New PSN Head Talks Direction

The Government Digital Service (GDS) director of common technology services Andy Beale has explained the direction the Public Services Network (PSN) is set to take.

Beale only recently became head of the service, taking over from predecessor Mark Pope in April this year.

According to the new director, the culture surrounding the PSN is about to change, although GDS remain entirely committed to the programme.

“There has been some people who have been sceptical about what GDS will do, but the PSN team are all actively being integrated into the GDS team and are moving onto our platform and working to set up a stable organisational and operational base,” Beale told a public sector IT publication.

“In terms of culture, you will start to see changes in how PSN works. We will adopt a GDS PSN culture using digital channels and working with what the user need is.

“We start with user needs and that’s the principle that starts with everything we do. If you ask users what they need, you tend to build the right thing,” he added.

PSN Already Delivering “Significantly” Reduced Costs

Going forward, says Beale, the aim is to continue delivering the high cost savings he claims the service is delivering.

“PSN is on track to deliver quite significant financial savings this year. I think the audited figure is £128m in terms of cashable savings in the telco sector,” he told a computing publication.

However, also important for Beale is strong transparency and communication, ensuring people are aware of cost efficiencies achieved and the benefits the Network holds.

“PSN doesn’t exist on its own. It exists in a framework with the rest of the technology policy landscape and our ambition for technology and that digital transformation,” he claimed.

“I think we need to ask whether the policy reflects user needs and digital by default and does it reflect the security policy framework we have and does it reflect today’s technology and security landscape,” he added.

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