BoxWorks Digital: Key Takeaways from the Public Sector Track 

2020 has been an incredibly stressful year. We've seen citizens requiring more, employees transitioning to remote work, and political change happening at all levels. Plus, legacy systems and paper-based processes can no longer be supported. And as a result, agencies are faced with three major challenges: 

• Organizations need to enable personal and team productivity at scale 
• Agencies must both provide citizen support and engage with their current needs whilst responding to the emerging requirements in a digital way 
• Data security and privacy are becoming even more critical across organizations 

How field operations conduct inspection processes and case management files or how agencies engage with citizen and stakeholders in a digital way is critical for government agencies. At the same time there is a constant need to reduce compliance and security risks while increasing availability and scalability inside and outside the enterprise. At our first ever BoxWorks Digital, technology leaders from NASA, Idaho National Lab, and Town of Cary discussed just how important digital services in the cloud really is. Here are the key takeaways: 

Over communicate to successfully bring your agency into the cloud

The thought of introducing cloud technology is still a new topic for many public sector agencies. The analysis paralysis option is no longer feasible. As citizens and employees need more remote services, the ability to create the "new norm" is an active part of every agency's communication strategy. 

So, how do you do introduce cloud technologies into your agency? Hayley Archer, from the Flight Operations Collaborative Services Team at NASA,  leads multiple groups and strongly advocates that you must have "communication, communication and even more communication. Focus on a few key points of contacts as our trailblazers and keeping that line of communication open and consistent with them."

Fostering a community where all feedback provides a learning experience enables both internal and external constituents to become more vocal on what works and where they see opportunities. Understanding your users needs and enablement is key as your agency prepares for the future of work. 

Drive operational efficiencies with cloud modernization 

The speed at which agencies access, share, and work across internal and external constituents is critical as we enter the digital future of work. Cloud technologies can help. Diedra Hollins Deputy Chief Information Officer at Idaho National Lab reviews technology frequently and knows that "We can be more efficient with cloud services, it allows us to justify the cost." She goes on to explore how the sharing of content and content security happen daily. "As we moved through the pandemic ... cloud is and can be secure." 

So many mission critical processes that were in-person are now moving to a more remote concept. Innovative collaboration tools have never been more important for your agency.  Dan Ault, Assistant Town Manager and Chief Information Officer for The Town of Cary said it best, "in may ways there is never an ideal time to launch technology. To really transform, behavior change has to happen, the pandemic has come to the catalyst for that"

With Box, accelerate key processes across state lines with collaborative, streamlined work for government personnel from governing bodies to field operators by digitizing manual/offline processes. Plus, save costs by reducing the number of services needed to communicate and exchange information while your teams telework. 

Digital citizen or stakeholder experiences are critical

Think different, act different, but continue to execute at a high level. Keeping this attitude with citizens or stakeholders is critical now that citizens depend on your agency more than ever. Diedra Hollins Deputy Chief Information Officer at Idaho National Lab reminded us that, "The first thing we must do, we must define the problem to solve and define those requirements." With Box, increase citizen satisfaction and engagement with simple, intuitive experiences for citizens to get request information, collaborate, and quickly access the latest information without worrying about security risks. In a regulated environment, you need to check the boxes when considering solutions. The ability to leverage cloud technology allows public sector agencies to stay resilient and remain efficient during unprecedented times like these. 

To watch the full session click here. 

• Why government work is simple in the cloud
• Transforming your agency in the cloud