The City of Santa Clara was selected as a recipient of the 2021 Award for Excellence in Information Technology Practices from the Municipal Information Systems Association of California (MISAC).
“Throughout the pandemic, the City continued to provide essential services in the community, online and in-person,” said City Manager Deanna J. Santana. “As the Center of What’s Possible, our residents and business expect us to provide digital services that can be accessed online anytime. Our Information Technology Department oversees critical systems allowing City staff to connect with our residents and businesses using technology.”
The MISAC award recognizes the City of Santa Clara for implementing information technology practices that excel in creative and efficient uses of local government resources. The award signifies that the City has met or exceeded MISAC standards in the technology-focused areas of Budget and Strategic Planning, Purchasing, Operations and Staffing, Customer Satisfaction, Internet, Project Management, Professional Development and Training, Disaster Preparation and Recovery, Policies and Procedures, Security, and GIS.
“The past year was extremely challenging, dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The reliance on technology has been even more crucial during this time,” said Director of Information Technology/CIO Gaurav Garg. “I am proud the IT Department quickly came together as digital first responders to enable business continuity and essential services. As a City, not only did we transition, but we also transformed into a new way of working and collaborating. Technology played a pivotal role, resulting in staff feeling empowered and productive while ensuring City staff and the public remain safe.”
The City has received MISAC’s Excellence in Information Technology Practices Award 15 times. Of the 26 agencies that applied for the award, 13 agencies received the award. The review process becomes more difficult every year as technology practices and the certification process changes.
About the City of Santa Clara
Located at the heart of Silicon Valley about 45 miles south of San Francisco, the City of Santa Clara truly is “The Center of What’s Possible.” Incorporated in 1852, Santa Clara covers an area of 19.3 square miles with an estimated population of 129,498. Santa Clara is home to an extraordinary array of high-tech companies, including Applied Materials, Intel, Nvidia, Oracle, and Ericsson. The City of Santa Clara is also home to Santa Clara University, California’s Great America Theme Park, and Levi’s® Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers and Super Bowl 50. For more information, go to SantaClaraCA.gov.
About MISAC
The Municipal Information Systems Association of California (MISAC) is a statewide organization of information technology professionals from 340 cities and special districts. It serves as an advisory body to the League of California Cities to promote leadership, education, and access to resources for municipal technology professionals to enhance local government services and effectiveness. The MISAC award was established in 2000 to recognize exemplary information technology practices. Visit misac.org for more information.