Smarter IT is needed not more IT
The news announced by the UK government that it expects to make savings of £3.2 billion annually from 2013/14 made through transformation in public sector information technology has been broadly welcomed by Brocade.
Paul Phillips, Regional Director UK and Ireland, Brocade, stated: “The announcement that the Government’s ICT strategy will focus on a smarter, cheaper and greener public sector ICT infrastructure should be broadly welcomed by both the industry and tax payer alike,”
“Promoting efficient and effective services for the public is a worthy objective. However schemes such as this will only be truly effective when joined together and integrated seamlessly, as opposed to ad hoc and individual approaches that often lead to IT duplication and considerable waste. It’s more than making information available, it’s about clever investments being made in networking technologies. Investments that are designed to deliver leaner, cost-effective infrastructures to complement existing business models,” added Paul Phillips.
Under the IT Strategy the government intends to create one secure, resilient and flexible network which will enable every area of government to adapt their ICT to best deliver for the public.
“Critically for the first time, the plan also intends to bring together all Government departments, local government and wider public sector organisations to remove unnecessary overlaps between departments and avoid the costly duplication of IT,” he continued.
The key provisions outlined by the Government include:
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Launching a Government Cloud ('G-Cloud') which is intended to enable public sector bodies to select and host ICT services from one secure shared network. Multiple services will be available from multiple suppliers on the network making it quicker and cheaper to switch suppliers and ensure systems are best suited to need.
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Cutting the of the number of data centres to approximately 10 to 12 which is expected to save £300 million, lead to 75% reduction in power and cooling requirements of the centres and ensure data storage is secure, accessible and sustainable.
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Creating a Government Applications store designed for sharing and reusing online computer programmes (like standard Office applications such as word processing and email) on a pay by use basis. It will speed up procurement and deliver savings of approximately £500 million per year.
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Implementing a common desktop strategy which will lead to savings of £400 million per year.
“What is clear is that as a result of the economic downturn many in the public sector are now looking at investing in networking technology to improve efficiency in their organisation to reduce the burden on the tax payer. This is about smarter IT and not just IT for IT’s sake,” added Phillips.
Source: Spreckley Partners
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