In 2009, the White House released the Open Government Directive requiring federal agencies to take immediate steps to achieve key milestones in transparency, participation, and collaboration. Open Government means many things to different people, but basically it boils down to citizens having the ability to access important public information easily and quickly. Since this initiative was released, many government agencies have used new technologies to effectively engage citizens and increase transparency. This was a “must do” as in less than a decade, the world has moved from a time with no Facebook to a time in which mobile phones and tablets are the platforms of choice. In fact, 45% of adults own a smartphone and 30% own a tablet, and many of these people are using these devices for everything- work, social, looking at government information, filling out forms etc. For government, it is essential that information be online, accessible and easy to understand.
In the open government, mobile era, state and local governments are quickly discovering that to serve the public well, they have to engage them where they are- online and on the go. Organizations, such as Georgia Technology Authority (GTA) are moving to open source Drupal and Acquia Cloud to support their website, Georgia.gov. At the same time, they are are quickly realizing their legacy Content Management Systems (CMS) are not equipped to handle the flow of data streaming from social media and other digital channels. To achieve the goals set out in the Open Government Directive, the next-generation CMS must provide tools that allow agencies to easily engage and collaborate with the public, including simplified content creation tools, as well as tools to easily administer the work flows and security of a website. The CMS must offer the controls to create seamless digital experiences, the tools to create/manage content, and the capabilities to deliver metrics.
In their new ebook, Acquia outlines the three “musts” of a next-generation CMS for government agencies- Manage, Measure, and Engage.
Measure- Give insight into multichannel experience patterns and consumption (via A/B testing, web analytics and dashboards)
Engage- Contextually transform content across channels and manage transactions and social interactions (via content targeting, social, ad serving)
Manage- Enable people to create and manage digital experiences and/or associated content (via BPM and workflow, campaign management, content data/services)
With the rise of “digital,” government agencies need systems in place to handle large amounts of data, from disparate sources. They need a CMS that will keep pace with their innovations, integrate social media content, and meet the rising expectations of citizens to create a seamless digital experience. Agencies understand the need for an up-to-date system, especially as they work to become more transparent, but often struggle with where to begin. To learn more about how you should select a new CMS, you can download Acquia’s new ebook, which offers insights and recommendations on how to select a new CMS that will deliver on the promise of open government.
I encourage you to check it out by downloading here.
