Modernizing government with frontline worker technology

Every day, government workers worldwide serve their communities. Responders dash into crisis situations; caseworkers make decisions on child placement; and public works staff work tirelessly to serve the needs of their community. However, aging systems sometimes fail to connect critical data with the people who depend on it, leaving administrators to cobble together timely, manual, and limited solutions to facilitate critical programs and services.

Technology can empower these dedicated government frontline heroes with digital solutions. Organizations that maximize existing resources can unlock their teams’ full potential through better coordination and automation. Opportunities to transform government processes and operations are immense, driving increased safety, more responsive services, and innovation that directly benefits the people in the community. Progress begins with taking steps to realize the full capability of tools many agencies are already using.

Transforming the frontlines of public service

Government workers are the central pillars of safe, healthy, and thriving communities. The people they serve include you, me, and every member of our families, as well as the communities where we live and work. The resources and services these frontline workers provide involve every level of government, including employment assistance, social housing, senior care, child welfare, disability support, and Indigenous affairs. They provide services that help us to have safe roads and parks and recreation centers and to enjoy celebrations and parades within our communities. We know these frontline workers in many roles: the local police officer or firefighter, the social worker supporting the elderly, the after-school care provider, the nurse who gave us a flu shot, the sanitation worker, the person who installed that stop sign or fixed that water main break, or the voice that answered your 911 call. The list goes on and on. Our government frontline workers use technology to protect, serve, and save nearly all aspects of our lives.

Yet aging tools and disconnected systems prevent these professionals from readily accessing information, collaborating seamlessly, or deploying innovative solutions when they’re needed most. Without modern digital foundations, government workers cannot access the technology and tools necessary to deliver secure and personalized experiences to the community. The good news is that many public sector organizations have adopted suites of tools, like Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams, taking initial steps on their digital transformation journeys. Agencies that are ready to move beyond their initial implementations have opportunities to maximize their existing investments more fully before expanding.

With the right foundation in place, transformative technologies—like AI, data analytics, system automation, and intelligent chatbots—can make government teams more efficient. To pursue the next phase of innovation, organizations must first prioritize the basics, like security, collaboration, and task automation. This is true for all areas within the government. By optimizing the solutions and services already at their fingertips, organizations can smooth the path for workers to deliver expanded public services.

Modernizing ERP systems for the future

While not widely known, frontline government workers also manage the critical enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems that underpin public services and administration. In Colombia, the national government created Enterritorio as the organizational pillar of the planning sector and the region’s strategic partner. Enterritorio helps the national and regional governments in Colombia carry out the goals of their development plans and programs. Linked to the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit and overseen by the Financial Superintendence of Colombia, Enterritorio’s main objective has been managing resources from other state entities to develop high-impact projects that improve and positively impact the lives of people throughout the country.

Doing so means providing the process and services to support contracting through implementation and making disbursements and settlements of different taxes in each municipality of the country. Like most governments, Colombia was faced with legacy information systems siloed throughout departments. The government turned to Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations as its solution. Read how Dynamics 365 helped Colombia to reduce 25 information systems into 1 and how the days needed to prepare reports dropped from approximately 15 days to 2.

Protecting communities with intelligent technology

As emergency services struggle to manage operations with the ever-growing number of weather or human-made events, the need for real-time data and situational awareness is paramount. Restrictive budgets for necessities like equipment further compound risks to public well-being. Many agencies are now pursuing AI solutions to augment human expertise and guide frontline decision-making.

Cloud-based solutions, like AI, help fire companies realize life-saving value from their data—historical and in realtime—to inform decision-making. Solutions built on AI now exist to ingest real-time sensor data, predict fire spread through modeling, map crews and assets on location overlays, and coordinate synchronized responses. Wildfire management professionals have access to better data, which increases efficiency and reduces costs.

Modern solutions can empower frontline workers with seamless workflows that maximize their productivity. When the frontline worker is able to access and share information securely and coordinate smoothly across teams, overhead goes down while outcomes improve. Technology succeeds when the people using it succeed.

While public safety IT journeys vary, the mission is constant: use technology to equip responders facing infernos and other hazards. Read how Canada is driving impact for frontline firefighters.

Realizing public sector innovation

Government workers share a calling: serving communities when it matters most. Courts and public safety agencies around the world are beginning to showcase what’s possible when agencies maximize existing tools to boost accessibility, increase collaboration, and prepare for the future with technology already in place.

Though organizational starting points differ, the opportunity remains for fully supported solutions available today to prepare and empower public sector workforces to better serve their communities in pivotal moments tomorrow.

What could your agency accomplish if barriers disappeared?

Through trusted, intuitive solutions from Microsoft, government employees are empowered to better serve communities in the moments that matter. Engage with your Microsoft representative and learn more at aka.ms/gov.