Digital transformation relies on the strategic use of technology to improve processes, service delivery and efficiency. This can be an elusive goal in state and local government due to decades of siloed operations by individual departments and agencies, each with its own technology stack and data stores.
Now iPaaS (integration platform as a service) can help make digital transformation a reality. This cloud-based solution provides powerful and easy-to-use tools to connect systems, automate workflows and ensure data consistency across hundreds of internal systems and external data sources.
iPaaS solutions have already supercharged modern IT Service Management (ITSM) methodologies. And they are expanding into other functional areas as part of an Enterprise Service Management (ESM) strategy. But their potential is even greater. With their ability to connect systems, manage data and automate workflows, iPaaS platforms empower agencies to drive digital transformation quickly and securely.
“You might use iPaaS as part of ITSM. You might use it as part of a broader ESM,” said Andrew Graf, chief product officer at TeamDynamix. “But a lot of people will use it as the foundation for the future.”
WHY iPaaS IS ESSENTIAL
iPaaS addresses key modernization barriers by connecting and orchestrating disparate government systems and data sources.
“If you don’t have integration and data integrity, you can’t do digital transformation,” Graf said.
Addressing integration challenges: With built-in connectors for applications and platforms commonly used in the public sector, iPaaS serves as a central hub to integrate siloed systems and data sources across departments and functional areas.
That’s particularly important given the large — and growing — number of applications used by government jurisdictions. According to a Center for Digital Government* (CDG) service management survey conducted in late 2023, nearly half (48 percent) of state and local government IT departments manage more than 50 applications. Nearly one-quarter (23 percent) manage more than 100.
“A decade ago, a government was more likely to manage about 10 applications,” said CDG senior fellow William Rials, a former public-sector CIO, chief technology officer and CISO who is now associate director of the IT and Cybersecurity Program at Tulane University’s School of Professional Advancement.
Given the public sector’s staffing and resource constraints, the sheer number of applications and systems make building integrations a daunting task, which holds back government transformation.
“Some integration backlogs are as long as 18 months,” said Graf. “Groups like HR are saying they need two systems to talk to each other — and it goes into the queue because IT must build a bespoke integration between the two. With iPaaS, the connections are already built.”
Prebuilt connectors for systems in HR, finance, IT and other areas help streamline functions that cross departmental lines. They also strengthen information sharing by bringing together siloed data from key systems. In Pima County, Ariz., for example, IT leaders are leveraging iPaaS integration capabilities to develop workflows for systems in other departments, starting with HR.
Ensuring data integrity: As an integration hub, iPaaS supports secure and accurate data synchronization. Connecting data silos also reduces inconsistencies and errors and allows jurisdictions to standardize and manage data flows.
“Once you have everything in this master hub, you have data governance, and you can automate the movement and smoothing out of data,” Graf said. “If you’re moving data from one system to another, and one uses a nine-digit ZIP code and the other uses five digits, you can automatically add the missing four-digit codes and transform the data.”
Building automations and workflows: With these foundational components in place, CIOs can accelerate digital transformation with new workflows and automations that orchestrate tasks across multiple departments. Automating routine tasks, such as onboarding and offboarding employees, saves countless hours annually and lets IT staff focus on other tasks.
By automating workflows across multiple systems, iPaaS can power self-service portals that let employees and constituents complete tasks like address changes without human intervention. Conversational AI can lead users through self-service processes, reducing internal workloads and improving user experience.
THE ROLE OF LOW/NO-CODE
Low/no-code tools change how governments approach complex projects by simplifying programming and system integration.
“We call it flow-gramming,” Graf said. “You’re not programming, you’re building flows, you’re deploying workflows, and as a result, you can rapidly adapt.”
Among the benefits of low/no-code tools:
Empowering nontechnical teams. No-code tools let nonprogrammers build workflows using a drag-and-drop interface, accelerating development timetables.
Enabling agility. The ability to modify workflows using no-code tools lets governments rapidly adapt to new regulations or service needs. For example, teams can quickly change reporting and compliance parameters in response to regulatory changes. The ability to rapidly adjust workflows also helps governments migrate to new systems by automating data transfer and building new integrations with existing systems.
Reducing complexity. Prebuilt connectors for commonly used platforms like Workday, SAP, HRIS, Docusign, Tyler MUNIS, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft Office 365 let non-technical teams use no-code tools to create workflows that span multiple systems.
THE BUSINESS CASE FOR iPaaS
iPaaS offers multiple benefits for state and local agencies. To build support for investment in an iPaaS platform, focus on the following factors:
Rapidly building better workflows. The combination of integration, automation and no-code tools lets agencies design end-to-end workflows that automate manual processes and coordinate the movement of data across multiple systems. For example, iPaaS lets governments automate purchase order approvals from submission through payment.
Aggregating and leveraging data. With iPaaS, agencies can combine data from multiple sources for real-time decision-making. Those insights help leaders direct scarce resources to services with the greatest impact. For example, agencies can consolidate constituent service requests from multiple departments into a single dashboard so leaders can track trends and spot priorities.
Protecting data through a central hub. Cloud-based iPaaS platforms enable secure data transfer and storage from multiple systems. They also support data governance by standardizing data and safeguarding sensitive personal information. For example, iPaaS can orchestrate workflows that securely share data between HR and payroll systems to increase data accuracy and integrity.
Improving time to value. By enabling faster rollouts of new services and system integrations, iPaaS speeds up time to value for technology investments and helps agencies maximize their limited financial and staff resources.
AUTOMATING COMMON WORKFLOWS
Governments can leverage the integration, automation and no-code capabilities of iPaaS to build workflows that improve government operations for internal staff and the public.
Constituent service requests. The same iPaaS tools that agencies use to improve internal help desk services can be used to build public-facing self-service functions. Integration with back-end systems can automate the routing, tracking and resolution of service requests. For example, a self-service platform could automatically route a constituent’s report of a pothole or water service problem to the appropriate department and notify the constituent when the issue is fixed.
Service portals. A single governmentwide portal that routes constituent requests to the correct department provides a consistent look and feel to interacting with different agencies or departments. That builds trust with residents and, when combined with automated updates on service requests, improves transparency and communication.
Employee onboarding and offboarding. IT help desks often automate their portion of this process, including provisioning email accounts and access to appropriate systems. But iPaaS enables jurisdictions to synchronize systems across HR, IT and facilities to automate more of the steps needed to make new employees productive on day one. Automated workflows can provision network access, request computers and other devices, and assign new employees to specific workspaces. Similarly, offboarding workflows can automate the return of equipment and revoke access to email and other systems to ensure security and compliance.
Grant and funding applications. Agencies and departments can use iPaaS automation and integration capabilities to connect grant application portals or websites with finance and compliance systems.
Procurement and vendor management. iPaaS workflows can automate purchase orders, contract renewals and vendor payment tracking. Data governance capabilities within iPaaS can strengthen security and improve data consistency between financial systems and payment processing.
IT incident management. Within IT, iPaaS can supercharge help desk workflows by integrating ticketing systems with monitoring tools and communication platforms. This enables workflows that can automatically escalate critical incidents identified by monitoring tools and notify the appropriate employees via Teams, Slack or other communication platforms.
DELIVERING ON DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
Integrating disparate systems, bringing together data from multiple sources and automating workflows are all key to improving government efficiency and service delivery.
iPaaS helps agencies meet these imperatives with powerful yet easy-to-use tools to streamline processes, reduce staff workloads and redefine user experience — enabling government leaders to deliver faster and better on the promise of digital transformation.
Learn more about how iPaaS can empower your agency to drive digital transformation quickly and securely.
*The Center for Digital Government is part of e.Republic, Government Technology's parent company.
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