Find out how a standardised IT estate can provide a platform for mastering the complexity in integrated public services at UKAuthority Local Digital Transformation in December
You cannot get away from complexity in seeking to transform public services: the whole point of a transformation is to deliver better outcomes for the recipients, and that depends on an array of complex connections and interactions between service providers and the individual.
And that landscape is becoming ever more complex as authorities aim for a better integrated, whole systems approach that is much more effective at meeting needs. The integration of health and social care is the prime example, but there are many public services in which authorities have to get on top of that complexity in order to improve outcomes.
It needs an effort to reduce the complexity as far as possible, and it is possible to do so with the right combination of principles and technology. The key is in standardisation and simplification - and a simplified, standardised technology platform can do much to contribute to a successful public service transformation.
Public sector IT association Socitm, the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and the Local Public Services CIO Council have summed up these principles with an emphasis on three S’s – simplify, standardise and share.
This comes back to the fact that better outcomes will often depend on better inter-agency collaboration – and that will be possible if there is more consistency in the systems and data used by organisations working together. It requires an integrated technology stack built on standardised platforms that have the range of functions and flexibility to handle those complex interactions.
The evolution of Microsoft’s enterprise business solutions has made it possible to achieve this aim with a suite of products from one supplier. It includes the core functions of Office 365 and capabilities of the Dynamics CRM and ERP suites, Azure cloud platform and Cortana Intelligence to provide a range of tools for developing new business processes.
The full potential comes when they are utilised as a unified IT estate. This makes it possible to fully integrate the functions they offer, and take advantage of the growing number of specialised applications for specific lines of business developed by Microsoft partners.
The potential is now increasing with the introduction of Dynamics 365, which integrates the CRM and ERP functions into one service, providing an end-to-end business application suite.
All this can provide a foundation for the integration of processes in public services, supporting organisations in their endeavours to simplify, standardise and share; and it creates an environment for innovation not just in technology, but in new business processes.
It is an exciting potential to which any public authority should pay close attention. There is an opportunity to learn more, in the specific context of local public sector transformation, at two events to be staged by Microsoft and UKAuthority. UKA Local Digital Transformation will take place at:
- Wembley Stadium, London, 13 December 2017
- Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester, 15 December 2017
Find more information and register for your preferred venue via the buttons below:
