Public sector plans for 2025 at risk without tech investment

Public sector plans for 2025 at risk without tech investment

Public sector organisations across the country must ramp up their commitment to boosting technology in four key areas in order to improve productivity and tackle societal challenges in 2025. That’s according to Scott Logic.

An analysis by the leading specialist software consultancy identified core technological improvements which would help to reduce the backlog of issues and boost productivity in the public sector:

• AI and automation: Organisations need to invest in tools that drive cost reductions, particularly in streamlining administrative tasks, improving decision-making and personalising public services.
• Cybersecurity and data: The growing reliance on digital systems, and the continued threats from hostile actors, mean that developing more robust cybersecurity measures must be a top priority for public sector decision-makers in 2025.
• Digital-by-design service delivery: Customer demand is already driving the need for more ‘digital-first’ public services that focus on emphasising user-centric designs, interoperability and automation, particularly in areas such as policy-making, testing and service automation, but that also incorporate the needs of those without access to digital platforms.
• Addressing legacy constraints: The public sector must move away from ageing legacy systems, and towards multi-cloud and hybrid cloud environments that support broader transformation efforts. Equally, greater effort is needed to adopt services from multiple providers to avoid vendor lock-in, increase resilience and optimise costs as well as retain sensitive data on-premises or in private clouds.

Stephen Foreshew-Cain, CEO at Scott Logic, commented.

“With the economic climate causing a level of caution in spending, 2025 must be the year when the public sector seizes the potential of technology to do more with less money. By making strategic investments in common platforms and the right tooling, the public sector can break down silos, boost productivity, and provide fairer, better and more robust services to UK citizens. The range of unprecedented societal challenges that we’re facing, combined with the years (decades?) of delay in undertaking large-scale digital transformation means that investment is sorely needed. Some of the Government’s plans, including the aim to modernise the health service and move from ‘an analogue to a digital NHS’, aren’t feasible without a renewed focus on leveraging technology to its full potential.”

“We know where work needs to be targeted; the likes of AI and automation tools, for example, can be applied as chatbots across several departments to deal with citizen enquiries. Predictive analytics can inform resource allocation and support the automated processing of benefits applications. These examples, which represent just a fraction of potential use cases, will lead to the provision of faster, and more cost-effective solutions to the public sector. Equally, a renewed focus on digital-by-design service delivery will enable quicker rollouts of new services, such as digital healthcare platforms or real-time financial support tracking. Cybersecurity and data robustness must also be at the top of the agenda, particularly with the ever-increasing reliance on digital systems. The public sector will only face more threats from hostile actors around the globe, and it’s imperative that we’re fully protected.”

“Finally, and at a broader level, we hope that 2025 is the year when the public sector looks ahead, rather than behind, and tries to address its existing legacy constraints. Many of the platforms in use at several agencies are up to four decades old, and decision-makers must look towards multi-cloud and hybrid cloud environments to support broader transformation efforts. These have now reached a level of maturity where any remaining security concerns have been addressed, as our banking clients can attest. And while the scale of the legacy challenge can look incredibly daunting, incremental migration roadmaps make cloud adoption manageable and affordable. It’s time to embrace the potential of technology and look ahead to the future.”