Accela Ramps Up Customer Implementations, Cloud Migrations as State and Local Governments Tap Federal Funding and Prioritize Resiliency
Accela | February 15, 2022
Accela®, the trusted provider of cloud solutions for government, today announced it closed 2021 with another quarter of continued company momentum as state and local leaders seek to maximize the impact of historic federal funding to reimagine public service delivery amid the ongoing strain of the pandemic.
"Accela is proud to be in a position to help state and local government staff navigate unprecedented challenges to deliver once-in-a-career transformations of how governments interact with their residents and local businesses," said Gary Kovacs, CEO of Accela. "We take seriously our obligation to ensure agency teams have the technology, tools and expertise to deliver mission critical services to their constituents. Accela can meet agencies' needs wherever they are on their modernization journey, and we want to seize this moment to build excellence and resilience into their ability to deliver digital services."
Accela Closes Quarter With Expanded Customer Roster, New Go-Lives
Accela closed the 2021 fiscal year with double-digit growth in annual recurring revenue and unparalleled professional services revenue performance. Additionally, customer retention is among the industry's best at 98 percent, a testament to the caliber of Accela's solutions and commitment to great government.
South Dakota Department of Health joined Accela's customer ecosystem, implementing Accela Cannabis Regulation in record time to ensure the state met its deadline obligations. Accela, along with partner CloudPWR™ and gold partner Byrne Software Technologies, Inc.™, are helping regulate and support the state's new medical cannabis program.
Other new customers added in the last quarter include the City of Sarasota, FL; the City of Fontana, CA; Coastside County Water District, CA; and the County of Santa Cruz, AZ. Customer go-lives last quarter included St. Louis County, MO; High Point Fire Department, NC; the City of Anaheim, CA; Michigan, Bureau of Professional Licensing (BPL); Morris County, NJ; and Shelby County, TN.
Unyielding Support of Customers on Their Migration to the Cloud
Cloud solutions deliver safer, easier to manage, more cost effective, and more secure services. Last quarter, the City of Los Gatos, CA, and the California Coastal Commission successfully migrated to Accela's cloud-based platform, while three existing customers — the County of Atlantic, NJ; the County of Butte, CA; and the County of Humboldt, CA — migrated onto Accela's cloud-based Environmental Health Civic Application. This robust solution powers the fast and compliant inspections, citations, and permitting, and notifications essential to creating a healthy community.
New Implementations, Cloud Availability Fuel Accela's International Expansion
Accela's continued international expansion empowers governments across the globe to adopt a cloud-first approach to tech solutions. The company unveiled general availability of expanded SaaS offerings — including its Accela Civic Platform — in Australia and New Zealand, as well as completed its first cloud migration in the region with a local government agency in New Zealand. By migrating to the cloud, customers in the region are optimizing costs and accelerating digitization.
"Australia and New Zealand are in the process of reimagining life and work in a pandemic-impacted world. As both countries' governments have prioritized a cloud-first govtech approach they are well placed to digitize and transform citizen-facing services and to support public servants with a more flexible modern work environment," said Lizelle Hughes, director of SaaS and ISV Partnerships at Microsoft ANZ. "Microsoft is proud to support Accela's Azure-powered platform and to help empower government departments in this region to tap into the performance, resilience and security of trusted cloud."
Accela's purpose-built cloud solutions provide endless options for unique regulatory and workflow needs. A new implementation in Abu Dhabi is proof of this agility and flexibility, by enabling birth certificates to be issued through the Abu Dhabi Government Services platform powered by Accela. As a result, parents can digitally upload the required documents, pay fees, and receive a copy of their newborn's birth certificate, rather than visiting an office during this unprecedented time.
Advancing Solar Adoption
With Accela's SaaS platform and cloud solutions, government agencies are experiencing transformative outcomes for their communities and staff. Pima County and Tucson, Arizona, recently released data revealing that SolarAPP+, the innovative solar permitting solution Accela developed in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, saved more than 1,000 hours in permit processing time over seven months — expediting solar adoption, empowering staff to focus on more complex applications, and advancing local climate goals. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm encouraged mayors to adopt the solution to make going green easier for residents and agencies alike.
"SolarAPP+ represents a clear next step for communities like mine to make the immediate, affordable, and necessary changes within our pre-existing systems to fight climate change," said Carla Blackwell, director of development services at Pima County.
Accela Charts Path Forward With Industry Stakeholders
Early in the quarter, Accela convened more than 1,800 state and local government leaders, product experts, and industry changemakers at its annual conference Accelarate. The conference's theme, "Our Path Forward," focused on the way cities, states, and counties anticipate and meet challenges head-on to create better agency and constituent outcomes. Accela recognized the winners of its Trendsetter Awards for demonstrating innovative use of its technology. Accelarate will be held again in October 2022.
Accela works with forward-looking government agencies, technology partners, and service providers across the globe.
About Accela
Accela provides a unified suite of cloud solutions trusted by governments across the globe to accelerate their digital transformation, deliver vital services, and build stronger communities. More than 275 million citizens worldwide benefit from Accela's government software solutions. The company offers agile, purpose-built solutions and the power of a platform that provides users with a consumer-like experience, shares data across departments, and ensures world-class security.