The need for conscious digital transformation in the public sector

When the Cloud-First Policy was introduced in 2013, strategies were driven centrally by the government and were widely perceived to be the ‘right’ thing to do. It quickly became ‘fashionable’ to have a public cloud strategy. But, like any fashion, cloud strategies evolved as the realities of adoption came to the fore.

Public cloud might be the most appropriate solution in some cases, but there are certain workloads you cannot efficiently or economically move into public cloud. We believe technology professionals are beginning to see the value in being more agile and becoming increasingly comfortable with the notion that today’s decisions and strategies may need tweaks down the line.

A hybrid approach to cloud adoption can provide tangible benefits to these organisations, allowing them access to the most appropriate environment for their data and infrastructure, whether on-premises, in the public cloud or at the edge.

The appropriate IT infrastructure provides the foundation for emerging technologies. Public sector organisations could significantly benefit from infrastructure that evolves with them, scaling up and down as required, with little human intervention. Artificial intelligence could further transform cloud strategies. I’d like to see AI delivering actual returns, automatically moving workloads to where it is most cost-effective at that moment in time and providing efficiencies for users at the front end.

My advice to any public sector technologist embarking on a cloud journey is to identify the outcomes you feel you can deliver against quickly. For example, this could be moving analogue systems to a digital environment. Use this experience to develop your confidence, expertise, and working practices. Focus on the most appropriate environment approach, considering both your current technology challenges and long-term aspirations.

Finding the resource within your business to implement these changes is an industry-wide problem, with the digital skills gap exacerbating the situation. If you do not have the expertise in- house, DTP Group is here to support you at every stage of your digital transformation journey.

DTP Group is proud to continue its innovative journey with Hewlett Packard Enterprise, supporting the public sector to deliver the right hybrid toolset and accelerate conscious digital transformation, for the good.

Howard Hall,

Managing Director, DTP Group