2024 state and local IT forecast: AI, sustainability and cloud

2023 has been full of technology advancements for government at all levels—between the surge in interest and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and the ever-present push to focus on cloud technology to protect government data. Meanwhile, state and local agencies are continuing to focus on reshaping their sustainability goals by investing in solutions that benefit the planet.

As we enter a new year, AI; sustainability; and integrated, hybrid, and multi-cloud technologies will remain at the forefront of state and local IT leaders’ minds. By focusing on solutions that fit the organization’s specific needs, while mapping to these focus areas, state and local IT leaders can more efficiently and effectively deliver services to citizens.

Embracing the AI boom
AI has the potential to transform government agencies at all levels—and we’re already seeing it improve health, safety, national security and citizen service while also driving better, more informed, data-driven decision-making. The recent AI executive order is a step in the right direction to promote safe, secure and trustworthy AI, as it puts structure around growth and adoption. In 2024, state and local agencies should lean toward AI solutions that are supported by a reliable, secure data infrastructure that enables them to utilize a smaller infrastructure footprint to reduce the burden of storage management and accelerate ransomware and rapid disaster recovery.

As AI becomes more mainstream in government operations, we’ll see agencies better understand, invest and apply AI-specific solutions to their agency needs. According to recent research, 73 percent of IT buyers say that AI will require data management upgrades of some kind. Implementing AI within state and local government processes and operations can be highly effective in enabling organizations to achieve greater agility, increase citizen satisfaction, improve operational excellence, and accelerate innovation.

A clean energy future
State and local agencies are amping up sustainability efforts—and governments at all levels are working toward maintaining reliable citizen services while reducing emissions. As organizations continue to focus on reducing their carbon footprint, prioritizing sustainable systems is good for the environment and helps lead to good government for a clean energy future.

While government is making strides in sustainability initiatives, organizations should take more creative steps to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and save taxpayer dollars in the year ahead. According to new research, a majority of all IT buyers (51 percent) predict they will invest in sustainable technology in the next five years. State and local organizations should leverage private sector partners to procure technologies that meet their mission and sustainability needs.

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