FEBRUARY 2018CIOAPPLICATIONS.COM8OTTO DOLL, CIO, CITY OF MINNEAPOLISeople want to feel safe, connected, and want their privacy maintained--not only in the physical world, but also in the online space. Along with the rising security concerns, another challenge for the local government, today, is to `innovate with residents' rather than `innovate for residents'. Government agencies in the City of Minneapolis are trying to achieve several milestones by innovating on various fronts using technology. Technology can help the city to improve; however, I often find that new technology needs new infrastructure to succeed. Moreover, several IT companies try to sell a replacement product instead of a new approach altogether.Revealing Technological ChallengesTechnology companies often claim greater efficiency in enabling innovation, but they often lack the knowledge about the functioning of the local government. Vendors need to show evidence that the `problem' their product/service addresses is really a problem in my jurisdiction. Companies that claim inadequacy in our IT systems may not be a valid observation. The bottom-line is companies are naïve, at times, about making assumptions that we are technologically not sophisticated enough. Along the same lines, the challenge with Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is that we have to buy in into what that vendor believes is the best way to do a certain function. To align to the vendor's approach is challenging because we have our functioning is more nuanced--some agencies can accept SaaS's model, while others find it very difficult to change their way POtto DollIN MY VIEWPerfecting the Idea of Smart City
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