5 Reasons to Use a Cloud-Based CMS for Your Government Website

Technology and innovation are the center of local governments' success, especially when times and events are changing rapidly. What local governments may risk by not accommodating to new tech standards may be detrimental to the organization's success and longevity in the long run, and the tech trend that may make or break your organization lies in the cloud and utilizing services to aid in disaster recovery and modernize existing tech systems.

The cloud is not a new concept by any means, however with additional funding and resources from ARP comes the opportunity to enhance local governments' tech protocols. 

It’s no secret that local government officials have many projects on their plate, which might cause things like cloud-based optimization to be overlooked when discussing new projects and budgeting. We have concrete reasons why you should consider using a cloud-based CMS for your government website, to improve the overall resilience and security of your site and adapt to current innovations.

Local government Ransomware attacks show how important it is to have a robust disaster recovery system along with cloud services to maintain data and information, being a targeted and vulnerable group.

 “Ransomware attacks against local government entities and the subsequent impacts are especially significant due to the public’s dependency on critical utilities, emergency services, educational facilities, and other services overseen by local governments, making them attractive targets for cybercriminals.” Digital Community Brief

Hackers are equipped with knowledge of how to bypass anti-virus scanning software making it crucial to have robust cloud storage that can detect unusual file access, identify the user, stop further access from occurring, and alert the administrator. 

The pandemic caused a great shift into the world of hybrid and remote work for all businesses and local governments were affected too. What does remote work have to do with cloud storage? Essentially- now more local government employees are accessing cloud files from home creating an even larger need for updated cloud-storage systems that can be relied upon from employees' homes.

“Don’t undersell the fact that foundational systems of record are critical to good government. Today, good government means digital government. The pandemic exposed how fragile these aging systems are. They’re hosted on technology platforms that are not flexible, adaptable, or scalable.” Craig Orgeron, Ph.D., Executive Government Advisor, AWS

Cloud modernizations can save excess costs for local governments' IT services, reduction in hardware costs, and the need for in-house computer services.

“Cloud computing can help you save on investments in other areas as well. By storing data and applications on the cloud, your employees can access them wherever they are, improving work from home capabilities. This means you’ll need less office space and can lower your rent and utility payments.” Turco

Along with the remote and hybrid work shift, there’s a culturally new desire for employees to want to work from home or in a hybrid schedule.

Flex jobs conducted a survey about the new normal and unpacking the statistics.

“When asked what kind of work arrangement respondents would prefer post-pandemic, 58% said they want a fully remote job, while 39% prefer a hybrid arrangement. Only 3% want to return to fully in-person work.” Courtney, Flex Jobs

Meaning for local government organizations, new qualified tech talent will desire a remote or hybrid offering. This makes secure cloud-based CMS and storage crucial to retaining qualified tech staff.

Local governments have received funding from ARPA for relief purposes that could be used for technological advancements in some cases. Some local governments are using ARPA funding for cloud-based modernization opportunities, a worthwhile investment for the longevity of the agency’s success.