Inspectors to assess schools’ remote-learning set-ups
Education Scotland will examine how institutions across the country are responding to need for online learning
Major IT firms added to cross-government strategic supplier list
Computacenter and AWS have, in the last 12 months, both been added to the list of the government...
The four (non-coronavirus) public sector tech trends that will define 2021
PublicTechnology editor Sam Trendall picks out the big issues that might shape the year ahead....
More Content
Approach transformation projects with digital mindset not just digital tools, says Capita solutions director
The idea that digital transformation will ever be finished is an “illusion” and government should focus on establishing long-term leadership to ensure evolution at a more organic pace, a Capita director has said.
Surrey NHS trust launches Internet of Things trial for improving dementia care
Surrey and Borders Partners NHS Trust has launched a £5m trial of Internet of Things technologies to improve healthcare for people with dementia.
Local digital standard will need work to become a reality, conference told
Councils must not let the local government Digital Service Standard become another set of principles that "gets shoved in a drawer” and isn’t made a reality, a conference has heard.
Ministry of Justice bags BEIS’s chief technology officer
The Ministry of Justice has named the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s chief technology officer as its new chief digital and information officer.
ICT chief: Pace of change and poor leadership hampering councils' digitisation
Local government is struggling to keep up with the pace of change in technologies and true digitisation is at risk of being held back by poor leadership, according to Tower Hamlet’s head of ICT.
GDS promised 'national presence' as it takes over DWP's Digital Academy and leaves Aviation House
The Government Digital Service is to take ownership of the Department for Work and Pension’s Digital Academy to offer training to civil servants across Whitehall, as Cabinet Office says digital transformation strategy due by the end of the year.
GDS to update ‘cloud first’ policy
The Government Digital Service has reiterated its commitment to the cloud and pledged to refresh its ‘cloud first’ policy and promote it more widely.
Information Commissioner’s Office seeks local opinion on FOIs
The Information Commissioner’s Office is conducting a survey of councils to find out what their information governance frameworks are like.
Microsoft’s UK data centre signals a turning point for public sector cloud compting
Mark Skilton of Warwick Business School says that the opening of Microsoft’s three UK data centres marks another step on the road to full public sector adoption of cloud computing in the country.
Whitehall ‘not cool enough’ to attract top cyber security talent
The government needs to offer tech specialists more freedom and creativity if it wants to recruit the most talented people, according to a recruiter in the Ministry of Justice.
Ministry of Justice offers £90,000 for deputy director roles in digital team
The Ministry of Justice is seeking a chief information security officer and a deputy director of digital delivery.
Cloud-first agenda failing to take hold in councils, survey says
An analysis has shown that the adoption of cloud computing varies widely across councils, with barriers including out-of-date procurement policies and reliance on in-house IT infrastructure.
GDS calls for councils to apply for local Verify pilots
The Government Digital Service has set out the requirement for councils wanting to join the first pilots of the local version of its identity assurance scheme, for older people’s concessionary travel and parking permits.
NHS to invest in digital skills as Wachter review recommends phased digitisation
The Department of Health has announced an academy to train NHS staff in digital skills along with a suite of new digital services for patients in an effort to fast-track the NHS’ move to digitisation.
Putting citizens at the heart of digitisation
Chris White, head of digital solutions at Capita Software Services, looks at how councils can use single sign-on citizen portals to improve services and support vulnerable residents.
Tech companies asked about G-Cloud experience
The representative body for UK tech companies is seeking opinions on the government’s G-Cloud procurement framework.
The Pokemon Go effect: How councils are tapping into augmented and virtual reality
Sooraj Shah looks at the benefits of AR and VR, and asks whether councils should be spending taxpayers’ money on the emerging technologies so soon.
Socitm advocates move away from ‘delusions of transformation’
Councils need to recognise that real digital transformation goes beyond e-enabling transactions and “get serious” about technology-informed redesign, Socitm has said.
Healthcare IT: How to manage a mammoth network
Joe Kim, chief technology officer at IT monitoring and management tools developer SolarWinds, looks at the scale of the problem faced by healthcare organisers handling ever-increasing amounts of data and offers five ways they can tackle it.
GDS finalises new rules for government digital projects
The Government Digital Service has published a revised version of the Technology Code of Practice that departments must use when designing, building or buying digital services.
Home Office Digital developer: Departmental culture is excellent for women
As PublicTechnology looks at diversity in public sector technology careers, Home Office developer Barbara Cassini reflects on her experiences as a female developer in both public and private sectors, saying that some offices are just better than others.