State and Local Governments Strengthen Services Through Data Center Optimization

State and local governments can take their citizen services to the next level by optimizing their data centers. While many may look to the cloud, others can discover efficiencies through recapitalization of on-premises data center technology.

Data centers are the backbone of any agency’s IT infrastructure, providing storage, processing and networking capabilities for various applications. State and local governments may rely on outdated, inefficient and costly data centers that are not able to meet the growing demands of the digital era.

The pandemic years exposed the shortcomings of some legacy data center operations:

• Outdated hardware and software could not scale to demand as large numbers of people sought to access government services.
• Older software and hardware solutions could not connect to new systems or use new data sets due to a lack of interoperability.
• Legacy applications often could not stop security breaches or detect fraudulent activity.

Outdated data centers also were not able to capitalize on innovations such as artificial intelligence (AI) or virtualization to extend the reach of government employees.

Since 2020, state and local officials have pushed to overcome these limitations through data center modernization. Modern data centers use the latest technologies and best practices to optimize their performance, efficiency, security and sustainability.

Optimized data centers may:

• Use virtualization, automation and AI to reduce dependency on hardware, increase resource utilization and improve service delivery
• Consist of modular, standardized and scalable architectures to enable rapid deployment, expansion and adaptation
• Advance security, backup systems and disaster recovery plans to ensure data protection and service continuity

These benefits offer significant advantages for state and local governments, such as:

• Improved data and service availability, quality and reliability for citizens and stakeholders
• Enhanced trust and reputation among citizens and stakeholders due to better service quality and security standards
• Increased innovation via new technologies or opportunities
• Adjustments in spending and resources due to lower operational and capital expenditures

Modernizing data centers is not a one-time project but a continuous process that requires careful planning, execution, monitoring and evaluation.

To begin a modernization journey, state and local governments should assess the state of their current data center infrastructure and identify gaps and opportunities for improvement. They can then define goals and objectives for data center optimization.

Having established goals, IT officials should develop a strategy and a roadmap, considering budget, risks, stakeholders and, of course, citizen services. Implementing the plan will require adopting best practices for project management and change management, and agencies should follow up with evaluations to measure performance outcomes.

State and local governments can seek guidance and assistance from managed service providers and experts that specialize in data center modernization. By modernizing their data centers, government agencies can enhance their service delivery, security and efficiency and ultimately achieve their mission and vision for their citizens and communities.

Story by Mickey McCarter, the managing editor of StateTech.