Government system integrators perform a complex role, connecting the internal and external systems and applications used within government systems. Their projects directly affect efficiency in securing data, communication, and moving documentation through necessary workflows. They must maintain strict compliance while improving efficiency and communication between applications, software, and databases and ensuring integration between these solutions is predictable, consistent, and foolproof.
And while these integrations are critical components of the projects, the traditional approach is slow, frustrating, costly, and broken.
But there's a new breed of integrations that fix the legacy, custom approach, enabling agency self-service and saving time and money while delighting citizens and bringing peace of mind to government agencies.
A government system is set up to run similarly to any other business. Integrators might need to purchase or choose software and services and align different agencies' applications. Government agencies depend on integrators for all branches of government, from state and local to federal agencies. They provide products, technology solutions, recommendations, consultations, R&D, training for staff, and sometimes ongoing support.
We can break this down into a few categories to give you an overall view of some possible solutions government agencies use.
Permitting and licensing are a large part of the government system puzzle. To help facilitate thriving communities, businesses, and private citizens need seamless solutions to maintain their licensure and work with regulatory standards. Government agencies need flexible, intuitive solutions for the end-user and comprehensive for their internal workflow.
Integrators may work with and recommend solutions, including Accela, Tyler, Hansen, Central Square, GovOS, and OpenGov. These technologies provide tools to foster better planning and transparency for the government body and the citizens they serve.
Electronic documents and plan reviews are essential for government contractors working in a construction-related capacity. Solutions such as ePlanSoft, Bluebeam, e-PermitHub, and Avolve allow contractors and government oversight for contractors and projects in public works and the private sector.
These applications facilitate the review, updates, and approvals of electronic blueprints and other documentation so that all parties have real-time information on current projects and resulting safe structures built to code. This means fewer delays and improved communication for all projects, with substantial time savings for large-scale projects that include numerous contractors and sub-specialties.
Electronic document management is used in every business entity, from small to large enterprises. These solutions are just as integral in government agencies, where documentation and management of internal documentation need to be precise.
Government agencies use some of the exact solutions that work well in the private sector, such as Laserfiche and SharePoint. Integrators work to ensure that the chosen solution meets the government agency's needs and integrates with other industry-specific applications.
Numerous examples of government agencies need contracts and documents signed, dated, and recorded. As we move forward, most agencies have moved to digital solutions that allow legal electronic signatures without having all parties present. Some solutions that integrators might choose include DocuSign, Adobe Sign, and Signex.
System integrators are organizations, often private technology companies. Some organizations, such as Lockheed Martin, specialize in government or military technology. A prime contractor is an organization that works directly for the government. Examples of SIs are Deloitte and Accenture, which work with private and public sectors. However, thousands of contractors work directly with the government as system integrators.
They range in specialties, including applications, data storage, external and internal networks, and automation. System integrators often coded their solutions to design in the past, but new no-code solutions have become more efficient as we move forward. We've also moved away from solely on-premises systems and servers as more government agencies have adopted cloud computing solutions for some or many of their applications.
System integrators help government agencies to maintain compliance and improve efficiency. As legacy systems age, integrators can assess and develop a strategy to leverage technologies to improve workflows while maintaining the heightened security necessary at the government level. Integrators are solution providers in specific areas for government entities. Government agencies might contract an integrator to work with large-scale security issues and another with documentation management or cloud computing. In nearly every case, System Integrators handle both the implementation of technologies and the training of users and are typically responsible for the master project and its success.
Integrations enable interoperability, exchange of data and documents, and automation of manual tasks. While most project time is spent on the human side, such as use and training, the actual integrations are the foundation for using the connected systems.
Traditionally, these integrations are custom and built to order, taking on their project plans of requirements gathering, development, testing, and deployment, all with multiple layers of staff engagement, milestones, and signoffs over many months. These integrations are built using whatever programming language is popular or best known by the programming staff. Then, they are compiled and deployed as black boxes, with no ability to update and no insight into transactional activity between the systems. Further, when one system goes down or upgrades its code, these black box integrations often fail and require costly re-programming. At the same time, the users are disrupted as they are forced back to using the systems disconnected while the integration is repaired.
Indeed, traditional integrations are costly, slow to realize, and ultimately quite frustrating to the agency and users. This legacy approach to integrations needs to be fixed.
There is a new breed of pre-built integration connectors, explicitly built to government systems and use cases, which are enabling the business users of government to quickly set up and maintain more integrations themselves without coding, thereby freeing the System Integrator to focus on implementing the core technologies and planning for successful use of the connected systems.
This new no-code cloud-native approach to integrations supports the everyday hybrid government IT environment by connecting cloud and on-premise solutions, enabling support for legacy core systems while enabling the agility to extend its use by clicking to emerging best-of-breed citizen services solutions in the cloud.
These connectors are pre-built on a modern iPaaS platform, providing deep insight into transactions, self-healing from connected system outages, and future-proof with pre-tested guaranteed compatibility to upcoming versions of those systems.
Thus, the new breed of integrations is cost-effective, quick to realize, and provides immense value to the agency, staff, and citizens when launched and in perpetuity.
Increasingly, government agencies are choosing no-code integration software. No code means that the agency won't need to have programmers on staff to implement, update, and maintain the integration. It's ready to launch when an agency subscribes and easy to maintain as their business needs change.
As with any technology choice, agencies should research how the implementation works for their industry. Does the vendor provide excellent customer service? Is the solution user-friendly for staff? Does it improve the process for citizens?
Here are some of the benefits of choosing a no-code integration:
Government agencies must provide the same connected experience as their small business counterparts. Citizens expect transparency, and staff members thrive in more efficient work environments. Velosimo provides the tools for more connected governmental functions with no-code integration connectors readymade for same-day use.