Editorial - 5 Year Planning for Local Governments
 
I I get lots of folks asking me what I think is going to happen to “traditional IT”, or what will the job market look like in a few years. I’m not clairvoyant, but I do have some thoughts that I’ll put in editorial format, and rotate it monthly. This month, let’s talk about Municipal Information Technology.

Traditional Thinking
I think in 5 years, kicking or screaming we will be much more into “the cloud” using software as a service stuff (SaaS). This slope has already started with many traditional internal IT applications splintering off into out sourced apps such as NeoGov (HR Departments), PlanetBids (Purchasing Department), Comcate (City Management Offices) and Civis - City Web Site Out sourcing... to name a few.

When Financial Systems/ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems ends up getting hosted, IT Departments will indeed look much different in 5 years, as the need for all the custom report/app stuff revolving around the financial system will be assumed to decline significantly. In the same vein, the current use of expensive PC’s may diminish into two categories; Thin client or smaller PCs that are more like disposable DVD players than personal computers or Laptops, as 26% of PC sales to the government are now laptop/notebooks. Due to these hardware reductions, the assumption would be that technician force would reduce as well. City IT Departments need to seriously kick in consolidation / virtualization efforts and if successful, they could reduce the size of their data centers by
50% in 5 years. As with technicians, the assumption would follow that the need for engineers would go away as well. But... before IT folks get too gloomy,

The Opportunity
The reality is that because of several factors, Cities may need to increase their commitment and funding towards IT. Mobile Computing – IT Departments should set a goal to have 80% of all applicable positions in the City mobilized (such as any inspector, code enforcement officer and anyone else that can complete their work in field). In addition to the reduction in redundant entry, fuel costs and man-hours, this will be amongst the most effective improvements in Citizen Services they can provide. This in itself can sustain the need for a healthy IT staff as mobilized devices need technicians (even more) for repair, security and platform engineers for the connectivity and environment maintenance. Similarly on the Software Analyst front, mobilized devices will become more like “application appliances” where they are mainly used for horizontal purposes – this will require software analysts to maintain and continue to innovate as the users continually stretch the abilities and requirements of their "field devices"

If you’re not buying that mobile devices alone will sustain staff needs, consider the population will continue to age and become more technically savvy. As the “millenniums” (under 25) continue to enter the workforce and active Citizenship, they will DEMAND that the government services be at least on par, if not better than, their banking and other online services they have become accustomed to. This will require that the online applications’ be heavily customized towards the City’s specific needs and offerings. Traditional online application out sourcing does not lend itself well to this demand for flexibility and customization – therefore software analysts and engineers will need to stay in the picture.
The growth already in IT's nationwide commitment to Public Safety Departments has grown exponentially over the past 3 years. Due to low staffing, this growth has been reactive in nature and has yet to meet the actual requests by these departments. I don’t see that local crime rates or structure fires will decline, only increase (even if only a function of increased population). On a related front, the greater the automation of standard planning, the greater the strain on typical automated/semi-automated processes such as Tidemark and other permitting/inspection processes. Again, this will at a minimum require appropriate analyst and engineer staffing. 

On the scare front - these moves toward mobilizing equipment, portable storage, out sourcing applications combined with the increased sophistication of hackers/malcontents make a dangerous combination. Due to this toxic mix, strict adherence to policies, active monitoring and responsive auditing will become mandatory and commonplace. To meet these demands, dedicated security staffing (engineering) will also be mandatory. If the green IT initiatives survive (and I suspect they will) Consolidation/Virtualization will be a MUST. However, if typical data centers are reduced to something approaching 50% in 5 years, it will be with the implementation of very sophisticated hardware/software requiring a higher level of engineering expertise.
Finally, –IT Departments should begin to manage programs “horizontally”, meaning Software Analysts should take increased ownership over business processes that runs across department boundaries. These Analysts will become ingrained and will morph into business-technology experts in specific areas (permitting, public safety field reporting, etc.). Without this, other departments lose staff as their dedicated staff begins spending time on information technology projects (hidden staff-drain).
So, will YOU have a job in 5 years? It depends on how well you grab the reins and start leading your organization into the future. Take a passive role, and watch as your organization moves into a future without you.