A panel at MACo’s Winter Conference provides an update on major technology shifts and hurdles for county government.

Maryland Senator Steve Hershey moderated a panel discussion of Cloud computing, automation, and broadband and 5G at MACo’s Winter Conference for county government officials.

Mitsuko R. Herrera of the Montgomery County Office of Broadband Programs spoke first on the panel, providing background and insight into broadband and 5G, including issues of preservation of local government authority, private sector development incentives, and rural service needs.

David Swillum, Public Sector Specialist with Kronos Cloud and Michael Tanenhaus, CEO of Maryland-based Mavenspire spoke about Cloud computing and automation applications for county governments. Change happens, but it’s not easy for anyone, Michael Tanenhaus of Maryland’s Mavenspire shares, discussing eGovernment, Cloud, and Digital Transformation. Managing the workforce to develop a team capable of harnessing new technologies is one of the greatest challenges of private and public sector IT.

Joseph E. Klausner, Calvert County’s Director of Technology Services and active member of the Maryland Association of County Information Technology Officers provided perspective into the relationship between technology and policy, and how the two are in conflict in many instances across the diverse service areas of county governments. Policy always lags technology, creating challenges across county government operations, he said.

Following the presentations, almost all of the questions focused on broadband and 5G with a particular focus on partnership with the private sector. Mitsi Herrera provided in-depth and understandable responses for an audience that included chief elected officials from several of Maryland’s largest counties, County IT Professionals, and County Emergency Managers and Human Resources Directors, among others.

For more information, see Are We There Yet? How New Technology Is Driving Government Policy.