Nearly a third (28%) of local IT leaders do not think they their organisation is completely ready for impending compliance regulations.
More than half of local authority staff believe their organisation has the wrong strategy for managing citizen data, according to new research.
The survey of local authority IT leaders found that three quarters believe that current data analysis capabilities will need refreshing in the next 18 months, with 72% believing the same about data storage.
This is having an impact on their ability to successfully deliver information and services, according to Keith Martin, director of public sector at Phoenix Software, which commissioned the survey.
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He said: “Transforming IT is one of the most complex challenges the public sector faces and managing data is one of the toughest elements of that challenge.
“Local authorities are sometimes faced with sprawling, siloed environments that can’t communicate, integrate or interact; the good news is that there is an understanding that change is required and this change will be key as authorities look to use technology to meet the needs of their citizens.”
The survey also found that 40% of those surveyed believe that mobility initiatives are being restricted by efforts to control data.
A further 87% thought their organisation could benefit from taking steps to support access to applications remotely or in the field.
Nearly a third (28%) do not think they are completely ready for impending compliance regulations.
Martin said: “Meeting compliance regulation and data sovereignty requirements means organisations need to understand what data they have, get rid of what they don’t need, while having the capabilities to analyse and effectively use what remains.
“That’s a big undertaking for any public sector IT team to handle on their own. Luckily there are experts out there who support on these projects every day and, when turned to for guidance, can help them through each step of the transition.”
