Before the next natural disaster strike, agencies must conduct risk assessments, identify significant vulnerabilities, and adopt digital solutions.
FREMONT, CA: Individuals, families, and communities benefit from the services provided by state and local governments. Constituents depend on governments more than ever whenever natural calamities occur. Whether that's a forest fire, a pandemic, or a storm, government entities must be ready to keep services running even if there are significant disruptions.
A comprehensive approach to risk is essential for a successful contingency strategy. Several government leaders become engrossed in hypothetical details, attempting to plan for the specific consequences of a single hurricane or wildfire. Instead, organizations must base their planning on those areas of their operations that are most vulnerable to disruption in the event of a natural disaster. The goal is to incorporate flexibility into government operations and the ability to adapt to new situations.
Even though risks and operational goals will always differ between jurisdictions, there are two main aspects of a vulnerability that are practically common between every government: dependence on paper records and an overreliance on manual, in-office work.
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Vital records are kept in state, local, and government agencies, which are essential to the economy as they include crucial legal and financial information that protects property rights and facilitates economic transactions. If all documents are kept in one physical location, a natural disaster or other calamities, such as an office fire in which sprinklers damage paper records, will significantly impact constituents who depend on the government to keep their data safe.
The same can be said for in-office manual labor. COVID-19 effectively closed several governments' core functions since their personnel couldn't safely reach their office locations and paper records. A government staff reliant on in-house resources could be rendered entirely disabled by widespread disease, social distance restrictions, or evacuation orders.
These flaws can be solved by a more complete and coordinated digitization effort. Digital records are more accessible and portable than paper records. As a result, digital transformation is critical to an agency's comprehensive disaster preparedness strategy. Essential operations and infrastructure must be digitized, automated, or otherwise brought online to ensure that government services continue operating even during a catastrophe.
Those who are hesitant to invest heavily in digital transformation should be aware that many digitization projects pay for themselves over time. Online sales and convenience fees generate additional money for several state and local government entities, leading to months-long investment returns. Agencies that do not have the IT skills to go digital can enlist the help of vendor partners to manage the details. More than any other transformation, digitization can strengthen a government's resilience in the face of disruption.
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