The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) is running an engagement exercise with the IT industry on its Future Networks for Government (FN4G) programme.
It is partnering with Innopsis, the trade association for suppliers to the Public Services Network (PSN), in talking to companies and is running an online event tomorrow, 15 November, for them to learn more about FN4G.
This is part of its effort to encourage public sector bodies to migrate away from the PSN to modern network solutions that are more flexible, scalable and commercially competitive.
It is also planning to set up working groups, jointly chaired by Innopsis and the Cabinet Office, to focus on four areas: technical, transition and commercial, security and service management. They will be responsible for developing manageable proposals, providing a clear rationale for any decisions made, and providing a clear view of what will be defined as a success for each proposal.
This will be accompanied by the formation of a steering committee to co-ordinate activities and take proposals to the Cabinet Office for final approval.
Models, costs and default
The overall aims of the engagement programme are to define the architectural models for FN4G, minimise the upfront investment costs for buyers and suppliers, and develop a default position to align with existing policies, principles and processes.
CDDO said: “We’ll discuss, test and iterate technical models, service models and different ways of working. We hope the outcome will mean PSN users can improve their network security posture and implement a more modern network and telecommunications services environment.”
The Government Digital Service first indicated the intention to move away from the PSN in 2017 – saying commercial internet solutions were being developed with sufficient security for government organisations – and began to work on identifying approaches in 2019. CDDO has now taken the lead in the programme and in August of this year put out a market notice for support in generating resources for organisations to use new ways of accessing networks.
