POULSBO, Wash., Sept. 20, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) has selected SMARTGOV, a cloud-based platform from Paladin Data Systems, to support licensing and enforcement for both the alcohol and newly legalized cannabis markets.
SMARTGOV manages permitting and licensing through a hosted service, giving staffers, applicants and citizens visibility into the application process, from submittal through issuance. SMARTGOV also streamlines permits and licenses, allowing the WSLCB to process applications more quickly, while also improving communication, oversight, enforcement, and transparency with the public on this closely watched issue.
"SMARTGOV empowers applicants to become active participants in the permitting and licensing process, providing all of our citizens with information transparency," said Jim Nall, CEO of Paladin.
SMARTGOV replaces WSLCB's legacy system and previous processes, which could not scale to accommodate the new cannabis industry boom after legalization. While the State has processed almost 3000 licenses since legalization in 2014, about 4000 licenses are still in queue, representing over $1,000,000 in unrealized application fees. Ongoing cannabis licensing renewals will bring $7,000,000 in annual fees for the LCB.
An agile, cloud-based solution that will accommodate an urgent timeline, SMARTGOV will launch in 2017 for WSLCB. "The SMARTGOV design takes advantage of modern cloud technologies on Amazon Web Services. This provides WSLCB with on-demand scaling, high availability, unlimited secure storage, increased agility and minimal capital expenditures. Cloud computing lets WSLCB focus on their customers, rather than expensive infrastructure and maintenance," said Ed Hallda, VP, Strategic Development at Paladin.
Paladin's hosted SMARTGOV solutions efficiently streamline community development, project management, and employee development for government agencies. Today, more than 100 jurisdictions across the country use SMARTGOV and have processed over 280,000 licenses and permits serving over 1.5 million citizens.
For more information about Paladin and SMARTGOV, visit www.paladindata.com or call 360.779.2400.