GDS Steps In To Aid Public Services Network Rollout

Experts from the Government Digital Service (GDS) are to help drive the next step in the government's slow-moving Public Services Network (PSN) delivery.

PSN has become the latest Whitehall ICT initiative to come under the leadership of the GDS team, which has mandated a number of changes to get the 'network of network' idea higher up the agenda of public sector procurement teams.

Its changes include the setting up of a new CTO (chief technology officer) position (believed to be GDS staffer James Duncan) as well as other changes designed to deliver a "cost effective, high performance network."

That description, as well as news of the other planned improvements to PSN's capability, come from a new post on the GDS blog from the organisation's director of Common Technology Services, Andy Beale.

For Beale, "focusing on the user need for networks, in the same way that GDS focused on the user need for digital public services," is the preferred route of travel now for PSN operationally.

'Compliance, Operations, Product'

Beale adds that the org chart is also be changed to gather PSN resources under the functions of compliance, operations or product.

This step, he claims, will make the whole organisation leaner and more capable of responding to the requests we receive from both customers and suppliers" - a move which will in turn foster better collaboration with the wider PSN stakeholder community, "including industry and local government."

Look for updates soon to reflect these changes in the GDS Service Manual as ways to help "improve the clarity of guidance around networks and information assurance," Beale promises.

@24n.biz