChief Information OfficerBorough of West Chester

Introduction

I have been with the Borough of West Chester since 1986. I started my career as a Police Dispatcher.

By the mid 1990’s I was managing both the local police dispatch center as well as my organization’s growing IT infrastructure.

As the 2000’s began I was promoted to the new position of Information Technology Manager. In 2011/2012 I participated in the first PTI/Rutgers CGCIO course and graduated with “honors”. Thank You Dr. Alan Shark!

Shortly after certifying as a CGCIO my title was changed to CIO.

I am proud of the CIO position and of the important part it plays in our local government.

You can learn more at my technology blog, www.wctechblog.com.

http://www.wctechblog.com/

Staying Up to Date With Technology Trends

Selling Your Vision

Your Vision - Your Organization Your Vision – Your Community

Implementing Your Vision

Staying Up to Date with Technology Trends

Technology News & Trends are in motion every day.

Newspapers, magazines and national media outlets are no longer enough if we want to know what is happening in the world of technology.

As technology leaders we must find the resources to help us stay ahead of the curve.


What are the best sources of technology news?

We are all very busy - so finding the most informative tech news sources is important.

• Thenextweb.com• Wired.com• Cnet.com• Techradar.com• Gizmodo.com• Mashable.com• Digitaltrends.com• Endgadget.com

Signing up for daily tech newsletters from sources like these will help you stay informed.

Here are the tech sources that I rely on:

and of course the Public Technology Institute!


Rely on New Media to Help Stay Informed

What is new media?

New media is content that is delivered via the internet.

New Media includes podcasts and streaming media.

This content can be accessed on any device from wherever you are.


The Best Source for Tech News on New Media

TWiT

TwiT began operation in April 2005 with the launch of This Week in Tech.

Currently, the network hosts 22 podcasts and live streaming shows. These “shows” include The Tech Guy, This Week in Tech, Security Now, All About Android, MacBreak Weekly, Tech News Today, Windows Weekly, and 15 others covering various topics in the technology sector.

You can learn more at www.twit.tv

https://twit.tv/


The Best Source for Tech News on New Media

TWiT

My favorite shows that I rarely miss are “This Week in Tech”, “Tech News Today”, “Windows Weekly” and “Security Now”.

You will be surprised how easy it is to stay informed by taking the time to watch or listen to these broadcasts.

Selling Your Vision

It is through regular communication that we will begin to sell our self… and our vision.

Selling Your Vision

Gaining the trust of our organization and elected officials is very important.

For me - I started a technology blog in 2010.

You can check out my tech blog @ www.wctechblog.com.

This has really helped me communicate with everyone in our staff as well as our elected officials and even the community.


Selling Your Vision

You can check out my tech blog @ www.wctechblog.com.

If a blog seems a little too much try a weekly or bi-weekly newsletter!


Selling Your Vision

Another way of gaining trust and “buy-in” is to write straightforward and easy to read monthly reports for our upper management and elected officials.

Even if your organization does not require monthly reports - do not let that be an excuse not to do so.

Monthly reports quickly become a place where you can…

Lets talk about Annual Reports.

1. Sell Your Ideas2. Explore Your Vision3. Earn Buy-in4. Inform Staff of What the IT Department is Up To!

It’s Your Vision

Staying up to date with the technology world and communicating with our staff and elected officials is just the beginning….

Your Vision - Your Organization

Every organization has it’s own special needs.

* Millennials are between the ages of 18 & 34

However there are a couple of constants we should be aware of.

Millennials should be a major focus when it comes to our technology considerations.

Millennials became the dominate age group in the work force in 2015.


Millennials brings with them several motivations that CIO’s must be aware of.

Hopeful and Optimistic Tech-Savvy Multi-Taskers Expect Flexibility Resistant to Tradition.

Millennials are usually:

As you can see, technology is really important to this generation and it will be even more important to the generation which is right behind them.


How do we engage and communicate with a younger and younger audience?

We can do this by embracing new technologies and focusing our decision making on our audience.

This is why remaining up to date with current technology trends is critical to our success.

Millennials will often work with great commitment and excellence if we provide them with the proper tools.


Using all of the information we have talked about - we can begin to merge our knowledge, personal experience and our ideas with what is best for our organization.

Although every organization is unique there are several common factors to consider when forming a vision.

• Millennials (Ages 18-34) are now the dominate population.• Mobile Devices are now outpacing the use of PC’s. • Social Services like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Snapchat are

incredibly important in the way people communicate with each other.• Cloud Services are quickly becoming an important part of how

organizations use technology.

Your Vision - Your OrganizationDo not be afraid to consider Cloud Services!

Like it or not, Cloud Services are here to stay. More and more organizations are turning to hosted services.

Why?

• Mobility for your staff and your community• Reduced Infrastructure and Cost• Ability to have access to the most current software versions of the

applications that your organization relies on• Ability for IT staff to focus on innovation and services• Improved Security and Reduced Liability• Green IT (reduced carbon footprint)


Our vision should look out several years. Our vision will require institutional change.

Here is my experience with this type of vision.

2012 – Migrated to Microsoft Online Services (for email)2014 – Migrated to Microsoft Office 365 (MS Office)2015 – Migrated to Microsoft SharePoint & OneDrive for Business2016 – Migrated to Microsoft Skype for Business for voice services. 2016 / 2017 - Digital Document Management using SharePoint for data collection and document management.

Each of these initiatives brought unique challenges. However in the end - our staff adapted and we are now a mobile workforce!

We must be positive, energetic and open to discussion regarding our initiatives.

There will be resistance. Expect this. Embrace this.

Your Vision - Your Community

CIOs should embrace innovation in respect to how we communicate with our community.

Hosting a webpage is no longer sufficient.

Just like our workforce, Our community and our stakeholders expect access to the information they want, from wherever they are and on whatever device they are using.

Websites – alone can not to do.


Embrace Mobility when making decisions.


Not that many years ago – hosting a website was “good enough”.

Mobile Users began outpacing desktop users in early 2014.

That was before mobility expectations took off.


What website services are you offering today?

These are some of the services that I believe are very important today.

• Notify Me• Online Payments• Live Calendar• Agendas & Meeting Minutes• Document Center• Media Center• Service Requests• Online Forms• Social Media Connection and….

A Responsive Website Design

Websites are no longer just places to host information. Audiences want to interact with websites.


Social media services are as important as our websites.

Facebook and Twitter are the most commonly used social media sites today.

Social Media Teams!

The best Social Media sites are alive. If they are not – our audience will go elsewhere for their content.


Remember all that talk about Mobility?

“West Chester Mobile”“West Chester Connect” “CrimeWatch”

Here are the mobile service we offer.

Final Thoughts

Now that we have touched on technology considerations lets look at implementing our vision…


Ask these questions about your Community?

• What are your neighboring communities doing in respect to innovation?

• What kind of community do you have? Is it young or an older community?

• Do you have an active – alive website that offers a variety of services that your audience can interact with?

• Do you have a strong presence on social media. • Do you provide innovative mobile services for your community?

The answers to these questions will lead you in the right direction.


Here is what has helped me – help my organization.

• Keeping up to date with technology trends on a regular basis.• Communicating regularly with staff & elected officials.• Writing easy to read monthly reports and sharing them.• Looking forward when making decisions.• Considering how new technologies can help my organization and my

community.• Striving to have a mobile workforce.• Not being afraid to share new ideas with staff & elected officials.• Bringing a passion in respect to technology & innovation.• Engaging staff & elected officials in conversation about my ideas.

I believe that all of these are important if we want to be the innovation leaders for our organization.


Here is what has helped me – help my community.

• Looking for innovative technologies regarding our outreach efforts.• Embracing mobile services.• Embracing social media services.• Building an interactive website.• Remaining aware of the technology initiatives of other communities.• Making decisions based on our audience. • Engaging in conversation with elected officials and playing a part in

helping them achieve their goals for the community.


If you have a good sound vision and if you dare to share your ideas with passion and enthusiasm you will be surprised with what you can accomplish!