Key Takeaways From the NACo Conference 2024
July 31, 2024 by Jade Champion
The 2024 National Association of Counties (NACo) Annual Conference & Exposition hosted county leaders from more than 3,000 U.S. counties and offered workshops lifting up county best practices, engaging sessions with topics on modernizing digital infrastructure and use cases for artificial intelligence (AI), and policy steering committees designed to strengthen local government. Tyler Technologies, a NACo corporate partner, was on-site to capture key takeaways from the conference.
Takeaway 1: Modernization is Critical to Scalable, Secure, Successful County Governments.
Modern technology solutions are essential for keeping pace with change in counties and elevating their services for residents. At Tyler, nearly 90% of new clients opt for cloud technology compared with 50% in 2018. The benefits of cloud applications include improved scalability, reliable security, IT efficiency, hardware savings, and access to the latest advancements. The cloud‘s ability to optimize internal operations and enhance community engagement is a powerful combination. Throughout the conference, county leaders shared their modernization journeys and the benefits they have seen updating legacy infrastructure.
Takeaway 2: AI Technologies Can Support The County Workforce.
AI is a growing solution to many bottlenecks counties face. Introducing AI into your team empowers your current workforce to focus on larger, more impactful needs rather than repetitive, time-consuming tasks. At this year‘s conference, NACo formally released the AI County Compass — a comprehensive guide from the AI Exploratory Committee, of which Tyler was a founding partner. The AI County Compass will serve as a reference for county leaders who seek strategies for future-proofing local governments and using AI to transform operations. Already, more than 75% of county officials and staff use AI tools at work and in their personal lives. Sessions and demos during the conference focused on AI applications in property valuation, document understanding, e-filing, and more. As the guidance says, “the genie is out of the bottle,” and NACo is poised to help counties take advantage of this exciting moment in technology.
Takeaway 3: Find a Technology Partner You Can Count On.
When it comes to implementing new technology and migrating to the cloud, counties require a trusted partner. On the expo floor and throughout sessions, we saw examples of partnerships between counties and private sector companies, helping to streamline the change management of their modernization goals. During the preconference CIO Forum, officials from DeKalb County, Georgia, shared their experience moving to the cloud and expanding their use of a case management platform with Tyler — powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) — as their technology partner. DeKalb’s move enhanced operational efficiency and freed up valuable human resources to work on higher-priority items. “Some of the lessons I’d share with other counties or jurisdictions that are considering moving to SaaS [Software-as-a-Service] is really the communication. We had so many different departments — courts and jails — using Enterprise Justice. Bring everyone together, make sure you have a clear method of communication, a system for reporting issues, regular meetings, and document your current process to make sure that they are included when you move to SaaS," said Cynthia Moran, IT manager, DeKalb County, Georgia.
Some of the lessons I’d share with other counties or jurisdictions that are considering moving to SaaS is really the communication. We had so many different departments — courts and jails — using Enterprise Justice. Bring everyone together, make sure you have a clear method of communication, a system for reporting issues, regular meetings, and document your current process to make sure that they are included when you move to SaaS.
Cynthia Moran
IT manager, DeKalb County, Georgia
Together, Tyler and AWS empower counties like DeKalb, in a scalable, secure cloud environment, to meet their evolving organizational needs.
Tyler is proud to partner with NACo in our shared commitment to supporting innovative, sustainable county government. Learn more about the Tyler and NACo partnership.