The pandemic and advancements in tech are affording states new opportunities — and presenting challenges — state IT leaders said during an online event.

Two GIS officials say were called on to help with pandemic response over the last 13 months as state leaders realized geospatial technology's power.

Montana CTO Matt Van Syckle said continued remote work will require new considerations of state government's software and cybersecurity capabilities.

Kevin Gilbertson, a former vice president at a cloud implementation firm, told StateScoop he also plans to build on Montana's recent IT modernization work.

Kansas, Missouri, Montana and Washington will work with the National Governors Association to develop policies that may one day be shared with other states.

Kevin Gilbertson, a former executive at a regional cloud services firm, will be the state's new IT chief, succeeding Tim Bottenfield, who retired last year.

Bottenfield, who transitioned from IT support at Auburn University to state government in 2011, said he'll retire before the end of the year.

Montana CIO Tim Bottenfield called on his counterparts to push "aggressively" for IT modernization funding before the memory of the pandemic begins to fade.

On StateScoop's GIS Addressed podcast, two GIS leaders say they're hoping to attract broader participation in GIS, both in leadership positions and in organizations like NSGIC.