According to KPMG’s 2022 U.S. Technology Survey Report, 60 percent of government and private sector organizations are “proactively” working on their data strategy – yet 34 percent face notable data management challenges when modernizing. While governments increasingly are turning to digital solutions in 2022, it’s clear that there is still a long way to go in terms of data and analytics in 2023.
With almost two decades of data experience and as vice president of product management at government technology leader Accela, I’ve seen firsthand how data and analytics are critical to a government’s successful digitization journey. The following are my government technology predictions for 2023:
Improving customer experience and engagement, and increasing efficiency and process automation will be top priorities for government agencies in 2023. Residents now expect a high touch and seamless experience from government agencies, similar to what they get with enterprise transactions – like purchasing from Amazon. Government agencies will prioritize expanding the use of data and analytics to meet these increasing expectations and provide a more customized experience.
Governments will need to go beyond just data and focus on how it can be used to support storytelling so they can present data in more profound and impactful ways. Drawing insights from vast amounts of data can pose itself as a challenge, but this is critical to make a positive impact on communities. Data alone doesn’t motivate people to take action, but a story can inspire action. Storytelling encourages user-centric thinking and helps governments work toward more innovative and connected solutions.
Security will continue to be one of the biggest challenges that continues to plague government agencies. Agencies will need to rely on trusted third-parties to manage security and compliance efforts. Hackers and fraudsters are getting more sophisticated in their tactics, the amount of data is growing exponentially, and the type of data is becoming more sensitive. Governments can use cybersecurity analytics to detect and stop threats, and shorten the time to remediation when attacks occur.
By collecting and analyzing cybermetrics, agencies can make better, more-informed decisions about defensive and predictive tactics. Governments can also strengthen their partnerships with the private sector to accelerate these initiatives.
A shift towards user-centered experience and design will gain momentum in 2023. This enables government to present a seamless experience for both the public and for employees, even when the processes reach across departments or jurisdictions. For example, governments are focusing on a multichannel public experience, using data and analytics to pull together disparate information about users and their preferences to drive a seamless experience or proactively communicate regardless of where, when or how the public is interacting with them. Further, government will be focused on the employee experience to ensure they have user-focused tools that make it easy to do their jobs. This is essential to attracting and retaining a workforce in the current environment.
Scaling data and analytics will be crucial for the future success of government technology. In order to best serve residents and create thriving communities, we must leverage the latest technology and insights.
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This blog post was originally published on vmblog here.
