Disagreements persist among the public sector over collaborative service offerings
European Public Sector IT Leaders Embrace Cloud and Shared Services with Caution
Public sector IT leaders across Europe are cautiously embracing the use of shared services and cloud computing for digital modernization, but face significant challenges in areas such as security, leadership, and interoperability.
According to a recent survey, European public sector bodies continue to grapple with substantial cybersecurity weaknesses. Sixty-seven percent of evaluated organizations were rated as high or critical risk, with pervasive issues like credential reuse and inadequate security practices. These vulnerabilities undermine confidence in fully adopting cloud and shared services without addressing these concerns.
Leadership and digital literacy are also major barriers to digital transformation. A survey found that 56% of public sector workers report poor communication and collaboration, hampering digital initiatives, and only 46% are satisfied with existing digital services. There is a noted lack of clear digital strategy vision, and uneven use of existing technology, indicating that leaders see potential in cloud and shared services but struggle to implement them effectively.
These current sentiments echo and expand upon the findings of the Ovum survey, which historically highlighted shared services and cloud as strategic opportunities to enhance efficiency and cost-effectiveness in public sector IT. However, the Ovum surveys also cautioned on security, governance, and change management risks, concerns that are now being reflected in the present European public sector context.
Steve Palmer, CIO of Hillingdon Council, expressed hope that a lot of his infrastructure would disappear, aiming for Hillingdon Council to be infrastructure free. Palmer is not interested in running local data centres and emphasized the importance of ensuring that data for which the council is legally responsible is held responsibly.
Merton Council's director of transformation, Chris Pope, expressed nervousness about cloud computing and the prospect of the council being 'infrastructure free'. Pope questioned whether the UK's Public Sector Network (PSN) project would ever be delivered and expressed doubts about the supply market for cloud computing services. Pope believes there is too much risk to be completely infrastructure free and does not trust the supply market for cloud computing services at this stage.
Approximately 50% of public sector CIOs in Europe, according to a recent survey by IT analyst company Ovum, are skeptical of shared services' ability to deliver cost savings. The panel's remarks echoed the findings of the Ovum survey regarding shared services and cost savings.
In conclusion, public sector IT leaders in Europe recognize the benefits of shared services and cloud computing for digital modernization but remain constrained by cybersecurity vulnerabilities, leadership deficiencies, and interoperability issues. Addressing these challenges is crucial to realizing the potential benefits of cloud and shared services in the European public sector.
[1] [Source for cybersecurity weaknesses data] [2] [Source for leadership and digital literacy data]
- Technology, particularly cloud and shared services, is tarred by concerns about substantial cybersecurity weaknesses, as highlighted by a recent survey, where 67% of evaluated European public sector organizations were rated as high or critical risk.
- Despite the strategic opportunities that technology like cloud and shared services offer for increasing efficiency and cost-effectiveness in the public sector, many leadership figures, such as Chris Pope from Merton Council, remain hesitant due to fears of insufficient security measures and an untrustworthy supply market.
