Lock-In Business Models Outdated, Says Socitm

The current public sector processes for legalities, contracts and procurements are no longer fit for purposes says Socitm, the representative body for people in public sector IT.

In a new whitepaper, the organisation investigated the future of ICT function and claims that large supplier business models are now outdated, while lock-in deals are “doomed.”

In order to attract and keep public sector customers, says Socitm, vendors to the UK public sector must repackage products and services.

Stuart Mitchenall, head of ICT at Tandridge Council, claimed that innovation requires new models and suppliers should move away from maintaining income streams and existing behaviour.

The Socitm document claims that it will be absolutely necessary for software providers to deliver web-enabled products, without a tie-back to a specific operating system or business application service.

“This raises an interesting debate about the nature of market competition right now and what client/contractor relationship management means when in the background there is the constant peril that the client may initiate divorce,” it says.

The Public Sector Needs To Take Control Of Data

Besides this, says the Socitm report, public sector organisations must take back control of their data structures to encourage shared services.

It accuses suppliers of falsely reporting to public sector customers that data integration is more difficult and costly, impeding joined-up arrangements across the sector and allowing providers to take proprietary hold of data.

“Shared or joined up arrangements across the public service sector demand coherent data structures with the design being congruent with the nature of the data and with access from a generic application in mind,” says the whitepaper.

Socitm also called upon local government ICT departments to stop responding to service demands from technology and actively promote the opportunities it presents instead.

The report urges organisations to take full responsibility for the proper management of information.

© 24N.biz