Briefings

Our monthly single issue briefings in both the 2010 series and now in the 2011 series 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 Socitm Insight subscribers only.

Briefing Issue 37 - January 2012 

Rural broadband: superfast or superslow?

"Fast broadband is absolutely vital to our economic growth, to delivering public services effectively, and to conducting our everyday lives. But some areas of the UK are missing out, with many rural and hard-to-reach communities suffering painfully slow internet connections or no coverage at all. We are not prepared to let some parts of our country get left behind in the digital age."

Culture Secretary (England) Jeremy Hunt

Briefing Issue 36 - December 2011

Strategic commissioning: an answer to austerity?

References to 'strategic commissioning' in the media are increasing rapidly. Is this the answer to preserving reasonable service levels through a decade of public sector austerity? Many seem convinced of the case, but opinions of what 'strategic commissioning' is, and how to go about it, vary markedly.

Briefing Issue 35 - November 2011

Next generation users: keeping abreast of trends in online use  

The Oxford Internet Institute has just published its fifth biennial Oxford Internet Survey (OxIS) into internet use in Britain. This latest piece of research identifies one major new shift in the way in which users access the internet with the arrival of 'next generation users'. It also highlights a number of other developments about internet use, which all local public service decision-makers should understand in assessing how people access  and use their services.

Briefing Issue 34 - October 2011

Career crossroads - CIO or CTO?: essential reading for all ICT managers

We find senior ICT managers standing at a career crossroad, unsure about the direction to take. So much that they read tells them that their job is changing radically. Pundits implore them to focus on persuading service managers of the transformational potential of ICT, and then helping them to restructure their service delivery by exploiting their information assets with appropriate technology. However, their experience and instincts tell them that their job is to provide 99.95% service availability, and to safeguard diligently the security of the organisation's information.

Briefing Issue 33 - September 2011

Ten questions every chief executive should ask their CIO.

Set out here are ten critical questions that every chief executive should ask their CIO / Head of IT about how ICT can meet increasing demands for service, unlock the value in your organisation's information and reduce resource requirements.

Briefing Issue 32 - August 2011

Digital by default (Part 2): encouraging take-up of the online offering

The first of our two briefings on 'Digital by default', (July 2011) focused on the need to get the supply side right by optimising the online customer experience. This Briefing focuses on the demand side. Encouraging take-up of the online offering has, in turn, two aspects: ensuring that people have access to public services online and persuading people to use them.

Briefing Issue 31 - July 2011

Digital by default (Part 1): improving the online customer experience

'Digital by default' is public policy and a key response to the need for austerity. More and more service users expect it, but it requires two conditions for a successful implementation. First: get the supply side right. In other words, optimise the online customer experience. Second: tackle the demand side - promote and encourage the use of the online offering. This Briefing focuses on the first part of the equation. Next month's edition will tackle the second.

Briefing Issue 30 - June 2011

A new era of ICT services: retaining the skills

If it is not outsourcing, then it is off-shoring or cloud computing. Every pundit has an answer to tackling the gap between increasing expectations of what the ICT service can do and declining resources as austerity bites. However, what dangers might these approaches present for individuals, their organisations and for the wider economy? Not for the first time ICT skills shortages are predicted, but is this really the case? If so, what types of skills? What are the essential skills that the business requires?

Briefing Issue 29 - May 2011

Sharing information: back to basics

Current hot topics, such as partnership working, collaboration, localism, transparency and the 'Big Society' (however ill-defined), all imply information sharing. Little wonder that CIOs are thinking about data interchange standards, security and authentication, and secure channels such as the public service network. However, some things are much more important than the technology.

Briefing Issue 28 - April 2011

Costs of outsourcing : uncovering the real risks

Socitm's appearance before the Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) on 22 March brought it out into the open. Outsourcing the ICT service might have many hidden costs.  Not for the first time our benchmarking service reports that in 2010 the cost of ICT in councils that have outsourced is higher than where they have not.  What are the real risks in making the wrong decisions?

Briefing Issue 27 - March 2011

Better websites: sharing content, applications and resources

One impact of the budgetary crisis is that more and more organisations are realising the importance of self-service. Another impact is that most now see shared services as a solution to reducing costs. However, very few seem to put the two together. With Better connected 2011 reporting only a very modest improvement is there not an opportunity now to share much more in supporting websites?

Briefing Issue 26 - February 2011

Transparency: seeing it through

It started with MPs' expenses, then the new Coalition Government asked councils in England to publish online all £500-plus transactions. On a global scale we had Wikileaks, and latterly one can argue that the revolution in Egypt has been driven by the transparency of the internet.

What does transparent government mean at the local level?

Briefing Issue 25 - January 2011

Value from radical transformation: grasping the nettle

As a result of the severe financial cutbacks prompted by the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) major transformation in the way that they deliver services.

Yet the track record of such ambitious programmes in the public sector is poor as organisations struggle with issues of leadership, capacity and methodology. Here is one approach that is working.

Briefing Issue 24 - December 2010

Adoption of cloud computing makes complete sense - for user organisations, at least - and most of us already use the cloud on a daily basis as private citizens. What are the obstacles to public sector take-up, and how can they be overcome?

Briefing Issue 23 - October 2010

The Comprehensive Spending Review on 20 October heralds major reductions in block grants from central government, compounding the problems of frozen council tax and salaries, demographic pressures and potentially spiralling energy costs. How to cope? Many local public services are tackling radical programmes of change, but how well are they managing that task?

Briefing Issue 22 - September 2010

Most now realise the importance of self-service, some accept the case for a customer access strategy to help make it happen, but how many are really dealing with the two barriers that might stop shifting customers to cheaper channels?

Briefing Issue 21 - August 2010

The public sector has invested billions in technology. Our Better connected reports call repeatedly for 'channel shift', moving citizen interactions to cheaper, electronic channels. Yet, according to Race Online, over one fifth of the UK population has never used the internet. How to include them?

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...