IE 11 Not Supported

For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers.
Sponsor Content
What does this mean?

Building a Platform for Smarter Government

Connecting infrastructure, people and intelligence to help government extract greater value from investments.

Smartphone_shutterstock_1033375414
Shutterstock
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, constituents, business owners and internal employees had higher expectations for state and local governments than ever before, and many organizations were struggling to meet them.

Research by the McKinsey Center for Government found that citizens’ satisfaction with most government services was far lower than their satisfaction with private sector service. Today, as face-to-face interactions are limited by the pandemic, it is imperative that government agencies modernize and provide digital services to continue effectively serving residents. At the same time, organizations face the mass retirement of workers, a shortage of IT and cybersecurity personnel, and massive budget shortfalls until at least FY 2022 from a pandemic-induced recession.

These trends are all driving the need for smarter technology and operations so organizations can be as productive, efficient and innovative as possible. To do this, government agencies need a platform that connects infrastructure, people and intelligence so they can extract greater value from their investments, processes and use cases.

Verizon Wireless solutions work together to create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. These solutions can be combined to address specific challenges in a way that helps establish a platform for smarter government. This platform connects infrastructure, people and intelligence so government organizations can extract greater value from their investments, processes and use cases.

Verizon Wireless also makes it easier and more cost-effective to implement smart government tools by making these solutions available through the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) ValuePoint® cooperative purchasing contract, which enables participating state agencies, higher education institutions, political subdivisions (i.e., local governments) and, in some cases, nonprofit organizations to join in cooperative multistate contracts that reduce costs and streamline acquisition.

Solutions for Smarter Government

The following solutions are broadly categorized, and many solutions could fit into multiple categories. When procuring solutions for a smart government platform, organizations should start by identifying their business needs and potential use cases. Every purchase should be justified based on its ability to solve an immediate need. From this starting point, other use cases can be developed.

Smart Infrastructure

The Internet of Things (IoT) industry and edge computing have grown tremendously in a short time and are vital to the transformation of government services. This is especially important as urban areas become increasingly dense. According to the United Nations, 68 percent of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050. IoT sensors, cellular-enabled cameras and other edge devices are at the heart of smart cities and other initiatives that seek to make life easier and safer for residents, visitors, workers and businesses. As noted by Navigant, “the proliferation of connected devices and richness of data associated with smart solutions is transforming many operational areas of cities.”

By collecting and even processing data close to where it is generated, these devices often provide real-time and historical insight into assets, environmental conditions, human behavior and other variables. State and local governments can use this data to respond more quickly and efficiently to immediate conditions, plan for the future and reduce costs.

In fact, a McKinsey Global Institute assessment of nearly 60 current smart-city applications found “these tools could reduce fatalities by eight percent to 10 percent, accelerate emergency response times by 20 percent to 35 percent, shave the average commute by 15 percent to 20 percent, lower the disease burden by 8 percent to 15 percent and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent to 15 percent.”

Smart infrastructure solutions include:

Intelligent Lighting

Empower your city to lower operational costs and improve public safety by managing, monitoring and controlling street lighting remotely.

Traffic Data Services

Gain actionable data through traffic data services to help minimize congestion, improve safety and plan future development. These services use deidentified cellular network records to analyze historical and real-time population movement.

Parking Optimization

Optimize parking for additional revenue and reduce congestion. Smart video cameras track parking spot occupancy and send it to a cloud-based dashboard so city planners/parking managers can see trends, model revenue, track violations and help drivers find parking.

Telematics Fleet Tracking and Management

Track vehicles (e.g., cars, school buses, public transportation and public safety vehicles), optimize routing and control costs, and analyze fleet resources and activity over time so you can uncover hidden costs and discover opportunities for greater efficiency.

ThingSpace (IoT Management)

Simplify development and management of your IoT/machine-to-machine devices. A self-service portal lets you manage the device life cycle — including connectivity, security, location, software and data streaming — all on a single platform.

Smart Communications

Next-generation communications tools are essential to maximize employee productivity, engage effectively with constituents, help improve public safety and promote economic development. Using these tools, organizations can become more transparent, responsive and accessible.

Smart communications solutions include:

 

One Talk

Mobilize your agency simply, securely and reliably. Use a single phone number across mobile and desk phones so staff can be reached regardless of where they are or the device they’re using.

Push to Talk Plus

Just push a button to connect instantly and securely with one person or many. This modernized version of a two-way radio service leverages a smartphone or other compatible device for sharing voice, text, video, photos and other data with first responders, work crews, case managers and others working in the field. It integrates easily with existing Land Mobile Radio (LMR) systems.

Digital Signage

Target public safety messages; raise awareness and engage citizens, visitors, employees and businesses. Centralized control allows you to localize messaging and convey rich media and other dynamic, relevant content in near real time.

NetMotion (Mobile VPN)

Make sure mobile employees can connect to applications reliably wherever they are — even when coverage is spotty. This mobile VPN uses situational awareness to select the right connection for the devices and applications being used.

GoCanvas

Replace paper forms with mobile apps to simplify data collection, streamline operations and boost productivity. Prebuilt apps can be customized in minutes — without the need for programming. Data collected on employees’ mobile devices integrates easily with back-office systems for real-time analysis.

Field Force Manager

Help mobile teams stay in touch and on track; simplify workforce administration. A central console provides insight into mobile teams and allows you to send scheduling, route information and other job info directly to their mobile devices. Customizable mobile forms help you track and manage inventory, workers’ hours, job performance and more.

Smart Mobile Security

With workers using mobile devices more than ever before, the attack surface — and cybersecurity complexity — has grown exponentially. Just ensuring security patches and upgrades are applied in a timely manner becomes a difficult-to-manage task, especially when bring-your-own devices are added to the mix.

State and local governments must find efficient ways to manage device provisioning, apply security policies and ensure mobile device users (as well as edge devices and smartphones themselves) are appropriately authenticated and authorized to access applications.

Smart mobile security solutions include:

Verizon Wireless MDM

Track and manage all the mobile devices and operating systems connecting to your network from a single unified portal. Firmware-over-the-air management, device diagnostics, hotspot management and unified endpoint management help you effectively manage mobility, streamline operations and increase continuity.

MobileIron

Become truly mobile with a foundation to manage standards-based security across the mobile-cloud ecosystem. Multifactor authentication, seamless single sign-on and an advanced policy engine let you easily protect agency-issued and personal mobile devices, as well as applications and content, across the enterprise.

IBM MaaS360

Simplify how you manage mobile devices, applications, security, data and connectivity. This unified endpoint management solution generates actionable information from mobile device data to enhance visibility, access and control of mobile devices without compromising the user experience, data security or privacy. It is Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) and Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) certified.

Samsung Knox

Use the industry’s latest mobile devices to increase productivity and enhance collaboration while strengthening device security. This built-in security and management platform automates mobile device management and helps protect infrastructure with multilevel hardware-to-application security.

Smart Response

Public safety is undergoing a radical shift away from the days when police officers, firefighters, EMTs and other public safety professionals needed multiple devices to do their jobs. Today, the versatility and compute power of mobile phones enables public safety organizations to consolidate functionality into a single smartphone that allows users to connect to department information systems in any environment or location. Instead of single-purpose devices, such as body-worn cameras or PDTs, the modern officer can simply download a mobile application to their smartphone to obtain the functionality these devices once provided.

Smart response solutions include:

Intrepid Networks

Help shorten response times and improve safety. This integrated mobile platform for incident management and emergency operations provides the real-time situational awareness you need to coordinate, collaborate and communicate more efficiently — during emergencies and day to day.

Public Safety Applications

The Verizon Wireless extensive ecosystem of public safety apps includes smart solutions related to response connectivity and prioritization, response operations (e.g., One Talk, Push to Talk and Intrepid Networks), and response devices and equipment (e.g., Fleet Management).

For more information, visit www.verizon.com/naspo.