Much of the public sector has come out of the Covid-19 pandemic with flying colours, having shown it how can quickly develop and launch services, often based on cloud systems, to support the people most in need.
But the pandemic has created a massive financial burden – a public sector net debt of £2.13 billion at the end of December 2020 – that will leave a long and difficult legacy. Public finances are set to remain tight for a long time, with the prospect of sharp restraints on operational and capital spending.
There are also emerging demands around issues such as new approaches to travel, the use of public space, the integration of health and care and a better co-ordination of services. Authorities will have to do even more with even less.
Digital solutions are bound to play a big part in this, and organisations throughout public services will have to become more agile in their design and implementation – as well as managing their digital estates to maximise efficiency.
Cloud services provide a means for them to find a way forward, taking advantage of an evolving market to respond to demands, building and scaling new services at speed while getting the most for taxpayers’ money.
But this will need a strong understanding of what the industry can offer, the shifting dynamics of public and private clouds and in-house digital estates, and the regulatory environment. It will require knowledge and skills, and a willingness to continually change the way services are delivered.
Subject for discussion
This provides the backdrop for the next UKA Live discussion, staged in partnership with Rackspace and to take place at 11.00 am this Friday, 19 March.
Capitalising on Cloud brings together the expertise of Rob McNally, head of IT strategy and solutions at the Leeds City Digital Partnership, Martin Ferguson, policy and research director at public sector association Socitm, Colonel MC Cornell, assistant head of Army Digital Services, and Steve Boardman, solution director at Rackspace – along with UKAuthority publisher Helen Olsen as chair.
Viewers of the live discussion will be able to submit questions and make their own observations.
It provides an opportunity to strengthen your own understanding and prepare your organisation to grasp the opportunities in using cloud to maintain operations and innovate in a harsh financial climate.
You can register to log into the discussion from the link below.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/uka-live-capitalising-on-cloud-tickets-138852057241
