Cloud has become part of state and local governments’ underlying IT infrastructure, enabling departments and agencies to secure, integrate and analyze data. As the cloud’s underlying technologies mature and governments continue migration efforts, the platform of the future is coming into focus, promising the ability to leverage data in new ways to deliver predictive insights and impactful results. This paper explores the key components of the rapidly evolving cloud space and what governments need to do to leverage the full potential of their most important asset — their data.