Overheard at CIO Academy: 5 Pain Points Facing State and Local CIOs

There were A LOT of conversations happening at the California Public Sector CIO Academy* in Sacramento last week. The surprising amount of candor from the spectrum of public technology officials made for some interesting notes from the Industry Insider team on the ground.

Here are the takeaways we gathered that could help private-sector teams navigate what’s next:

Organizational Alignment — The star of the show this year was the California Department of Technology’s Envision 2026 strategic plan. It’s not new, having been in play since 2024, but there is a big push underway to bring agencies and departments in line with that broader vision. State CIO Liana Bailey-Crimmins, Deputy CIO Jared Johnson and others talked at length about the program and some of the challenges that come with trying to align IT practices across all departments. Those looking to do business with the state would be wise to familiarize themselves with the plan and make sure that the products or services they are bringing to the table fit the broader goals of what officials are calling “E26.” County officials voiced similar challenges in creating a collaborative and aligned organization. Mark Thomas, CIO of San Joaquin County, said during a panel discussion on data governance and ethics that his organization is working to mature data practices across the business units in a way that complies with the law and builds value for public stakeholders.

Legacy Modernization — Multiple officials throughout the two-day event talked about the challenges of modernizing their legacy systems — no shocker there — but they focused mostly on the implications that delayed modernization is having on their long-term technology strategy. Technologies, like generative AI, are not as useful or accurate when plugged into old systems with poorly structured data sets. This concern was voiced by officials ranging from giants like the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to several counties and even to some vendors working in the space. The ability to successfully modernize the sort of systems in play within state government is not cheap or easy, and constraints around budgets, organizational alignments and competing priorities are the major stumbling blocks, officials said. The Envision 2026 plan could be a useful resource for those looking to get a pulse on where the state’s priorities are in this realm.

Resources Deserts — SPOILER ALERT! Government IT folks are constantly looking for the money they need to run their operations. Who knew? One of the many sessions the Industry Insider team attended touched on the need to adopt a “minus mentality” in this area. Robert O’Brien, the CIO for California Correctional Health Care Services, urged attendees to critically examine their programs to find areas where new tech could take over — making cuts to programs that may have outlived their viability in favor of more modern technology. Another resounding point of discussion was around “begging, borrowing and stealing” ideas from partner agencies and departments to address common problems.

Staffing and Retention — Like concerns around integrating new technologies into old systems, integrating new technologies into the existing workforce was an issue raised several times throughout the conference. IT leaders were acutely aware that all of the technology in the world wouldn’t get them any closer to their goals if their staff weren’t prepared to take full advantage of it. One speaker used the example of the change from physical to digital medical records, which initially raised eyebrows and objections from legacy physicians, but ultimately resulted in streamlined processes and better data. The other conversation happening throughout the conference was about the opportunity to recruit recently released federal talent that would adapt quickly to the state IT space and the bureaucracy surrounding it.

Emerging Tech — While concerns about cost, integration and security dominated the conversation surrounding new technologies, there was also concern about technologies just over the horizon — namely, quantum computing. The technology threatens to upend traditional cryptography methods — potentially rendering that clever password with your pet’s name, birthday and a special character useless — while simultaneously offering the sort of computing power most of us can only imagine at this juncture.

*Note: The California Public Sector CIO Academy is presented by Government Technology, a sister publication of Industry Insider — California. Both are part of e.Republic.