Keep It Together: The Case for Cloud Consolidation

The private sector has set the service bar high, and government agencies are striving to deliver the same level of speed and simplicity that constituents have come to expect elsewhere. Citizens want to have government services available to them at their convenience and the ability to easily use technology to communicate their needs.

Additionally, the global shift to hybrid work over the past two years means the government must find new ways of working by enabling employees to work effectively from any location.  

How can organizations enhance their service deliverability when they’re already facing budget pressures and staff shortages?

Consolidating cloud efforts around a Microsoft environment can help your employees deliver services to citizens securely and seamlessly. Additionally, a unified platform is created throughout your agency, and it gives a higher level of constituent service while simplifying collaboration in a hybrid environment.

Your agency likely already has a Microsoft-based approach with its current technology. By incorporating cloud capabilities alongside the software you use daily, it can work with your agency’s tight IT budget and improve efficiencies across diverse functions.

The good news is this is already being accomplished in the public sector. Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) Watershed Protection Section field staff patrols over 100,000 acres, and most of their shifts are spent with little to no Wi-Fi or cellular network connection.

SPU needed to replace legacy applications with a modern, mobile-enabled, integrated solution. Seattle is already heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, so it made sense to pursue a Microsoft-based modernization solution. The city chose Arctic IT to build the SPU Protection Access Control System (SPU-PACS), a modern content management system for the Watershed Protection Section developed on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Field Service and the Power Platform in the Government Community Cloud.

Functionality includes recording and tracking for permit compliance, inspection processes and incident
documentation. The solution integrates with the Field Service Mobile App that can operate in both a connected and disconnected state, enabling field staff to work from weather-resistant devices while on patrol. The new solution delivers better management and reporting, with enhanced system usability and workflow automation. With the mobile app, field workers can capture signatures and forms directly in the app or load them digitally as attachments. Overall, the low-code Microsoft cloud platform provides a
higher level of security, configurability and reliability for SPU today and into the future.

Check out this report, which explains why consolidating your cloud efforts is the easiest path forward.