When New Mexico CIO Darryl Ackley looks at what the next big thing in gov tech might be, he first points to some of the bigger buzzwords, like blockchain and its potential uses for constituent engagement and transactional systems. But more practically, he sees digital convergence as the next place his state is going in terms of using tech to push government forward.
At the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) Midyear conference in Baltimore, Ackley pointed to New Mexico’s work around improving and consolidating their public safety program, including bringing emergency communication to one central place.
But in a state like New Mexico, Ackley explained, with its capital in one of the country’s oldest cities, implementing high-tech solutions comes with some old-school challenges, like replacing copper wiring with more converged, modern infrastructure.
Lauren Kinkade is the managing editor for Government Technology magazine. She has a degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and more than 15 years’ experience in book and magazine publishing.
