Organizations update software to strengthen protection
State CIOs ranked updating apps as one of their most important urgent priorities This year.
Security issues were a major factor. Legacy code is the most common reason states give for modernizing, cited by 37%; 29% say cybersecurity risk was a driver.
Stronger security is a benefit 88% of state CIOs say they expect to benefit application modernization; 71% expect reduced business risk.
Seventy-six percent of NASCIO survey respondents expect modernization to help them respond quickly and effectively to voter needs. Seventy-one percent believe this will result in better program results.
However, several factors can complicate application modernization. States typically own more than a thousand apps, according to NASCIO; therefore, it can be difficult to establish an accurate inventory of these resources and their current state.
Funding poses another potential hurdle. General Funds and Federal Grants are the primary methods used by states to fund application modernization efforts; 33% do not have a formal authorization process for initiatives, reporting in some cases that securing funding has therefore been problematic.
Since app update goals tend to be moving targets, the overall approach states take to modernization can be another concern.
While periodic reviews of the progress of application modernization initiatives can help speed up the process, reduce the costs involved, and lead to superior results, more than half (55%) of states do not conduct them.
Systems can help ensure updates are made
To be effective, initiatives may need to involve a number of ongoing actions, including system maintenance and enhancement, transition to new platforms or structures, and solution retirement and replacement, depending on NASCIO.
While 69% of states have or plan to implement a documented and consistent application management strategy, 31% currently do not.
Less than half (41%) of states manage application modernization at enterprise level; 45% are modernizing applications through individual initiatives managed by each agency.
However, governance of application investments in an enterprise is one of the modernization best practices identified in NASCIO’s report.
EXPLORE: How demand for digital services is driving IT modernization.
The association’s research also found that 8 out of 10 states that don’t have a detailed application portfolio plan to implement one that spans the entire organization to help them with their planning efforts. .
Business relationship managers can help establish agency application portfolios, according to NASCIO, which also suggests leaders determine a lifecycle for each application and a modernization schedule for each critical application, in addition to a plan. business continuity and disaster recovery.
Training and development, coupled with the onboarding of new IT professionals, can also be critical investments to ensure that staff members and state agencies are able to transition from legacy systems to new modernized versions.
Over time, application monitoring and assessment, according to NASCIO, should become an ongoing function, allowing state governments to keep their technology resources up-to-date on a regular basis, which can ultimately deliver more scalable and reliable assets.
