Question this article helps answer: What should a public safety agency review before moving to the cloud?

This is not just an IT checklist

Public safety cloud readiness includes technology, but it also includes operations, contracts, people, data, support, governance, and leadership understanding. An agency can be technically able to connect to a hosted system and still not be fully ready for the operating model that comes with it.

Use this checklist as a starting point for internal discussion before, during, or after a public safety cloud transition.

1. Current-state understanding

  • Do we know which systems are moving and which remain local?
  • Do we understand who uses each system and from where?
  • Have we documented local servers, reports, exports, and workarounds?
  • Do we know which institutional knowledge lives with only one or two people?

2. Operational dependency

  • Which workflows are mission-critical?
  • Which functions can tolerate delay?
  • What happens if CAD, RMS, JMS, mobile, reporting, or interfaces are degraded?
  • Have dispatch, records, corrections, and field representatives been included?

3. Connectivity

  • Can users reach the hosted system from the primary dispatch center?
  • Can backup locations reach it?
  • Do redundant circuits exist and have they been tested?
  • Are VPN, firewall, identity, and endpoint dependencies understood?
  • Does mobile access perform acceptably in real conditions?

4. Interfaces and dependencies

  • Do we have an interface inventory?
  • Who owns and supports each connection?
  • Which interfaces are operationally critical?
  • How will each one be tested before go-live?
  • What manual process exists if a critical interface fails?

5. Availability and recovery

  • Do we understand the SLA definition?
  • Are degraded performance and planned maintenance addressed?
  • What are the RTO and RPO?
  • How are backups different from disaster recovery?
  • Has recovery been tested, and will the agency see evidence?

6. Security and data governance

  • How does the vendor support CJIS-related responsibilities?
  • Who can access agency data and how is access logged?
  • How are security incidents communicated?
  • How are data ownership, retention, export, and return handled?
  • What happens to agency data at contract termination?

7. Contract and vendor accountability

  • Does the contract match operational expectations?
  • Are support escalation, maintenance, disaster recovery, data return, and breach notification clear?
  • Does pricing include storage, interfaces, renewals, exports, and termination costs?
  • Are vendor promises captured in enforceable documents?

8. People and go-live readiness

  • Do users know what changes and what does not?
  • Have fallback procedures been reviewed?
  • Is there a stabilization plan after go-live?
  • Who owns vendor communication and internal issue tracking?
Readiness standard: The agency should understand the operating model well enough to lead the transition, not simply receive it.
Next step: Use this article to start a practical internal conversation. For a deeper review, explore the book, cloud readiness self-assessment, agency assessment, or vendor assessment resources from Public Safety Cloud Standards.