Rethinking public sector IT

Jason Liggins at Crown Hosting argues that with finances tight, the public sector stands to gain from a rethink of digital infrastructure 

Spending on UK public sector IT infrastructure is under intense scrutiny as the government grapples with significant fiscal challenges. Major projects are being cancelled, and even relatively small departmental expenditures require ministerial approval. This raises the question: where do government digital transformation ambitions stand?

Progress has been slow, hindered by the highly siloed nature of central government IT. A House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report highlighted the urgent need for digital transformation to achieve greater efficiencies in the £400 billion annual expenditure of government departments. The continued use of costly and outdated infrastructure holds back advances in service provision and stifles innovation.

Many Whitehall departments - and the public sector more broadly - aspire to move workloads into the public cloud to take full advantage of the gains in cost, agility, and innovation offered by providers like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. Yet these migrations are frequently delayed as priorities shift. Concerns about loss of data control, unpredictable costs, and lack of data sovereignty further complicate the situation.

A hybrid approach to transformation

Rather than putting digital ambitions on hold, adopting a step-by-step or hybrid approach to transformation offers a practical path forward. This method acknowledges the complexities involved in migrating to the cloud, especially for workloads that are extremely sensitive or critical to public services.

An example of this approach is the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Faced with the challenge of modernising its vast and critical IT estate, the DWP successfully moved back-office applications into the cloud over a period of nine months. By combining cloud services with the use of efficient data centres through a partnership with Crown Hosting - a joint venture between the Cabinet Office and Ark Data Centres - the DWP achieved this transition without disruption.

This collaboration allowed the DWP to benefit from energy-efficient data centres equipped with advanced cooling systems. These centres house thousands of racks and spend only 15 pence of every pound on electricity for cooling, significantly lower than the industry average. According to the DWP’s analysis, this strategy has resulted in annual savings of around £150 million. The success of the DWP illustrates the substantial benefits that other departments could realise by adopting a similar hybrid approach.

Modernising IT infrastructure

Despite such examples, many government departments still maintain their IT infrastructure in a series of small server rooms, each containing no more than 25 racks. Under-resourced IT teams and outdated cooling systems lead to high costs and inefficient use of space, talent, and electricity. This dispersed, energy-intensive legacy estate hampers progress towards the UK’s target of net-zero government emissions by 2050 and impedes departments from meeting their own emissions reduction goals.

By migrating workloads to efficient data centres powered by renewable energy sources, the public sector can accelerate digital transformation while achieving significant savings and emissions reductions. Modern data centres offer technical and security support that may be beyond the capacity of overstretched IT teams spread thinly across multiple sites.

Economies of scale and innovation

Utilising data centres that harness economies of scale enables the public sector to access advanced technology and services more affordably. Bulk purchasing power can reduce costs for energy and infrastructure, making it a practical option for departments facing budget constraints.

This strategy supports a gradual transition to the public cloud. While organisations determine their optimal path to full cloud adoption, relocating servers to more cost-effective and sustainable facilities provides immediate benefits. Over time, workloads can be moved into the cloud step by step -a process more likely to deliver the desired results, particularly for sensitive workloads where rapid migration is too complex.

Preparing for future demands

Adopting a hybrid approach to digital transformation also positions the public sector to better handle future technological needs. In areas such as higher education, where 24-hour access to advanced computing is essential, modern data centres are addressing increased demands on electricity usage. They employ algorithms to optimise energy consumption in cooling systems and servers, enhancing efficiency and readiness for emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.

To realise these benefits, forming the right partnerships is crucial. When selecting a digital transformation partner, departments should consider factors beyond cost - sustainability credentials, contract flexibility, and the ability to deliver tailored solutions are all important. Strategic collaborations can foster an environment that is both cohesive and innovative, helping to overcome the fragmented approach that has previously hindered progress.

At a time of significant pressure on public finances, adopting a gradual approach to building scalable and sustainable infrastructure is both practical and necessary. The PAC report underscores that the entire public sector must undergo IT infrastructure transformation efficiently and effectively.

By learning from successful examples, and embracing incremental, strategic changes, the public sector can navigate obstacles to digital transformation. Transitioning away from inefficient, ad hoc infrastructure will not only yield substantial cost savings in the short term but also lay the groundwork for achieving long-term digital ambitions and facilitating migration to the public cloud.

Jason Liggins PhD is CEO at Crown Hosting

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com and Gwengoat