State and local governments and educational institutions are adopting phased hybrid cloud strategies to modernize critical systems and support secure artificial intelligence (AI) deployments, according to an Information Services Group (ISG) report released on July 15.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order on July 14 that pauses state environmental permits for new hyperscale data centers for up to one year while officials develop environmental standards, ratepayer protections, and a community investment framework.
State and local governments have largely cleared the first hurdle in digital payments: giving residents a way to pay online. Now, they’re working on getting more people to use digital payment systems and ensuring that those systems reduce, rather than add to, pressure on government operations.
The University of Chicago Law School will prohibit most electronic devices in required first-year classes, administer examinations without internet access, and introduce a new legal writing structure during the 2026-27 academic year under a pilot artificial intelligence (AI) strategy announced July 9.
Indiana University (IU) reorganized its central IT organization into five divisions focused on artificial intelligence (AI), data, digital services, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and operational efficiency, university technology leadership announced on July 13.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation awarded more than $1.5 million on July 8 to five employer-led organizations working to expand career-connected learning opportunities for students in California, Colorado, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia.
The Arizona Secretary of State’s Office on July 8 announced an updated artificial intelligence (AI)-powered virtual assistant to help voters find accurate official election information throughout the 2026 election cycle.
Delaware launched the JobsFirst permitting accelerator, a program designed to fast-track housing, energy, broadband, and infrastructure projects. Previously, these developments faced state-level delays of 18 to 24 months due to sequential, siloed agency reviews, the governor’s office said.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts launched a new cloud-based financial management system, replacing legacy infrastructure with a software-as-a-service platform designed to support financial operations across the state government.
The University of Connecticut (UConn) appointed Haleh Ghaemolsabahi as interim chief information officer (CIO) on July 6, putting a three-decade UConn technology veteran in charge of the university’s central IT organization.
