Embracing SaaS Solutions in Election Administration - THE SHIFT FROM ON-PREMISES STRATEGIES AND ITS IMPACT ON CHIEF

Embracing SaaS Solutions in Election Administration THE SHIFT FROM ON-PREMISES STRATEGIES AND ITS IMPACT ON CHIEF ELECTION OFFICIALS AND SECRETARIES OF STATE In the ever-evolving landscape of government technology, Software as a Service (SaaS) has emerged as a more economic and efficient way of delivering applications. [...] 1 Civix | 2024 ON-PREMISES SAAS Location: On-premises software is in- Cloud-Based: SaaS applications are stalled and runs on the agency’s local hosted on the cloud, and users access servers and hardware, which are main- them through the internet. [...] However, given the role of Chief Election Officials and Secretaries in the electoral process, their decisions have profound implications on the functioning of government and the trust citizens place in the democratic system. [...] SaaS providers aim to maintain the highest standards of data security and prevent any unintentional co-mingling of customer data, ensuring the confidentiality and in- tegrity of each state’s information. [...] As tech- nology advances and awareness of the benefits of SaaS grows, election officials may leverage these solutions to offload the responsibility of software maintenance, reduc- ing the burden on internal resources and allowing them to focus on more strategic initiatives.