Modernizing state, local digital government services with AWS and Presidio

Nearly seven in 10 states now have or are building a unified resident portal, according to the National Association of State Technology Directors (NASTD) 2025 Constituent Experience: State Government IT Strategies survey.

That’s an important step forward, but it also raises the bar. Residents don’t judge government by the portal itself. They judge it by whether they can complete tasks quickly and without friction. Behind every great digital experience are modern workflows, connected data, accessible design, and governance that keeps services running reliably. Without them, even the best-looking portal falls short.

Today’s state and local government agencies face a practical modernization challenge. Residents expect faster, more accessible, transparent services, but agency teams struggle to deliver. From legacy systems to fragmented data to evolving compliance requirements, the gap is clear.

A recent State CIO Survey from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) highlights that modernization extends beyond a single piece of technology. Digital accessibility, AI, modernization funding, cloud, data governance, collaboration, and service delivery are now all connected priorities that influence constituent-facing experiences and the operating models that make those experiences possible. Amazon Web Services (AWS) and partners like Presidio help agencies address these priorities through cloud-based modernization patterns that connect workflow, data, experience, and governance.

Digital services modernization is the process of shifting from isolated tools, siloed applications, and time-consuming manual processes to a more connected, governed, and reusable service environment. For state and local governments, that means modernizing the workflows, data exchanges, security controls, and resident experiences that are connected to services, such as benefits enrollment, licensing, permitting, case management, and public safety coordination.

Why digital services modernization matters now

The core systems that state and local governments rely on were designed for a different era of service delivery. Although these legacy systems might still perform important agency functions, they weren’t created to focus on resident engagement. So when residents need to move across programs, submit information, track a case, or receive updates, friction often follows.

The result of that friction moves beyond a technology problem and becomes an operating one:

1. Workflows that depend on manual handoffs create a burden on staff, pulling them away from resolving resident needs.
2. Data that sits in disconnected systems creates multiple touchpoints that frustrate residents because they must repeat the same information across agencies.
3. Digital services that aren’t compliant with current accessibility requirements isolate residents who need public services most while putting the agency at risk of noncompliance.

Workforce pressure also shapes this modernization challenge. MissionSquare Research Institute found in its 2025 State and Local Government Workforce Survey that concerns around recruitment, retention, compensation, organizational culture, and succession planning are top of mind for government employers. Rather than add new systems for workers to manage, we recommend that agencies prioritize modernization that reduces the manual burden that falls on staff.

Making the move toward modernization

The pivot away from siloed services toward a unified service delivery model is already underway, as the NASTD Constituent Experience survey confirms. That progress matters, but it also sets a higher standard. Portals improve the resident experience only when agencies also address the workflows, data, accessibility, and governance behind them.

We recommend that modernization efforts start with the service journey that causes the most delays for residents and staff. When you modernize around that journey, you can identify the points where cloud capabilities can reduce friction without forcing a full replacement of every underlying system at once.

A digital modernization strategy connects four areas: workflow, data, experience, and governance. These four areas are impactful on their own, but the value comes from treating each as one operating model.

A practical framework for digital services modernization

This framework connects four areas that, when addressed together, form a cohesive operating model for modern service delivery:

1. Modernize the workflow – Intake, routing, review, approval, exception handling, and notification steps often reveal where services slow down. Cloud-based workflow orchestration, event-driven architecture, and managed integration services can help agencies standardize common processes while adapting to program-specific rules.
2. Build trusted data exchange – Interoperability means that authorized systems can exchange data in a more secure, governed, and usable way. In practice, it helps residents avoid repeating information, helps staff see more complete case context, and helps agencies reduce duplicative work across programs.
3. Design around the resident experience – Resident-centered digital services use accessible, mobile-responsive, plain-language interactions that reflect how people actually reach out for support. They also connect the frontend experience to the operating model behind it. A portal might streamline access, but residents still judge the service by whether they can complete the process, receive updates, avoid duplicate submissions, and understand the next step.
4. Embed governance from the beginning – Security, identity, auditability, records management, privacy, and compliance can’t sit outside the modernization plan. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 gives organizations a common structure for managing cybersecurity risk. NIST’s CSF 2.0 quick start guidance connects cybersecurity with enterprise risk management and workforce management. For agencies modernizing digital services, that connection matters because security, compliance, staffing, and service delivery risks often intersect.

How cloud capabilities support modernization

AWS can support government modernization by helping agencies assemble scalable infrastructure, managed services, security capabilities, automation tools, data services, and AI services around mission needs. Cloud modernization helps agencies move from one-off system upgrades to reusable service capabilities that can support multiple programs over time.

For example, cloud-based integration and compute services such as AWS Step Functions and Amazon EventBridge can help agencies connect systems and automate workflow steps without building every component from scratch.

Amazon API Gateway powers the exchange between an agency’s applications and the data that fuels them. Managed databases and analytics services can support case records, transactions, reporting, and governed data access. Identity, monitoring, logging, and audit services can help technology and compliance teams maintain visibility across digital service environments.

The modernization advantage comes from using these capabilities as reusable patterns. Rather than treating each service as a separate custom build, agencies can create repeatable approaches for intake, eligibility review, notifications, identity, document handling, and case updates. That shift can reduce delivery risk because teams can deliver incremental improvements while building a foundation that supports future services.

Prepare for responsible AI in government services

Generative AI and agentic AI will shape the next phase of digital government, but we recommend that agencies approach them through governance before automation. Agentic AI refers to AI systems that can plan, take defined actions, and coordinate steps toward an outcome within human-approved boundaries. In government services, those boundaries matter because decisions might affect benefits, eligibility, safety, access, and public trust.

AI can help agency teams search policy guidance, summarize case information, classify documents, draft resident communications, or guide users through complex processes. The primary risk is when agencies deploy AI before they define human review, auditability, access controls, data boundaries, and escalation paths.

Services like Amazon Bedrock give agencies a foundation for building and scaling generative AI and agentic applications while maintaining the security and privacy of sensitive government data.

Leaders need to treat AI readiness as an extension of modernization readiness. If workflows remain unclear, data remains fragmented, and governance remains manual, AI might amplify those weaknesses. When agencies first clarify service journeys, data rules, identity models, and accountability structures, AI can support staff capacity while preserving human judgment for consequential decisions.

What agencies can consider next

The goal of modernization is to build a more responsive, resilient operating model for public services that can adapt as resident needs and policy priorities change.

When agencies connect workflow, data, experience, and governance through cloud-based patterns, they can reduce operational bottlenecks, improve staff capacity, and strengthen resident trust. That same foundation also positions teams to adopt responsible AI in a way that reinforces (not replaces) human judgment in consequential decisions.

Taken together, a cloud-aligned, pattern-based approach gives public sector leaders a practical way to improve today’s services while preparing for the next generation of digital government.

In a future post, we’ll explore how agencies are applying these patterns to accelerate specific service delivery outcomes.

Explore how Presidio and AWS are helping agencies apply this framework.