Why Smart Cities Flip to Community Development Cloud Tech

• Industry: Municipal
• Location: Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
• Number of Employees: 119
• Population: 40,000
• Tyler Client Since: 2013
• Tyler Solution: Enterprise Permitting & Licensing powered by EnerGov™, Enterprise ERP powered by Munis®, Civic Access, Time & Attendance

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Situated between Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, is a coveted town where the local government takes pride in serving the community’s 40,000 residents. It’s also a popular vacation destination; the town’s golf courses and beautiful scenery attract over two million visitors each year.

Challenges

The location is prone to hurricanes, which creates a balancing act for city leaders between growth, community satisfaction, and disaster recovery. Vulnerable on-premises data centers and systems can be lost or damaged during weather-related events, disrupting agency activities while they scramble to restore system connections. “Five months out of the year, we have no control over Mother Nature,” Tommy Sunday, the city’s director of technology & innovation, noted. He discussed the disadvantages of a damaged onpremises data center: “If you need to purchase and install new equipment and restore your data, you are days and possibly weeks from going back online.”

As a longtime client of Tyler Technologies, the town was pleased with the functionality of the Enterprise Permitting & Licensing on-premises platform. They moved to a cloud version to fortify their disaster recovery preparedness.

Solution

Hilton Head Island moved to Tyler’s cloud-based Enterprise Permitting & Licensing software, leveling up its community development and modernizing its disaster recovery preparedness. Some cities are reluctant to replace their onpremises systems, fearing change-related challenges during the transition. Jacob Deuel, assistant technology & innovation director of Hilton Head Island, found that process easy, offering this advice: “As the current direction of software in general, this project almost seems inevitable. Look at your existing cloud and on-premises footprint. Develop a strategy and plan to move forward the best way that works for your organization and business needs.”

Results

Transitioning from on-premises to cloud-based solutions is faster and easier than you think and well worth the initiative. Sunday explained how the cloud version enhanced customer experiences and ensured operational consistency. “Wherever you are, if you have the internet, you can do your job, and citizens also can do what they need to do. That’s the driving motivation for us.” This agile technology avoids the risk of operations coming to a halt, which can drag community experiences to rock-bottom levels.

Hurricanes pose a threat five months out of the year, which turns the coastal appeal of Hilton Head Island into one of their biggest challenges. Tyler’s cloud-based solutions meet that challenge while empowering government staff and constituents with seamless, up-to-date planning and permitting. Sunday articulated how the community benefits from a hosted solution during a natural disaster. “We are issuing building permits for damaged houses or buildings from Tyler’s cloud-based solution, handling that variable. IT can then focus on internal and external customer service.”

Hilton Head Island positioned itself as a modern, proactive municipality by implementing Enterprise Permitting & Licensing, Civic Access, and Enterprise ERP. Coastal communities, often known for their active lifestyles, highlight a need for flexible services. Hilton Head Island’s online portal supports its community with convenient, time-saving technology that delivers vital information to users throughout the process. Deuel said, “With things like Civic Access, we can provide the same level of service that we traditionally provided in person online. That’s the biggest thing. Customers can do everything they’ve always done from the comfort of their home or a local coffee shop.”

Communities enjoy growth, and constituents express diverse technological preferences. Cloud-based technology stands out as the one solution to enhance the customer experience and modernize disaster recovery preparedness. Software as a service-based public sector systems are necessary, and complex operations require technological agility. A cloud solution grants local governments reliability, continuity, and the ability to meet community planning and development demands more seamlessly.