Connect 2026 Day 2: Momentum That Turns Ideas Into Action
April 09, 2026 by Craig Patton
Day 2 of Connect 2026 made one thing clear: this is where ideas become real work.
After an opening day focused on direction and strategy, attendees moved quickly into application — testing what they had heard against the realities of their systems, workflows, and constraints. Across sessions, labs, and conversations in the Solutions Hub, the focus shifted from possibility to execution.
That shift was visible in how attendees engaged. Questions became more specific. Conversations moved from, “What could this do?” to, “How would this work in our environment?” Increasingly, the answers were grounded in examples from peers already putting these approaches into practice.
Where Execution Takes Shape
Attendees gained insights for their agencies’ journey to the cloud in “Adopting the Public Cloud in Government.”
With over 700 sessions spanning hands-on labs, panels, and roundtables, Connect offers both depth and range. What stood out on Day 2 was how directly that content mapped to real operational challenges.
Across topics like cloud strategy, data governance, and change management, the content wasn’t theoretical, it was practical. Sessions focused on how to align technology decisions with staffing realities, budget constraints, and rising expectations from the communities agencies serve.
Mike Rowicki, director of strategy for Fulton County, Georgia, said his local officials are always interested in ways to increase efficiency. Now the county is adding AI. “We're pursuing low-hanging fruit — repetitive work that we can reduce while keeping our workforce in place.”
In sessions like Cloud in Action: Real Stories from Tyler Cloud Customers, attendees learned directly from the experience of their peers. Representatives from three public safety agencies described preparing for the shift to the cloud and the positive impact on everything from field operations to maintenance work.
“Prior to going to the cloud, when we had upgrades, dispatchers would call in sick because they didn't want to deal with it," said Chief Trent Bukowski, MIS/public information officer for the Kankakee County, Illinois, Sheriff's Office. “Now we can stay on the latest and greatest and our whole team likes it.”
This is where execution takes shape — as agencies apply practical strategies within their own constraints, informed by the real-world experience of their peers.
AI That Shows Up in the Work Itself
Attendees at “Discover How AI is Transforming Enterprise Permitting & Licensing and Civic Access” learned the two steps to add Tyler AI within their agencies.
If Day 1 established the direction for AI, Day 2 showed how it is being applied.
Across sessions and client discussions, the focus was consistently on what is already delivering value inside government workflows.
In Indiana, the Office of Technology deployed an AI-powered resident assistant that is already reshaping how people access information.
“[It’s] really helping improve the resident experience,” said Graig Lubsen, director of digital experience & external affairs. “We’ve seen 4.6 million fewer searches that have been replaced by just 565,000 Ask Indiana questions. The ability to provide multiple responses in a single prompt — and get citations — is helping people find where they need to go faster.”
In Pickens County, Georgia, AI is improving efficiency in day-to-day financial operations.
What gets attention is showing how AI pulls information off the invoice and how much time is saved, said Hollie Poole, accounts payable specialist. “And it learns — so as we process more invoices, it gets better at knowing what to pick up. We love it.”
These examples point to a broader shift: AI is not being introduced as a separate, bolted-on capability. It is being embedded into the systems agencies already rely on — reducing manual work, improving accuracy, and helping staff focus on higher-value tasks.
Where Questions Turn Into Answers
At the Solutions Hub Theater, attendees heard short presentations on government technology topics.
Beyond formal sessions, that same focus on application carried into the Solutions Hub. Attendees connected with peers, compared approaches, and shared lessons learned. Some conversations were planned. Many were not. Together, they created an environment where progress moved quickly from discussion to decision.
This is where the shift from ideas to action became most visible — not in abstract concepts, but in practical next steps.
(Re)Connect Tomorrow
If Day 2 made anything clear, it’s that the value of Connect isn’t just in the ideas shared. It’s in what attendees are now prepared to do with them.
As Connect draws to a close, the focus turns to what comes next — how agencies take what they’ve learned and apply it in their own environments. Attendees are also looking forward to the closing keynote by world-renowned speaker and author Sebastian Terry. Check back tomorrow for our final blog from Connect 2026.
More Scenes From Connect 2026!
Asking questions, getting answers, and sharing perspectives all over Connect.
Future episodes of The Tyler Tech Podcast were recorded live in the Solutions Hub.
At the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud Lounge, attendees relaxed, shared information, and caught up on work.
As part of this year’s Giving Back activity, attendees supported the American Red Cross. Kirsten Gappelberg, vice president of corporate communications for Tyler (right), presented a check.
Putting the Y in Tyler in the Solutions Hub.