Government agencies have a lot to consider when choosing a cloud partner: data storage, cybersecurity, and accessibility to data for government workers and private-sector partners. All of these functions that are imperative to modern governance and only growing more important are built on the cloud software solution for government that you choose.
Fortunately, there are innovative government cloud solutions like Azure for Government that are built to be cyber secure and accessible for government employees. It's the reason that GovPilot has partnered with Microsoft Azure for its cloud-based municipal software solution.
Follow along for everything you need to know about Azure for Government and how it helps to overcome key government challenges like cybersecurity and data privacy.
What is the Azure Government Cloud?
The Microsoft Azure Cloud for Government is a Gov Cloud platform for federal, state, and local government departments to store data over the Internet. As explained by Microsoft on its Azure for Local Governments page, the software will, “improve citizen services and empower data-driven decisions with the broadest range of commercial innovation for government.”
Azure allows for government entities to harness digital data storage with regular backups, high-standard cybersecurity protocols, and data analytics for informed decision making.
Municipal and county departments can additionally tap into GovPilot, which is powered by Azure, to take these benefits even further with government software solutions for every department to automate workflows and move permit, license, and inspection forms online.
Learn more about the Benefits of the Government Cloud and How it Works.
What are the Benefits of Azure for Government?
Government agencies at every level use the Azure cloud. Learn more about the benefits of the product (and how GovPilot can expand on every benefit for local governments nationwide.)
Cloud-Based Government Data Storage
Azure is a gov cloud platform, meaning that government entities can move away from on-site servers and paper-based filing of critical government data.
When you onboard government software, forms for businesses, citizens, and internal workflows like municipal asset management are digitized, meaning that whenever a citizen files a permit or license application or a government official files a public record, the records and related documents are immediately stored online and accessible for relevant government officials.
Here is more information about Why the Cloud is Better Than Physical Computer Servers for Municipalities.
Why is GovPilot Your Ideal Public Records Technology Partner?
In addition to leveraging Azure for Government to store your municipality’s records in the cloud, GovPilot makes it easy for government officials to quickly access important data and documents.
Every GovPilot customer gets access to a government GIS map, which automatically stores public records associated with a particular address on the map, allowing municipal workers to access property records in a matter of seconds. Public record request software allows OPRA requests to be filled in a moment's time!
Learn more about GIS in Government: The Full Benefits for Municipalities.
Cyber Secure Digital Governance
Public sector cybersecurity continues to be increasingly essential to government continuity as hacking techniques advance and government entities continue to make a digital transformation. State and federal laws continue to put the pressure on government entities to keep public data and government digital infrastructure secure.
The Azure Gov Cloud was, “built exclusively for classified [government] data” to prioritize security for all levels of government; from federal government entities to municipalities. Government data is regularly backed-up to ensure public entities retain access to critical data permanently. Government compliance standards set by law are met by the cloud platform.
With its design for software-as-a-service (SaaS) platforms for governments like GovPilot to operate from, your local government can improve citizen services and employee workflows without a fear of losing critical data.
Here are Lessons Learned From Real-Life Government Data Breaches.
How GovPilot Takes Cybersecurity a Step Further
GovPilot partnered with Azure for Government because of its high cybersecurity standards and regular data back-ups. But because GovPilot provides digital permitting software, online inspection forms, and business registration software modules (in addition to hundreds of other other internal and citizen-facing forms) in a cloud-based capacity, our team recognizes the importance of taking cybersecurity protocols even further.
In exploring GovPilot’s Security Overview, you’ll see that the government software platform offers:
- Data encryption in transit and rest
- Robust access controls
- Remote disaster recovery infrastructure for disaster management
In its commitment to security, the platform also performs regular penetration testing, security awareness training, and third-party audits to ensure that GovPilot remains secure and a safe government IT management platform for municipalities and counties.
Data Analytics for Informed Decision-Making
Government strategic planning is a lot easier when you have tangible data to tap into about your citizens. With Azure and the digitization of citizen and municipal services, your local government can collect real-time data on the happenings in your community.
Azure government analytics allows for, “enterprise-grade data models in the cloud. Use advanced mashup and modeling features to combine data from multiple data sources, define metrics, and secure your data in a single, trusted tabular semantic data model. The data model provides an easier and faster way for users to perform ad hoc data analysis.”
How Does GovPilot Help Municipalities Manage Data Analytics?
Government analytics are essential for making decisions at the community level. Since GovPilot incorporates all application forms into your government website design, your municipality can collect data on which forms are being submitted most and least, where municipal revenue is being generated, and more to inform what services need to be prioritized.
With GovPilot’s report a concern software, you can also receive complaints about non-emergency issues from your citizens directly from the GovAlert mobile app or your government website. Data direct from your customers on what issues matter to them makes it substantially easier to prioritize how to allocate your government budget and keep citizens happy to get re-elected as a government official. Learn more about How Citizens Can Report Issues to Their Local Government.
What Workflows Can Local Governments Move Digital With the Cloud?
Municipal leaders and employees are dealing with and thinking about their constituents constantly. Fortunately, government software in the cloud makes it easier to improve public-facing workflows like filing applications as well as government workflows behind-the-scenes.
Governments that have partnered with GovPilot call out the following services as fundamental to their day-to-day operations:
- Government payment processing from government websites: allow citizens to make payments for code violations, application fees, etc. digitally using a debit or credit card. GovPilot integrates with 3rd party vendors, meaning you have a long list of prominent government processing partners to choose from.
- Digital pet licensing: keep track of cats and dogs in your neighborhood to ensure they’ve got proper shots and to keep animal control has up to date data. Generate recurring revenue from application fees.
- Online public record request fulfillment: Track down records for public records for citizens in moments. Collect data on which public records are being requested.
- Landlord registration and vacant property management: everyone from the housing department to the economic development department can keep track of where citizens are living, which neighborhoods have blight, etc.
Keep in mind, GovPilot has 125+ government software modules for every local government department. Municipalities can get started with cloud-based data storage with anywhere from 5 modules in a particular department to an unlimited pricing plan for GovPilot with cloud access for every department.
To get started on moving your data to the Azure Government Cloud, plus reap additional benefits of automation and digital transformation as a locality, choose GovPilot by booking a free 15-minute consultation.
Azure Gov Cloud FAQs
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What is the Azure Gov Cloud
The Azure Cloud for Government is Microsoft’s cloud-service for federal, state, and local US government agencies. The Internet-based data storage for government is meant to move government entities with antiquated paper-based record storage fully online, keep data cyber secure by going above and beyond federal and state compliance standards, and offer insightful analytics for better government decision-making.
Software platforms like GovPilot can be built on the Azure Cloud for Government, allowing local governments to take the benefits of the cloud a step further.
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Why Did GovPilot Partner with Azure for Government?
GovPilot offers cloud-based public sector software to municipalities and counties to digitize municipal services and save localities time and money on government workflows. GovPilot chose Microsoft Azure for Government as its cloud storage partner because of the customized platform Microsoft built to accommodate government entities with its cyber secure platform, functionality from the field using government mobile devices, and ability to quickly onboard local governments to operate from the cloud.
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What is the Difference Between Azure for Government & Commercial Azure (Azure global)
Microsoft’s Gov Cloud is stored on completely different servers from its private-sector offering, meaning that only U.S. government based data is stored on the Azure for Government server. Additionally, given the sensitive nature of the data being held by the government, as well as tight compliance standards for government, Azure’s government servers are highly secure.
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How Does Government Software Help in Prominent Municipal Departments?
Any local government department can leverage cloud-based municipal software. Here are common ways that GovPilot customers leverage software built on Azure for government:
- City Administration Software: collect data on where money is coming in and going out with data analytics. Get direct access to data from all of the departments you oversee.
- Code Enforcement Software: Issue fines from the field. Pull up national and local codes in real-time from a phone or tablet. Collect data on the most common types of fines being issued and where they issues are occurring.
- Clerk’s Department Software: fulfill public record requests in moments. Offer simple online application forms for citizens so administrative officials spend less time helping citizens file paperwork in-person.
- Health Department Software: Meet HIPAA government standards with secure storage of public health data. Perform health inspections from the field with GovInspect digital forms. Set up health testing, analyze virus outbreaks, etc. using an intuitive GIS map for health departments.
- Government IT Department Software: Move away from disorganized IT issue reporting with digital IT ticketing for governments. Issues are submitted virtually through GovPilot and timestamped to ensure tech bugs don’t get overlooked.
Sources
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/analysis-services/analysis-services-overview
- https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/explore/global-infrastructure/government/state-and-local/
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-government/compare-azure-government-global-azure
- https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/explore/global-infrastructure/government/national-security
