Connect General Session Highlights
April 27, 2021 by Meredith Trimble
Connect’s more than 600 training sessions began in full swing this afternoon. Attendees first gathered in product-based general sessions to review the lessons of the past year and get a first glimpse of exciting new ways to make their jobs easier and achieve their goals.
These forward-looking general sessions set the tone, not only for the conference but also for the year ahead, with energy, optimism, and practical ways to streamline efforts and achieve success. Below are just a few of the many highlights.
Public Administration
Public administration attendees do important behind-the-scenes work in government, including leveraging resources to deliver the services that create safe, livable, and thriving communities. The solutions they use work across departments, connecting the dots to provide efficient workflow, data-sharing, and transparency.
ERP
- Munis®
Chris Webster, president of Tyler’s ERP Division, was on hand to celebrate the many Munis client successes of the past year and to express gratitude for the perseverance both clients and staff showed. Looking forward, Webster detailed his team’s commitment to continue to provide applications that best serve client needs. Much of this work includes developing technology that allows clients to put community first by streamlining back-office processes, providing self-service support tools, and connecting community-facing applications.
These community-first, self-service initiatives are designed to equally empower residents, vendors, and employees with new cloud-based access applications.
The session also celebrated the 2021 Munis and Tyler EAM Tyler Excellence Award (TEA) winners. Congratulations to Tulsa, Oklahoma; Santa Monica, California; New Castle County, Delaware; and Benton County, Oregon!
- Incode®
Attendees heard from Aaron Kelley, general manager of Incode, about the cloud and its benefits, including reduced technology and infrastructure costs, increased security, and a simplified user experience. The move to the cloud is simple and can be done on an accelerated timeline without training, conversion, or change to existing businesses practices. New cloud functionality for clients can be delivered over time and in a way and pace that makes life easier.
While cloud functionality holds the promise of strengthening the back office, Kelley and his teammates also showcased new ways to make it easier to engage with customers and vendors. One way is through AP Automation, which digitizes the accounts payable process and delivers faster payments to vendors. Additionally, enhancements to the online customer service portal allow utility customers to conduct business anytime, anywhere.
Congratulations to TEA winner Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, who went completely paperless and 100% remote during the coronavirus pandemic, even in the middle of an annual audit.
- Infinite Visions®
Infinite Visions clients explored the same cloud benefits and process overview with Vice President of Sales Steve Wittbrodt. Another key highlight was the chance to learn about access to new or enhanced product features, including InBalance, Fixed Assets, and Applicant Tracking.
Session leaders discussed the latest in up-to-date, secure technology solutions, including AP Automation’s Employee Onboarding and the new Employee Access self-service portal. Attendees got an overview of the latest acquisition to Tyler’s school portfolio: ReadySub, an innovative substitute management solution.
In a fun moment, 2021 TEA winner Glendale Elementary School District in Arizona made a cameo appearance during recognition for its efficient processes during the pandemic year.
Civic Services
This session welcomed EnerGov™ users who heard Greg Savard, vice president and general manager of Tyler’s Civic Services Division, talk about the beginning of a new era. A key message centered around the important step of transitioning production environments from Silverlight to HTML5, known as EnerGov Apps. Featured early adopter HTML users included Boulder, Colorado; Encinitas and Los Angeles, California; and Marco Island, Florida.
Other highlights focused on virtual solutions including understanding the impact of the shift to online business. Electronic reviews and citizen self-service offered significant value for clients during the pandemic and will continue to be important into the future. Electronic reviews, for example, allow staff to work from home easily and without having to manually route paper from person to person. In citizen self-service, 200 original client ideas submitted in Tyler Community led to 40 new features.
In offering virtual services, it can be difficult when something is submitted incorrectly online. Decision Engine™ will address this by focusing on getting each user to the right place, whether they are applying for a permit, renewing a license, or entering other information.
The session concluded with congratulations to TEA winners Temecula, California, and McKinney, Texas.
Appraisal & Tax/Land & Official Records
True highlights of the afternoon were presentations by association partners Property Records Industry Association (PRIA) and International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO). Jerry Lewallen, PRIA president, talked about the transition to the virtual world and the challenges of modern record keeping and redaction of personal information, noting 87% of the U.S. population lives in communities that use electronic recording. IAAO Executive Director Debra McGuire and IAAO President Greg McHenry spoke to their organization’s transition to online learning and virtual events with Tyler’s support of their new recording studio and upcoming county valuation project.
The session also revealed significant product investments to continue modernizing applications and increase integration. These investments include Tyler cross-product identity service and multi-factor authentication, cloud-efficient refactoring, Tyler cross-product Contacts and Parties solution integration, an enhanced MRA market module with added Spatial/Gradient Boosting, and Simple Field Routing and support for Laser Measurement technology with Field Mobile™.
Orion™ and iasWorld® users learned how to improve back-office efficiency and explored opportunities to expand citizen services with Open Assessment and other new options. Attendees saw new offerings for analytics in action, including Assessment Connect for internal insight and citizen-facing Open Assessment, along with an exciting preview of Virtual Appeals.
Congratulations to TEA winners DeKalb County, Georgia; Orion – Fort Bend CAD, Texas; and Washtenaw County, Michigan; who were recognized and celebrated for their scalable, innovative successes.
K-12 Education
Tyler school solution users leverage integrated technology to bridge the silos of information between their departments: from the classroom to the business office to the transportation department and even the superintendent’s office.
Tyler Student Information Systems
Attendees in this session looked back at product investments over the last two years, including features created in response to the COVID-19 crisis such as the health surveys in the e-Forms tool and new contact tracing functionality.
A look forward included Tyler’s renewed commitment to the next-generation user interface development as well as a discussion of where student information fits into the broader Connected Communities Vision. Attendees also learned more about the ReadySub acquisition, which brings software that helps districts track teacher absences and schedule substitute instructors from a pool of qualified subs that can be integrated into existing payroll systems.
Student Transportation
Key areas of focus in this session were data accessibility, data connectivity, and data usability. Data should be easy to find, should be shareable between the many technology systems on and off the bus, and should be able to be surfaced for insights and analytics. The South Carolina state dashboard provided a compelling example of how a state can roll up data from each district for reporting and analysis.
Presenters also announced the Tyler Onboard API platform and partner program, which links together every element of school bus IoT to take the burden of integration off of district leaders. With the integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS), districts using Tyler’s transportation management solutions can access and utilize data from stop arm cameras, GPS devices, student information systems, and more.
Courts & Justice
Courts and justice software users are at the heart of data-sharing in the justice system, connecting courts, prosecutors, and public defenders, as well as jails, auditors, inspectors general, police departments, and supervision offices.
- Incode Court®
Riley Miles, general manager for Municipal Courts, took attendees on a journey of technology transition leading into the future and including the cloud. In particular, the cloud offers court systems a persona-based approach for users such as judges and prosecutors as well as continuous value and court as a service with 100% web-enabled state reporting administration.
Attendees also examined why cybersecurity is important to them with a look at the full cybersecurity lifecycle and discussion around cyber resiliency and being prepared.
Congratulations to the City of Victoria Municipal Court, Texas, for the TEA win! Attendees and Tyler are looking forward to a court and citizen-focused future together.
- Odyssey®
Tyler’s Courts & Justice Division President, Rusty Smith, noted while 2020 tested our justice systems, they rose to the challenge. As we move forward, reopening presents new challenges and a “Respond – Recover – Reimagine” framework can help.
What lies ahead for courts includes ensuring any changes in interactions with the justice system are digitally accessible and equitable for all parties involved. The road ahead is also mapped by a new version of the Electronic Court Maturity Model. Attendees examined evolving alternatives to in-court procedures including paperless processes with other justice partners via a new justice partner platform and electronic warrants.
Public Safety
Public Safety’s future includes increased mobility with added ShieldForce® and CrewForce® functionalities. In a fun highlight, TEA winner Pleasanton Police Department, California, was on hand to share its ShieldForce success.
Advancements in report writing are also on the horizon to facilitate work from anywhere, including on phones, tablets, or desktops, whether online or off. Information can be synchronized between devices in real time, allowing users to jot down, for example, a description of stolen property on a phone and then complete remaining details later in the car.
Analytics was also a key topic in the session. Public Safety Insights, dashboards, and link analysis provide provide transparency and help drive the data-driven strategies necessary for future success.
Regulatory & Platform Alliance Partners
Kris Collo, Federal Division president and Brian Combs, Federal Division senior vice president and general manager emphasized the continued advancement of the division’s flagship Entellitrak case management platform as well as the solutions built on it. Combs discussed enhancements to the platform and additions to the product tool kit as well as new application accelerators such as Freedom of Information Act and Anti-Harassment.
Collo noted how the Platform Alliance partner community is an indispensable part of the team, comprising innovative and admired technology integrators and implementation partners who develop and implement Entellitrak-based solutions. In fact, partner organization Chainbridge Solutions was announced as the Federal Tyler Excellence Award winner for 2021.
Looking ahead, Collo spoke to the division’s ability to bring new products to market quickly, providing even more value to the partner ecosystem. A comprehensive suite of applications that are integrated and extensible will connect local, state, and federal government applications and data.
Data & Insights
Though Data & Insight’s session comes later in the Connect schedule, attendees across all product groups are eager to hear about Recovery Insights. In this upcoming session, Franklin Wiliams, Data & Insights Division president, will talk about how state and local governments have a once-in-a-generation chance to create a more resilient, equitable future. In a context of a public health crisis, disrupted economy, and important calls for social justice, it’s important to remember how data can help in response. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; the State of Connecticut, Buffalo, New York; and the City of San Francisco provide inspiring examples.