The public sector is prioritising digital transformation, but how can they get a handle on data complexity?
The dozens of various public sector organisations and departments are awash with data. The volume of information they collect on a daily basis – from citizens’ personal data to government policy documents, and everything in between – is vast.
In a perfect world – every piece of correspondence would be processed automatically; information would be submitted electronically and citizen interactions would flow through one common web-form. But that’s not the case – in today’s multi-channel world, information comes in multiple formats from paper documents, emails, faxes and online forms to video files, and even social media messages.
Lost in data chaos
Trying to unlock the value in all this data and turning all of the information into a valuable asset is a huge challenge. When documents enter a process in different formats and through different channels, it can become very easy to quickly get lost in data chaos. It’s tempting to either handle certain inputs as exceptions to a legacy process or in discrete silos. However, it’s much more effective – and more impactful to an organisation’s agility – to integrate data from multiple sources upfront into a single business process.
Digital transformation requires change – to legacy workflows, business processes and IT systems. However, as the public sector comprises many complex and diverseorganisations, the speed at which change can implemented is typically much slower than in the private sector.
Unlocking the value in data
The real key to unlocking the value in data is to explore innovative ways of making the switch to digital processes in the most effective way. It’s evident the back-end processes that help capture and feed data back within those organisations need to change – often they only add to the problem of unstructured data – but a ‘lift and shift’ approach to IT modernisation can be disruptive, complex and costly.
The problem of data chaos is further compounded by ever-increasing levels of complexity within local authorities and government agencies. Many are struggling with legacy IT platforms and siloed systems and in many cases, attempting to bolt-on modern applications to these systems poses yet another problem.
Reining in the data chaos
So how can government agencies go about using technology to support and empower users, as well as reducing and reining in the data chaos, internally?
The key is to think about IT modernisation from a holistic, portfolio standpoint, and not just from a single touchpoint. Can you make a smarter electronic document that can be integrated into your existing legacy systems and fit your future cloud strategy? Can you make it intuitive, with less touchpoints and less room for human error?
Many organisations start their digital transformation by scanning documents and filing them away in digital archives. For some business requirements, that’s all that’s needed. But to really unlock the power of data, you need to look beyond simply converting paper to digital content. Look to capture solutions that automatically extract critical information and connect to business processes. A scanner should have the intelligence to scan directly into existing business workflows and back-end systems and in the file format that is needed, ensuring data is instantly available where it’s needed to empower informed decision-making.
The cornerstone of digital transformation
Document scanning is a cornerstone of digital transformation, and choosing the right technology is essential to get the right results. A scanner’s image enhancement capabilities can dramatically reduce the time spent handling documents and can deliver more accurate information to automated workflows. Many companies overlook the bottlenecks that are related to image quality, but investing in the right technology upfront can reap big dividends right away.
With its information management ecosystem, Kodak Alaris has engineered its portfolio that combines hardware, software, services and partnerships to take the complexity out of information capture. The solutions are non-proprietary, meaning the hardware and software will work with other technologies – but when combined, provide a unique and differentiated proposition.
The overall message is to look at the business need, and not invest in technology for technology’s sake. At a time of increasing budgetary pressures, government at national and local levels cannot afford to miss out on the efficiency gains and cost savings associated with lessening reliance on paper-based workflows, eliminating manual processes and replacing them with streamlined digitised alternatives that seamlessly integrate into line of business operations.
Getting all of the above right enables faster access to information, which will be critical to maximise efficiency, employee productivity, and most importantly, improve the citizen experience.
For more information, please visit Kodak Gov.
