A report by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers, IBM and the Center for Digital Government has found that state CIOs see a direct connection between resilience and information technology modernization and look at innovation as an enabler of resilience.
CDG, NASCIO and IBM interviewed 21 state CIOs on the topic of resilience between July and August for the report titled Preparing for Future Shocks in State Government and found that they are advancing the adoption of artificial intelligence and automation to protect their infrastructure from cyberthreats, improve operational efficiency and address talent gaps, according to a joint release published Thursday.
“Responsible AI and automation are essential elements of state leaders’ IT modernization strategies as they strengthen resiliency,” said Frank Attaie, General Manager for IBM’s U.S. Public Market. “This roadmap will help state CIOs as they extend their capabilities and agility in responding to future disruptions and we look forward to collaborating with them.”
According to the study, state government IT leaders are advancing other strategies to improve fortification, such as adopting a multicloud or hybrid cloud approach, collaborating with partners to improve disaster recovery and business continuity and upskilling and reskilling employees.
The research uncovered the top threats facing state CIOs: cyberattacks and fraud, natural disasters and climate change, insufficient workforce talent, legacy systems and technical debt and economic uncertainty and budget constraints.
The report also explored how state IT officials play a key role in enterprise resilience, IT resilience, workforce and employee resilience and personal resilience.
When it comes to IT resilience, CIOs are experimenting with generative AI and other emerging technologies to understand their potential impact and benefits.