Intelligent CIO North America Issue 09 | Page 63

CASE STUDY
Quantela , leveraging Kloudspot ’ s platform , created Erie ’ s Smart Business Initiative which gives businesses the opportunity to offer promotions that are time - and placebased . Olsen describes a lunchtime offer scenario :
“ Say you log in around noon ,” he said . “ You might be greeted with a message saying that right across the street is a two-for-one lunch deal . It ’ s all based on the time of day and the location of the user . Our combined Smart City solutions serves up relevant , real-time opportunities weighted by where you are and what time of day it is .”
Amid the Coronavirus pandemic , the Smart City deployment couldn ’ t have been more timely , as the system is used to disseminate critical updates about COVID-19 related policies for Erie . Over time , in use with the city ’ s camera and sensor technologies , the solution will also empower Erie ’ s crisis management teams to more effectively monitor , collaborate , educate , contain and predict the spread of the virus .
“ Cities that have invested in smart technologies are in a much better position to not only plan and make decisions during the current pandemic , but also to be prepared for the next big scenario ,” said Olsen .
“ Investing in having good safety and security in place , to have sensors that can monitor your public environments in more productive ways , is key to better outcomes . The challenge cities too often have is that when they need tech the most , there aren ’ t the budgets to react . Quantela , together with Kloudspot , have the ability to help Erie react now and get out and front of future challenges .”
Flexible technology , responsive partnership
Kloudspot ’ s flexible solutions will be key to Erie ’ s success . The platform ’ s open architecture makes it easy to integrate with other technologies in the Smart City stack , but also makes it easy to leverage alongside a city ’ s existing infrastructure . What ’ s more , it ’ s easy to operationalize and manage for oftstretched city IT teams .
“ Cities need something you don ’ t have to set up every morning ,” said Olsen . “ Cities just can ’ t do it . They often have less money and fewer resources to work with than an enterprise might . We have to be able to optimize the operational side for their success – which is where Quantela and Kloudspot ’ s robust , but intuitive dashboards win the day .”
Agility from Kloudspot ’ s people has also been instrumental , Olsen believes . “ It ’ s the whole Kloudspot package : great tech and a very savvy team , from the executive leadership down to the developers ,” he said .
“ Other companies can take too long to react to customers ’ needs . We can ’ t have that . We need to be able to react to customer needs that many times require quick changes and customizations . With Kloudspot , I can call with an idea and we are able to brainstorm , adjust , react and have the right people in place . They ’ re terrific to work with .”

FOR MOST CITIES FACING STRAINING BUDGETS AND

REDUCED RESOURCES , YOU NEED SOLUTIONS THAT CAN HELP MANAGE AND

PAY FOR THEMSELVES .

He adds : “ This is not ‘ your dad ’ s onboarding platform .’ We want the ability to give customers , whether it ’ s a thriving city or another large complex , the ability to provide high-value engagement and information . Kloudspot delivers that .”
Making an impact now and tomorrow
Erie ’ s Smart City program soft launched in July 2020 and will continue to roll out to 170 access points across the city . Despite no large-scale promotion , the deployment has already demonstrated tremendous impact , including users regularly staying logged in online as long as 45 minutes .
On the back of its early success , Quantela and the City of Erie plan to begin a large-scale campaign to promote the Wi-Fi portal and its small business initiatives . At the same time , they are in talks with several large , cornerstone local sponsors from large local companies to the national iHeartRadio network . Olsen sees the success and momentum to date with Quantela and Kloudspot as a sign of not only future positive outcomes for Erie , but other mid-tier cities nationwide .
“ Erie is a model Smart City ,” Olsen said . “ They ’ re helping us change the dynamic of how cities communicate with citizens , provide connectivity to Opportunity Zones , and evolve this experience for greater , two-way communication and engagement with citizens . Quantela and Kloudspot are helping to make that all possible .” p
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