Briefings

Our 2010 series of monthly single issue briefings are all aimed at helping the public sector face up to the major management challenges in handling the severe financial pressures now placed upon it. This material is available to subscribers only.

Briefing Issue 20 - July 2010

The coalition government believes transparency will reduce public sector expenditure and expose waste. Publishing public data is not new. The EU envisaged a digital economy built by re-using public sector data, and the previous government's Power of Information report championed open data. Through access to data on the web, citizens are seizing control. How should managers respond?

Briefing Issue 19 - June 2010

Long-term demographics and government plans to slash the deficit demand a drastic realignment of local public services. Doing the same things, only more cheaply, is no longer an option. It is time for a complete redesign of services - enabled by technology, but driven by a better understanding of what customers want.

Briefing Issue 18 - May 2010

This issue considers the shape of things to come from the policies of the new Coalition Government.

We are promised a very different approach to public services and the relationship between state and individual, but will be grappling with a huge budget deficit. What are the implications for the effective use of information and technology in delivering public services? How grim are the prospects, or realistic the opportunity to do things better and save costs?

Briefing Issue 17 - April 2010

In this issue we look at the importance of realising the benefits from ICT-enabled service transformation in the current financial climate.

Saving substantial sums of money must be at the forefront of every public sector manager's thinking, and ICT is the enabler for almost every solution from customer self-service and shared services to flexible working and radical service redesign. The promise is there, but how to guarantee the benefits?

Briefing Issue 16 - March 2010

In this issue we look at the issues of Managing ICT tomorrow and asks heads of ICT and colleagues about how well prepared they are.

Economics, slashed budgets, green initiatives, new computing and service delivery models, and increasing expectations of what ICT can do to reshape service delivery will all add to a packed agenda. How to cope?

Briefing Issue 15 - February 2010

In this issue we look at the G-Cloud and G-AS as two major planks of policy in the Government's latest ICT strategy.

Our January briefing last year, Cloud computing on the horizon, stated 'there is no doubt that that the cloud is here to stay'. Some may have doubted us. Now the cloud (G-Cloud) is the backbone of the government's ICT strategy, being a 'key enabler of £3.2 billion savings'.

Briefing Issue 14 - January 2010

In this issue we look at future public services and how they will depend on information and ICT-enabled change.

We have no need to remind readers of the problem, but there are opportunities to make dramatic savings in public service running costs - as much as 30% for some organisations. Most are aware of the potential, but find it difficult to achieve. Socitm's experience of the current service delivery models provides a prescription for savings - 'the Council of the Future'.

Briefing Issue 13 - November 2009

In this issue we examine the role of information at the heart of business continuity planning.

Managing and assuring information is becoming an increasingly critical part of business continuity. Does the Council of the Future focus our planning not so much on the protection of the physical asset as the protection of the information asset?

Briefing Issue 12 - September 2009

In this issue we focus on ICT strategy as a way of doing the right things.

Austerity looms, forcing public sector organisations to examine how they deliver their services. Two things will be critical to enabling them to deliver more from less - having the right ICT systems in place, and having well managed information, held electronically

Briefing Issue 11 - August 2009

In this issue we focus on People and professionalism: getting fit for a different purpose. Financial pressures are forcing public sector transformation. The question for ICT managers is 'How well equipped are your employees for supporting this?' Adding to the challenge, the economy might just start to recover as the public sector faces the real squeeze!

Briefing Issue 10 - July 2009

In this issue we examine how Green ICT can help you cut your costs and save the planet

Across the world CO2  emissions are triggering extremes of weather. Globally, ICT is responsible for 2% of CO2 released. In the public sector, ICT accounts for almost 35% of energy consumption. The impact of enacted legislation is imminent. The time to act is now!

Briefing Issue 9 - June 2009

Information is the single most important asset for any public sector body. But how well is this recognised by senior decision-makers? It certainly is when a child protection register has critical information that is out of date. It certainly will be when it comes to managing the draconian reductions in public expenditure that demand radical service re-design and customer self-service. How should this valuable asset be managed?

Briefing issue 8 - May 2009

The 22 April Budget statement and supporting Operational Efficiency Programme report surely make it clear that all public sector organisations must commit to self-service wherever it is feasible. However, that must be backed up by a commitment to ensure that websites are up to the task and do not create avoidable contact elsewhere.

Special briefing - May 2009

How can Socitm Insight help you survive the crunch? We already have much relevant material to help you, and plan to produce more this year.

Briefing issue 7 - April 2009

1st April 2009 was an important landmark in UK local government. In yet another reorganisation, nine new unitary councils replaced 44 English two-tier authorities in seven county areas. Looked at from another perspective, it also means shared services imposed by legislative diktat. With major funding problems now confirmed by the budget, what can the ICT community in the public sector learn from such sharing?

Briefing issue 6 - March 2009

The outlook for local government budgets looks very grim, but demand for services just keeps on growing. Lean thinking provides an excellent answer: it is a comprehensive approach that will deliver savings for years to come. However, it is not a trivial undertaking.

Briefing issue 5 - February 2009

This briefing looks at mobile and flexible working - the key to big savings. Most councils claim to use flexible and mobile working, but few are achieving all the benefits.

Briefing issue 4 - January 2009

This briefing looks at 'the cloud' - the use of web resources to provide facilities and services hosted elsewhere on the internet. When public services are under threatening clouds of financial pressure, is this a solution that will allow us to achieve more with less?

Briefing issue 3 - October 2008

This month we ask whether computing is becoming a commodity, or even a consumer good, and what this means for the public sector.  Subscribers can download the report to read on..

Briefing issue 2 - August 2008

In Issue 2 we look at service oriented architecture and software as a service.

This report looks at the trend to use web technology in almost every new development, or to integrate all new facilities into the web.  Subscribers can download the report to read on...

Briefing issue 1 - July 2008

In Issue 1 we look at the prospects for the future of mobile working.

We can all imagine a future of pervasive connectivity on the move, and technology continuing to change our lives both at work and elsewhere. However, there are serious limitations with current facilities. How will these be overcome?  Subscribers can download the report to read on...