City of Santa Clara logo 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.