INDUSTRY WATCH
THE PUBLIC SECTOR IS BEING LEFT IN THE DIGITAL DARK AGES DUE TO INSUFFICIENT INVESTMENT IN CORE IT CONNECTIVITY SYSTEMS .
The public sector is being left in the digital dark ages due to insufficient investment in core IT connectivity systems . A new report has found that the public sector only met around a third of key indicators for successful Digital Transformation initiatives , scoring lower than all other industries involved in the study .
These real-world indicators were identified in a survey of 247 medium-to-large UK organisations and data , cloud and network infrastructure service providers . Overall , four in every five UK organisations are unable to scale plans to their fullest potential with current connectivity arrangements . Just 20 % of UK organisations state that they ’ re in a position to undertake Digital Transformation plans .
Conducted by leading dedicated Internet access and business connectivity provider , Neos Networks , the findings highlight challenges the public sector faces in ‘ building back better ’. The report also focuses on what ’ s needed to ensure UK business has futureready systems and just how many companies need connectivity investment to grow .
The findings come after an independent report from the Digital Economy Council , which stated that the state of government digital services was ‘ one of the greatest barriers ’ to civil service innovation .
Responding to Neos Network ’ s report on Digital Transformation , 84 % of organisations state that their Digital Transformation plans have accelerated due to COVD-19 . For almost half ( 49 %) of those surveyed , these plans have been accelerated by a year or more . Almost every organisation ( 98 %) said they consider Digital Transformation to be important to their future strategy .
The factors that influence public sector Digital Transformation success
The report found that four in five companies saw a ‘ highly successful ’ Digital Transformation success rate when up to 20 % or more of the Digital Transformation budget was devoted to connectivity or networking . For companies allocating 10 % or less of their budget to connectivity or networking , the success rate dropped to one in five , illustrating the fundamental role that connectivity plays in digital development .
The report highlighted 14 ‘ keys to success ’ surrounding Digital Transformation . The following factors are those most common to highly successful firms :
• 90 % – Recognition of significant benefits conferred by SD-WAN ( which include proactive management , better performance information and control of applications )
• 74 % – IT department is always involved in specifying and implementing connectivity solutions used in Digital Transformation
• 72 % – Connectivity and networking budget is 10 % or more of the overall Digital Transformation budget
• 72 % – Have a ‘ very supportive ’ telecoms partner
• 63 % – Seeing securing remote Internet connections as very important
Industries that embraced these Digital Transformation indicators are more likely to enjoy ‘ highly successful ’ Digital Transformation outcomes . Energy and utility firms are best positioned – holding seven ‘ keys to success ’ on average . They are closely followed by the transport sector , which has just under seven keys .
The industry with the lowest score was the government and public sector , with just over five indicators met . However , the reality is that organisations from all
Lyall Cresswell , Founder and CEO of Transport Exchange Group
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