In our efforts to stay current on the GovWebworks blog, we turn to the following gov tech news sources. We appreciate these outlets and resources for their reliable coverage of the changing face of gov tech via magazines, websites, and social media.
1) Government Technology
URL: govtech.com
Founded: 1987
Owner: e.Republic Incorporated
Location: Folsom, CA
The oldest publication on this list was founded in 1987, two years after the release of Windows 1.0. Since then, Government Technology (GovTech) has grown to reach 75,000 in print circulation, with 4.4 million online visitors a year (as of 2016).
Focused on “the smart use of technology in solving state and local government’s priority issues,” GovTech is supported by research from the Center for Digital Government, an advisory institute for information technology policies in state and local government. Other publications owned by e.Republic include TechWire, PublicCIO and Governing, the award-winning magazine acquired in 2009.
While the most popular online articles of 2017 were often disaster related, such as “The Worst is Not Yet Over for Southeast Texas,” Governor Declares, govtech.com also gets attention for trending articles, such as Analytics, AI and Orchestration are Top New Security Topics.
Highlights:
- GovTech 100 – an annual list of companies working with state and local government agencies across the country
- Government Experience Awards – annual award for states, counties, and cities that are “offering citizens more integrated, anticipatory and personalized electronic services”
- Most Popular Cybersecurity Posts for 2017 – Dan Lohrmann, former Chief Security Officer of Michigan, addresses security issues for government agencies
2) StateTech
URL: statetechmagazine.com
Owner: CDW
Location: Vernon Hills, IL
Not to be confused with GovTech, StateTech and its companion publications (BizTech, EdTech, FedTech, and HealthTech) are produced by CDW, an IT company focused on, you guessed it, government, business, education, and healthcare.
The various outlets provide an insider perspective that encourages IT upgrades, for example What It Means to Deal with Outdated IT Infrastructure: From dropped calls to cyberattacks, legacy systems can seriously slow down the speed of government operations.
They also showcase advances being made in state and local IT across the country, such as Kentucky’s New CIO Sets Out to Optimize State IT.
Highlights:
- 50 Must Read State and Local Blogs – an annual list of top blogs for local public sector IT
- White Papers – in analysis of topics such as Building an Effective Mobile Policy
- State by State – topic search via clickable US map
3) StateScoop
URL: statescoop.com
Founded: 2008
Owner: Scoop News Group
Location: Washington DC
Like StateTech, StateScoop has a collection of similarly named companion publications, FedScoop, CyberScoop, and EdScoop. Unlike StateTech, it is owned by Scoop News Group, a public sector media company. Topics are more newsy than rose colored, such as Maryland recoups $81 million from botched Medicaid system upgrade.
Monthly impressions for the four outlets average 300,000, or 3.6 million annually, with 180,000 daily email newsletter subscribers. The dailyscoop enewsletter provides a useful summary of top StateScoop articles and events for quick review.
Highlights:
- People – a listing of top state government IT leaders, budgets, and strategy
- StateScoop 50 Awards – honoring state government IT executives and projects
- FedTalks – annual meeting of tech and government IT leaders and speakers
4) NextGov
URL: nextgov.com
Owner: Atlantic Media
Location: Washington, DC
With a mission to “lead the national discussion about how technology and innovation are transforming the way government agencies serve citizens and perform vital functions,” NetGov covers topics relating to data, cybersecurity, emerging tech, and IT modernization.
Coverage to extends to broader government issues as they relate to tech, such as Cryptojacking Scheme Affects U.S. And U.K. Government Websites and Protest Filed on $7 Million DOD Cloud Support Contract.
Under the Government Executive Media Group umbrella, companion publications include Government Executive, Defense One (national security issues), and Route Fifty (state and local government) with 1.7 million unique engagers a month. Also owned by Atlantic Media are The Atlantic, Quartz and National Journal.
Highlights:
5) Agile Gov Leadership
URL: agilegovleaders.org/news/
Founded: 2014
Owner: CivicActions
Location: Berkeley, CA
While AGL is not a media company, their news page offers a curated and relevant roundup of agile-focused gov tech articles and videos produced by other outlets. Similar to Flipboard, the articles are summarized on the AGL site with a link to the originating publication, for example, Local governments use online portal to share digital transformation projects refers to an article by Government Technology.
Sponsored by CivicActions, the mission is unabashedly to promote agile in the public sector, but the approach is bipartisan. A list of featured Agile Champions and AGL Live monthly panel discussions include experts from various agencies around the country.
Highlights:
- Agile Government Handbook – overview of history, best practices, and future direction of agile in government
- Agile Champions – consultants for agile methods in the public sector
- AGL Live – monthly panel discussions with leaders in government innovation
Summary
As the saying goes, the only constant (in the technology sector) is change. Remember when the next big thing was how we listened to music? The transition from phonograph (1877) to record player (1895) to cassette deck (1964) to Walkman (1979) to CD player (1982) to iPod (2001) took well over a century. These days, similar transitions take a decade or two. For example, the iPod (2001) to iPhone (2007) to Homepod (2018). While the public sector may lag behind the private, government technology is never more current than today.
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