Connected Government in Action

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Connected Government in Action In a world of nonstop mobility and big data, managing new information challenges is critical to the success of private or public sector organization. Connected government means different things to different agencies, but ultimately it’s all about boosting efficiency, effectiveness, and collaboration. Connected agencies successfully leverage technology-fueled strengths to boost internal productivity and drive better results for citizens, while optimizing their IT infrastructure in preparation for tomorrow’s demands.

Intel Inside®. Powerful Data Center Outside.

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A Tipping Point: Transforming Agency Service Delivery Many government agencies have already made technology critical to the way they deliver constituent services and now stand at a crossroads. New ideas from big data to the Internet of Things are compelling, but the immediate challenge to agency IT remain the more foundational issues of capacity, efficiency, and consolidation. It takes strong IT leadership to manage the balance between innovative and operational, keeping the agency moving forward while ensuring infrastructure stays scalable, sustainable, and secure. While each and every agency is in the process of transformation, changes in population and priorities are putting healthcare, public safety, and transportation at the center of the discussion around how technology can drive more connected government. These

It takes IT leadership to manage the balance between innovative and operational.


Information versus data Information is data with a purpose and some context. Data collection is becoming easier, but the next wave depends on turning that data into actionable insight: moving from raw measurements to relevant information.

functional areas are also significant because of the focus on interagency collaboration, where systems and solutions will impact other agencies and organizations. • Population shifts and new political and regulatory mandates are forcing health and human services agencies to build and secure an increasingly long, always-evolving information supply chain. • Law enforcement agencies are dealing with the deluge of data captured, stored, and shared by public safety measures like body cameras, even as policymakers argue about their effectiveness. • Transportation agencies are increasingly relying on solutions that gather, grow, and output information in order to create new solutions and retrofit aging infrastructure for 21st century transportation realities.

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Health and Human Services: Securing the Information Supply Chain The healthcare information supply chain is a complex network of organizations and priorities, traditionally held together by manual and people-intensive processes. Managing the interagency flow of information can be especially difficult given compliance constraints, adding yet another obstacle to an already steep challenge.

an increasingly interconnected network environment, it’s critical that they deploy IT solutions that eliminate risk and protect data while supporting mission-critical goals.

New mandates, standards, and legislation that impact the life sciences and healthcare industry are now in full swing. Starting with the Affordable Care Act (ACA), these programs have dramatically increased expectations on health and human services agencies. This alone makes technology a necessity for optimum service delivery.

The fight against healthcare fraud is another area where HHS agencies are leading efforts to usher in IT driven innovation in collaboration with the private sector. Last year, according to the House Ways and Means Committee’s Oversight Subcommittee, the federal government lost $124.7 billion in fraudulent healthcare payments. Medicare fraud accounted for about half, or a staggering $60 billion, of the losses.2

GROWTH IN DEMAND

Along with the exponential rise in data comes the need for confidentiality.


For 2014-24, health spending is projected to grow at an average rate of 5.8 percent per year — a growth rate that is 1.1 percent faster than the GDP over the same period.1 The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS) forecasts a 5.5 percent growth for state and local government health spending this year. Improving economic conditions, ACA coverage expansions, and an aging population all contribute to accelerating spending. As a result, the volume of HHS-related data that’s currently in circulation, as well as data that’s expected to accumulate, is daunting. Along with the exponential rise in data comes the need for confidentiality, integrity, and availability. As HHS agencies adapt to

FIGHTING FRAUD

In order to fight fraudulent claims for benefits and secure legitimate claims data, HHS agencies are implementing state-of-the-art fraud detection technology to screen providers and enrollees. They need robust IT solutions that enable secure, real-time data exchanges, including all required compute and storage resources, while also ensuring air-tight information security. These IT modernization efforts include updating eligibility and Medicaid systems and processes and enabling automated child welfare information systems. The overall focus is making systems more modular and interoperable, combining cutting-edge tools with traditional enterprise-grade systems.

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DOING MORE FOR LESS Traveling away from the office and working in the field is the norm for a significant number of HHS employees. This includes social services workers, nursing home inspectors, food and drug inspectors, and child care licensing staff who need to stay productive wherever they go. Providing employees with solutions that ensure easy, secure mobility is key to driving productivity gains and service delivery.

Top Trends in HHS Cloud-Based Health Applications 46%

2012 2014

74%

Average Server Reduction Through Virtualization 2012 2014

18% 68%

Open Data 66%

2012 2014

94%

Mobile-Enabled Websites 84%

2012 2014

98%

As easy as it sounds, funding challenges make every good idea a little more complicated. Budgets are frequently cut, and agencies must make difficult choices that often result in increased caseloads and workloads for frontline and supervisory staff. In the last two years, 31 percent of states report their caseload has increased between 6 and 25 percent. While agencies are caught between mandates on security, modernization and their mission to better serve constituents, only IT has the expertise to ensure each dollar is invested with precision and purpose. This makes their choices for technology partners more important than ever.

HOW LENOVO CAN HELP

Mobile Apps 76%

2012 2014

88%

SOURCE: 2014 Digital States Survey


Lenovo’s ongoing work with our HHS-focused customers gives us unique insights into operating in a carefully regulated environment. With a broad portfolio of data center and endpoint device solutions, Lenovo® products and services help agencies make good on their mission with citizens and communities. Lenovo solutions drive opportunities for connecting HHS agency users, stakeholders, and communities in new ways. From dependable telecommuting to harnessing the latest in HPC efficiencies in or out of the cloud, Lenovo helps agencies think like businesses in order to deliver on consumer expectations around services. By balancing

mobility, performance, and cost, Lenovo brings a broad portfolio of innovative computing options to HHS agencies looking to align their IT strengths to a connected government framework. Ultralight endpoints like the Lenovo ThinkPad® series laptops are especially well-suited for the mobility agencies need to make good on their mission. Agencies frequently rely on these solutions for interruption-free work in the field, where mobility and reliability are crucial to the task at hand. Much like its portfolio of desktop and laptop solutions powered by Intel® processors, Lenovo’s line of ThinkServer® and System x data center products offer breakthrough performance while controlling costs and improving efficiency. Lenovo’s server, storage, and networking products offer powerful, scalable choices for agencies seeking maximum infrastructure efficacy along with robust remote management and recovery options. From agency data center to the streets of every community in America, HHS agencies are dedicated to continuously improving the health of people and the nation. Lenovo can help these agencies build solutions that increase the reach and scope of the important work of connected government in action.

Case Study New York City Health and Human Services needed a laptop solution for emergency preparedness and response. With power not always available and response situations occurring in a variety of outdoor and indoor environments, long battery life, ruggedness, and mobile broadband were must-haves. Using the Lenovo ThinkPad X250, users get 20 hours of battery life, lightweight portability, and — most importantly — the freedom to focus on the situation at hand without having to worry about finding a place to plug in.

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Public Safety: Navigating the Challenge of Real-Time Information

Geospatial technology is the top IT priority in city and county public safety.


As citizens and communities demand safety and security, public safety agencies are working to combine time-tested strategies and priorities with state-of-the-art technology resources. New ideas can’t come soon enough, as risks to public safety are also quickly evolving.

mobile devices, geospatial technology, protection, business intelligence and continuity solutions, and offender management systems.

According to the Center for Digital Government, public safety and justice will spend an estimated $7.3 billion on technology in 2015. The entire public safety and justice budget is estimated to account for 7 percent of state and local spending — a number likely to increase.

Geospatial technology is the top IT priority in city and county public safety across the nation. Studies by the Geospatial Information and Technology Association show that the market for geospatial technology is growing at 35 percent annually.

Yet many agencies find themselves at a crossroads today. Nearly one-half of the nation’s public safety agencies operate communications systems that are more than 10 years old and are now considered obsolete. Outdated equipment curtails the ability of public safety agencies to provide effective public safety services.4 Although new investments like FirstNet are helping provide a stronger backbone for communication, there is a still a lot of work to be done.

The technology is being used for public safety tasks such as suspicious activity reporting, threat assessment, community notification, and 911 dispatch and management. In order to apply accumulated data to public safety and law enforcement initiatives, an IT infrastructure that includes robust storage, database, and server technologies is imperative.

Since communication today is about more than just voice, data demands are growing exponentially — from the footage accumulated by police body cameras to national records systems designed for constant, 24/7, interagency collaboration. Unfortunately, new threats and the new IT challenges they create don’t always come with the budget needed to confront them. While IT spend is complicated by newer ideas like drones and body cameras, agencies are still struggling with the basics — including

GEOSPATIAL POSSIBILITIES

POLICY AND TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES: BODY CAM DEPLOYMENTS SOAR Interest in body camera technology has jumped dramatically in the last year due to a string of high-profile police shootings that grabbed public attention. Many states and municipalities are looking at legislation that mandates the technology. President Obama has asked Congress to fund a community policing initiative that includes 50,000 body cameras.5

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A 50-person force equipped with body cameras would generate 360GB of data a day; that’s

10TB a month.

Body cameras provide many of the same advantages as in-car cameras, including police accountability and transparency. The International Association for Chiefs of Police (IACP) found that 93 percent of citizen complaints against police are dismissed when video evidence is available.6 While at this time about a third of the nation’s 18,000 police departments are using body cameras, managing all the hours of footage poses several challenges. Data storage and management remains the most complex aspect of a body camera program. Body cameras create serious storage challenges.7 The solution lies in deploying an easy-to-manage IT infrastructure that is robust enough to handle both storing the data and making it actionable when required.

HOW LENOVO CAN HELP Lenovo provides public safety with robust and responsive storage, server, and computing platforms that help them respond to real-time information needs with confidence. Lenovo’s portfolio of solutions, from efficient rack servers to dense, converged systems ready for high-performance computing, improve agency efficiencies and business intelligence to stay better connected with citizens. While public safety agencies are keen to tap into emerging technologies, their IT infrastructures continue to be challenged by outdated communication systems, isolated databases, and unrefined IT processes. The IT infrastructure must be updated to support both the database and the device — one without the other is useless. Lenovo ThinkServer and System x solutions offer the perfect platform for agencies looking to build a future-ready server infrastructure while staying cost-conscious and secure. Similarly, Lenovo’s Flex System™ portfolio of blade servers, storage, and


networking options can meet the densest, highest performance computing needs of public safety today. Once out of the data center, agency users need endpoints that are up to the challenge of 24/7 government duty. From compute-intensive ThinkStation® workstations to exciting new ThinkCentre® desktop formats that bring maximum PC power to new places while using 50 percent less energy, and your data infrastructure is complete. From command centers to cruiser consoles, mobile technology makes public safety and justice functions better. Lenovo’s portfolio of rugged tablets and convertible solutions give first responders and others instant access to the information they need, delivered with durability they can depend on. Many of these devices can easily mount on the handlebars of motorcycles or in patrol cars, with a tough design backed by even tougher information security. For agencies using geospatial technology, solutions such as Lenovo ThinkStation workstations offer superior performance and enable faster and more precise work with critical GIS and media tools. As more and more public safety agencies move to consolidate server investments through virtualization and cloud initiatives, Lenovo provides reliable, high performance server options that also meet budget and manageability requirements.

Case Study Monroe County, NC deployed ThinkCentre Tiny solutions across their 911 centers and offices to meet demands for automation, efficiency, and business intelligence. Similarly, the Idaho Supreme Court deployed ThinkCentre Tiny All-in-One PCs in its courthouses to free up space for judicial officials and employees to conduct their important business.

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Transportation: Driving Innovation for Tomorrow’s Needs Advances in technology are playing a key role in reinventing transportation. New ideas such as Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) along with older tools like GPS guidance, and even smart travel corridors, are making the roads better and safer for everyone. As our population grows and migrates into major urban areas, all this technology is now integral to supporting the complex transportation infrastructure essential to everyday life.

BUILDING TOMORROW ON TODAY’S DOLLARS

Advances in technology are playing a key role in reinventing transportation.


From 1995 to 2013, there has been a 37.2 percent increase in public transportation: a trend that is still on the rise. Even as it grows, so does traffic on the roads — creating dueling demands that are outpacing agency dollars. Today, three out of five transportation officials say budget is their biggest constraint in handling these issues. According to the Congressional Budget Office, public spending on transportation was $279 billion in 2014. However, studies show that public spending on transportation infrastructure as measured by the percentage of GDP is lower now than 55 years ago. A $1.7 trillion deficit in transportation infrastructure has accumulated in the past 20 years. The American Society of Civil Engineers has stated that the U.S. needs massive investment in essential infrastructure, from bridges and airports to dams and railways. According to its most recent infrastructure report card, the U.S. earns a D+ for its infrastructure.

INNOVATION AND INTELLIGENCE Agencies are looking to innovations like Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) that improve transportation safety and mobility by integrating advanced, wireless communications technologies into transportation infrastructure and vehicles. ITS solutions are designed to identify and share information that can prevent vehicle collisions, keep traffic moving, and reduce the environmental impacts of slow and/or stalled traffic. • Coordinating traffic signals, giving priority to transit lanes, electronic information signs, and variable speed limit signs are all part of the burgeoning ITS industry. • ITS also drives the ability to automatically distribute real-time traffic data to websites, social media feeds, mobile apps, and local TV and radio stations. • Ultimately, the goal is a transportation network that works like the internet — persistent and interconnected — while reducing costs, managing traffic, and creating safer roads. As infrastructure nears capacity, particularly in urban areas, technology is on point to support continuing and growing demands. Advances in technologies for all modes (highways, transit, rail, air, maritime, and pipelines) promise to make our transportation system safer, more efficient, and environmentally friendly.

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The projected cost of traffic congestion in the U.S. from 2013 – 2030?

2.8

$

trillion8

HELP FROM THE FUTURE

HOW LENOVO CAN HELP

New information and communications systems have already transformed planning, design, development, maintenance, and control of transportation systems. Highways, video-monitored intersections and synchronized traffic lights are improving safety, capacity, and efficiency of travel. Positive Train Control (PTC) systems have a similar potential to reduce collisions and improve efficiency by using GPS to monitor rail traffic.

Whether it’s a legacy file server or a critical IoT-enabled node, transportation and infrastructure agencies need a reliable computing platform to connect users, applications, and data in meaningful ways. Lenovo’s end-to-end portfolio is optimized for open standards and flexibility, letting decision-makers, not vendors, design the systems and answers that will solve transportation challenges.

Innovations such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, part of the connected vehicle research program pioneered by the U.S. DoT, are geared toward that same goal of road safety. V2V is based on the wireless exchange of data among vehicles traveling in the same vicinity, helping them avoid collision and maintain traffic flow. Similarly, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications involve the wireless exchange of critical safety and operational data between vehicles and highway infrastructure. Preliminary studies show that an additional 12 percent of potential crash scenarios could be addressed by V2I safety applications. The IoT is also impacting transportation by leveraging predictive analytics and connected sensors in vehicles to improve traffic operations and commuter experience. At the core of all these transportation-focused innovations lies the power of data. Almost all transportation system operators rely on data and automated decisions to ensure safe, reliable service. To make these innovations in transportation a reality, agencies need to turn critical data into decisions. Operators of intelligent systems need the ability to combine sensor-received data and advanced real-time analytics to manage transit across highways, railways, and city centers.


The Lenovo ThinkCentre suite of All-in-One PCs are a worthy substitute for traditional form factor machines for space-constrained transportation agencies, reducing energy costs with versatile end-to-end products. These solutions help agencies deliver a comprehensive deployment solution customized to user needs. From designing a roadway to predicting traffic rates a decade out, Lenovo’s ThinkStation family of workstations powered by Intel® Xeon® processors gives transportation agency workers the tools they need for high-profile science and engineering tasks. Lenovo devices are built to exacting government and industry security standards, making sure that sensitive data remains protected. Lenovo’s family of servers, including System x, keeps agency data safe and ensures that your system stays up and running. Lenovo’s storage solutions are designed for the same high level of availability and scalability, ensuring big data and application needs never outgrow your data center capacity.

Case Study With tight workspaces, excessive energy consumption, and more than 2,000 end-users demanding better devices, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation turned to Lenovo. They replaced traditional desktop form factors with Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Tiny PCs, leading to significantly reduced energy consumption while boosting productivity.

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Learn more about our government-ready portfolio at www.lenovo.com/government or follow us on Twitter @LenovoGov.

Get Connected: Lenovo Can Help Information is at the core of better digital government. Solving the challenges big data creates from a technology perspective is the first step toward maximizing its potential. As the world’s No. 1 PC maker, Lenovo is a trusted technology partner for over 900 state and local and 22 federal government agencies. We are dedicated to giving our agency customers a comprehensive technology portfolio optimized for maximum reliability, breakthrough performance, and lower total cost of ownership.

Only Lenovo offers this end-to-end continuum of technology solutions, helping agency decision-makers match critical IT investments with the right products and services. This creates a more effective government today while also ensuring that both agency budgets and IT environments are ready and responsive to the new challenges of tomorrow. We are committed to innovation that makes a difference to your mission. From the device to the data center, we are confident that Lenovo technology can help your agency achieve more.

SOURCES: 1. C enter for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (2015). NHE Fact Sheet. [Fact Sheet]. Web. 2. M cCloskey, P. (2015, Aug.). The fight against health care fraud. GCN. Web. 3. P wC Health Research Institute. (2014). Healthcare delivery of the future: How digital technology can bridge time and distance between clinicians and consumers. Retrieved from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Web. 4. P SWN Program Information Brief. (1999, Nov.) A Priority Investment for America’s Future Safety. Web. 5. P ickler, N. (2014, Dec.) Obama wants more cops wearing body cams. Web. 6. 5 IACP/COPS Technology Technical Assistance Program. (2010, Jan.) TTAP 01: In-Car Cameras. Web. 7. D ees, T. (2014, Dec.) Why Obama’s bodycam initiative won’t work. Web. 8. H effernan, S. (2014, Oct.). Americans Will Waste $2.8 Trillion On Traffic By 2030 If Gridlock Persists. Web.


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