118th Annual Conference Sessions: ERP Systems and Technology
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Sessions for Sunday, June 9
2024 Cybersecurity Update
The pace of technology innovation seems to be outpaced only by growth of risks that the same technology can expose an organization to. As we all witnessed over the past year, the development of artificial intelligence (AI) has had a significant impact on public finance, and with that raised the threat of more sophisticated threats. Speakers will provide an overview of the latest cybersecurity threats, including the legal, internal control, and fraud challenges that come with AI's ability to emulate voices, writing styles, and more. Attend this session to understand counter measures and essential practices to mitigate current risks and better prepare for what comes next.
Sessions for Monday, June 10
Cash May Not be King: The Future of Contactless Payment in Government
The number of payment options available to customers has shifted dramatically in recent years, but many governments have yet to embrace new technology that makes payments easier for customers (or for the organization itself). This session will provide an overview of contactless payment options commonly available in other industries and how governments can accept these payments securely and safely. Speakers will also provide lessons learned on how to best integrate contactless payment options with current systems and cashiering functions.
Staying Afloat During an ERP Implementation
Implementing a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system might be one of the most daunting projects a public finance officer ever undertakes. The financial stakes are high, and all parts of the organization are involved (or should be). Not only are these projects difficult, but they also put a significant strain on other operations. The pressure is enough to break even the most seasoned finance officer. This panel discussion will feature speakers who have recently led their organizations through a successful ERP implementation, were able to keep basic functions of the finance office going and maintain their sanity. Attend this session to learn what works well and what didn't in navigating an ERP implementation from the perspective of a finance officer.
Utility Finance Forum: Lessons Learned in Modernizing Billing Systems
Utility billing systems (UBS) and related technologies for meter reading and asset management provide opportunities for improved efficiencies and customer service enhancements and can represent some of the most high-profile projects that a government takes on. In this session speakers will discuss the dos and don'ts of UBS procurement and implementation, provide an overview of the UBS market, highlight modern features, discuss how to best integrate UBS systems with enterprise resource planning (ERP), automated meter reading, and asset management systems and provide considerations for messaging with the public.
GFOA's Utility Finance Forum is free to GFOA members from utility organizations and other governments that operate utilities and allows members to learn more about rate setting, enterprise accounting, asset management, and utility-related regulations.
Sessions for Tuesday, June 11
From Excel to AI: Low Cost Technologies with Big Impact
Technology has the opportunity to drive efficiencies, improve services, and transform organizations of all types and sizes. While some technology is expensive and very difficult to implement, some can be very affordable and readily available for all GFOA members. Attend this session to learn about low-cost options that you can use to improve your own productivity or use to introduce new improvements to your organization. Speakers will highlight simple to use tools for analytics, communications, process improvement, and group collaboration, and discuss the impact of artificial intelligence on options that may be available in the future.
Making Technology Work for You: Robotic Process Automation in Public Finance
Have you heard about the radical new technology that promises to change the way that we work, interact with our peers, and improve our governments? While many technologies may have made that claim in the past, one of the most recent is robotic process automation (RPA). In its simplest form, RPA uses software “robots” to standardize and automate repeatable business processes (of which there are many in public finance). At this session, speakers will explain more about how RPA works, how governments are using it, and how you can make this new technology work for your organization.
Sessions for Wednesday, June 12
A New Tool for Public Finance: Can AI Hack a Brighter Future?
Love it or hate it, artificial intelligence (AI) is not going anywhere. It won't solve all public finance problems, but it's a new and developing technology that has potential to make our jobs a bit easier. In this session, you’ll learn about the latest advancements in AI technologies and see how some local governments are utilizing AI-powered tools to work smarter, not harder. The session will also highlight concerns about legal, ethical, and security issues and how to prepare your organization for upcoming discussions and debate on effective introduction of AI.