information becomes a powerful tool that can transform pub services, writes Swindon Borough Council’s Kristin Warry
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11.1 www.governmenttechnology.co.uk | VOLUME 11.3
CLOUD COMPUTING
RISE OF THE G-CLOUD Framework improves the way government buys ICT
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www.governmenttechnology.co.uk | VOLUME www.governmenttechnology.co.uk VOLU VO OLU LUM ME E1 11.1 11.3 11 1.
CLOUD COMPUTING
RISE OF THE G-CLOUD FFramework ramew work improves impro oves the the way government buys ICT
DATA DISPOSAL
WIPING DATA CLEAN Are your old IT assets free of confidential information?
WILL G-CLOUD END ‘BIG IS BEAUTIFUL’ APPROACH? Early in May, a little later than expected, the latest G-Cloud framework introduced over 368 new firms, and the Cloudstore now contains details of over 5,000 services. The fact that 80 per cent of the organisations on the framework are classed as SME’s could indeed signal an end to the ‘big is beautiful’ approach, and the Public Cloud FIrst policy aims to shift government procurement towards the service. Programme chief Denise McDonagh stated: “At the Home Office alone, where I am IT director, we are in the middle of putting through more than £6m of orders, and I’m expecting to see those numbers keep on rising, both in my department and across government.” The inclusion of consultancy giants Ernst & Young and PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) in the framework caused a mixed reaction from industry insiders and analysts, with some questioning the remit and purpose of the framework. Read more on Page 5, while on page 16, Phil Dawson of Skyscape Cloud Services examines the rise of G-Cloud since its inception at the beginning of last year.
Comment / Contents
BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmenttechnology.co.uk
Danny Wright
GOVERNMENT T NEWS | CYBER SECURITY | OPEN DATA | PLUS MORE
05 NEWS
16 CLOUD COMPUTING
GCloud iii makes waves; Shakespeare Review on the future of Open Data; Steggy the Stegosaurus aims to boost computer recycling in Essex
13 16
While the G-Cloud Framework was initially met with some scepticism, it has now proved a great success, writes Philip Dawson. Plus meet the leading Cloud experts at Cloud World Forum this June
09 GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
23 PUBLIC SERVICE NETWORKS
When maps and data coexist, geographic information becomes a powerful tool that can transform services, writes Swindon Borough Council’s Kristin Warry
Essex County Council’s CIO David Wilde discusses how a Public Services Network (PSN) is making shared services a reality across the county
13 DATA DESTRUCTION
Alastair Barter of the Information Commissioner’s Office looks at how security principles should be applied in the IT asset disposal process
27 HR SOFTWARE
A sneak peak at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s HR Software Show this June
P ONLINE P IN PRINT P MOBILE P FACE TO FACE If you would like to receive 6 issues of Government Technology magazine for £120 a year, please contact Public Sector Information, 226 High Road, Loughton, Essex IG10 1ET. Tel: 020 8532 0055, Fax: 020 8532 0066, or visit the Government Business website at:
www.governmenttechnology.co.uk | www.governmenttbusiness.co.uk PUBLISHED BY PUBLIC SECTOR INFORMATION LIMITED
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Volume 11.3 | GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE
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Central and local government, NHSÂŽ organisations, emergency services, parish, town and community councils across England and Wales are benefiting from the Public Sector Mapping Agreement (PSMA), achieving savings of over ÂŁ18 million last year. Nearly 3000 organisations already have joined the PSMA, and this is still growing. More public sector organisations than ever are using geographic data for the first time, converting their data into intelligence, to deliver public service efficiency Visit www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/psma to see how they are benefiting from the agreement.
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IT PROCUREMENT
GCloud iii goes live – third time lucky? NEWS IN BRIEF The third iteration of the government’s programme to adopt cloud-based services, G-Cloud iii, now has some 708 companies signed up, over 80 percent of which are SMEs. This is 368 more firms compared to the second framework. More than 5,000 services went live on May 7 on the new CloudStore. The formal introduction of a ‘Cloud First’ policy aims to drive wider adoption of cloud computing in the public sector. In future, when procuring new or existing services, public sector organisations should consider and fully evaluate potential cloud solutions first before any other option. After the latest version went live, G-Cloud programme lead Denise McDonagh stated: “A little over a year since we launched the CloudStore, we are starting to see sales gain a real head of steam, with nearly 1,000 invoiced purchases, sales of over £18.2m to the end of March, and many more going through. At the Home Office alone, where I am IT director, we are in the middle of putting through more than £6m of orders, and I’m expecting to see those numbers keep on rising, both in my department and across government.” “Over the past few months, I’ve talked a lot about my hopes for a Public Cloud First policy. I believe this is an essential tool to encourage government towards more commodity IT buying and to help change mind-sets, which for too long have been stuck in “big is beautiful” mode. The G-Cloud was first launched in 2012 as way to cut costs for the public sector in buying IT at the same time as making it easier for small and medium sized business to compete for contracts. G-Cloud ii, the second framework, was launched in May last year. This latest incarnation introduces new areas including identity services, service integration and management, software support and business process automation. Large supplier reaction The inclusion of consultancy giants Ernst & Young and PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) in the framework caused a mixed reaction from industry insiders and analysts. Some questioned the remit and purpose of the framework. Alan Pelz-Sharpe, research director for content management and collaboration at 451 Research told Cloud Pro: “G-Cloud was an attempt to move government away from reliance on big consultancies and complex on premises implementations. Theoretically at least, G-Cloud should provide relatively low cost subscription services, without the lock in and huge up front effort – services that don’t require associated consulting.” However, Georgina O’Toole, research director at TechMarketView, welcomed the consultancies’ inclusion: “These suppliers are merely trying to compete head to head with the IT services players that are offering the same services, in the knowledge that departments and agencies will increasingly look to the CloudStore to purchase such services in order to show their support of the Cloud First policy.
GT News
BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmenttechnology.co.uk
£260m fund for e-prescribing NHS hospitals in England are to share a £260m fund to introduce electronic prescribing, the government has announced. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the cash would help bring to an end outdated paper-based systems – allowing the NHS to ‘go digital’ by 2018. He said the initiative would cut out the sorts of blunders that saw 42 people die in England last year after being given the wrong medication. tinyurl.com/k2wyq4b
“In addition, the fact is that it is at this planning stage – understanding how cloud can help them and whether it is viable – that many departments and agencies are today. There is nothing wrong with that.” Joe Dignan, chief public sector analyst at Ovum, said: “There is a concomitant increase in the diversity of solutions and services on offer, but it is critical that the G-Cloud team ensures that the increase in the number of offerings does not mean a reduction in standards” Looking forwards, Dignan said that in G-iv the government will also need to maintain pressure on the demand side through effective communication and by removing alternative methods of procurement. Latest suppliers Advanced 365 will be supplying government IT departments with infrastructure‑as-a-service (IaaS) and specialist cloud-based services (consultancy, development, systems integration, training, project management and support services). UKFast will be supplying IaaS and software‑as-a-services (SaaS), while Phoenix is doing much the same, in addition to offering their Platform as a Service (PaaS). Lawrence Jones, ceo at UKFast said: “The G-Cloud programme has opened the doors for smaller firms to provide services for the public sector bringing much needed and overdue competition to this market. Peter Bertram, executive chairman of Phoenix: “Since its inception, the G-Cloud framework has given government departments and agencies easy access to a flexible range of technologies to support Government adoption of cloud products and services” Softcat will be supplying its AirWatch Mobile Device Management (MDM) software, a solution for government departments implementing a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy. BYOD is seen as a means of cutting expenditure on mobile handsets and enabling employees to use a wide range of high-technology they already own, but naturally brings the issue of data protection and security to the fore. L READ MORE ABOUT CLOUD COMPUTING ON PAGE 17
Socitm briefs on shared ICT in local government The challenges for councils sharing ICT services are set out in the latest Socitm briefing Shared ICT services: more than meets the eye? The briefing points out that sharing services ranks high on the agenda of possible responses by local authorities to austerity, and that many have been established. However, a large number end before delivering the anticipated benefits, and for others the path can be far from smooth. Aylesbury Vale DC and Dacorum BC announced their partnership in May 2012 with the aim being to generate savings through improved efficiency and to create improved and more resilient systems. The new arrangement would also support transformational change to help both councils cope with reduced government funding and the increasing demand for local services. The briefing also includes information about 37 ICT shared service arrangements know to have been implemented across the UK. READ MORE: tinyurl.com/62llzgx
New cyber training centres Two new Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) have been announced that will provide the UK with the next generation of researchers and leaders in cyber security. The Centres, which will be based at the University of Oxford and Royal Holloway, University of London, are jointly funded with a total of £7.5 million, from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills as part of its work in the National Cyber Security Programme. READ MORE ABOUT CDTs tinyurl.com/cbv8ed6
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GT News
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NEWS IN BRIEF Oracle launches new data centre plan for G-Cloud Oracle has announced a new UK data centre plan, which will be focused on the G-Cloud initiative. The centre will be located in Thames Valley and will be designed to comply with standards for government cloud hosting. In addition to security considerations, the facilities will allow the government to ensure that the data is not being hosted on foreign soil. Such a facility would then be able to provide cloud services for public sector departments. Oracle president Mark Hurd said: “We are delighted to bring our experience to the initiative.” READ MORE: tinyurl.com/ndkfbug
UK IT Industry Awards open for entry Public sector organisations are being encouraged to enter the UK IT Industry Awards, run by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, together with Computing. Last year, the Awards attracted over 300 entries. Winners from the public sector included Home Office, Liverpool Direct, HM Revenue & Customs and Northgate Public Services (Blue Badge Improvement Service) while Aintree University Hospital Foundation Trust was highly commended for its new electronic medical records system. This year, there are 25 categories. Entry is via an online application process and initial judging will take place in August. In September, finalists will be invited to give presentations or an interview with an expert panel of judges drawn from across the industry. The winners will be announced at a gala evening event at the ENTER THE AWARDS HERE Battersea Park Events Arena, tinyurl.com/q4sle2y London on November 13.
30 minutes free wi-fi for Camden residents Camden Council has struck a deal with Arqiva to deliver public Wi-Fi to streets and open spaces across the borough. Camden led a group of 17 Councils across London to secure deals that will provide a wireless network where residents, businesses and visitors will be able to access 30 minutes of free Wi-Fi services every day using registered devices such as smartphones, laptops and tablets. Independent of the 30 free minutes, users of the service will be able to access Camden Council’s online services free of charge 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Dinosaur made from computer waste aims to boost recycling in Essex A massive dinosaur made entirely out of old electrical and electronic equipment is currently touring Essex, as part of a campaign by Southend-on-Sea Borough Council and Essex County Council to boost recycling. Steggy the Stegosaurus’ is made from parts of old computers and kettles. Southend-on-Sea Borough Council’s executive councillor for public protection, waste and transport, Councillor Tony Cox said: “This dinosaur sculpture is such a great way of showing how many electrical and electronic items are thrown away. “Hopefully Steggy will help prompt people to think twice before putting these items in their black refuse sack.”
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GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE | Volume 11.3
IT PROJECTS
MI5’s shelved records project could cost as much as £90m According to reports in the Independent, the decision by the outgoing head of MI5 Sir Jonathan Evans to scrap its digital records management project will cost as much as £90 million. Originally, the records management system was supposed to be in place last year and was intended to analyse intelligence data across all Government departments. But a Security Committee report in 2011 announced that the project was to be held off until after the Olympic Games. Sir Jonathan Evans told the Committee in evidence that
the project “is in some difficulties” and that the performance of IT consultants would be improved. Earlier this year, the design and ambition of the system was re‑evaluated and the decision taken to re‑start with new IT specialists. The Independent estimated that total losses incurred by abandoning the project and starting again will pass £90m. However, a spokeswoman for the Home Office, which has responsibility for MI5, said: “We don’t recognise the £90m figure.” tinyurl.com/cwag59b
PSN
PSNGB survey: budget cuts a top concern for leaders A survey carried out for the industry association for Public Services Network suppliers (PSNGB) showed the top challenges were budget cuts (82 per cent), as well as change and uncertainty (44 per cent) and increasing demand for services (40 per cent). PSNGB commissioned research involved interviews with 25 senior public sector executives during March and April 2013. The leaders represented a mix of sectors, including
local government, health, central government, police, and the emergency services. The organisation stated: “Fundamental change” and “new ways of doing things” to achieve long-term sustainable savings mean redesigning public services from the outside in, starting with the citizen and replacing old processes, changing systems, re-aligning the way people do things and giving them the tools to work more flexibly and quickly. E READ MORE ON PAGE 23
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT
ICO monitors three bodies The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has announced that three public authorities will be monitored this quarter over concerns about the timeliness of their responses to freedom of information (FOI) requests. The Metropolitan Police Service, the London Borough of Barnet and Manchester City Council are being monitored after the ICO received a significant number of complaints about each authorities’ failure to respond to requests within the statutory time limit. The monitoring period will last until 30 June 2013. Commenting on the announcement, information commissioner Christopher Graham said: “Responding
to freedom of information requests within the time limit of 20 working days is not only a legal requirement under the FOI Act, but also an important means of demonstrating transparency and accountability to the UK taxpayer.” Barnet Council’s deputy leader councillor Daniel Thomas said: “The ICO’s decision seems based on a small number of historic complaints received rather than our current performance. “The council has taken huge steps to improve its FOI performance over the past two years, recruiting extra officers across the council.” TO READ THE REPORT VISIT
tinyurl.com/dy3jdfv
IT PROJECTS
Shakespeare review highlights importance of open data; calls for higher security measures An independent review of open data imprisonment in some cases – for those who has been released by YouGov CEO and break the rules. I believe that with this in Data Strategy Board Chairman Stephan place we can shore up trust in the system, Shakespeare, outlining how how public and help alleviate some of the fear that has sector information (PSI) can be better been holding us back,” said Shakespeare. used to improve government services and unlock economic growth. Big Business The ‘Shakespeare Review’ calls on The review is being published alongside government to devise and implement a an economic assessment carried out by ‘National Data Strategy’ that recognises at Deloitte, the business advisory firm, which its core that PSI is derived from and paid estimates the direct value of PSI to be for by the citizen, and therefore should be around £1.8bn. However, when the wider made as open as possible to create the social and economic value is factored in this maximum value to the nation. It recommends approximate estimate rises to at least £6.8bn. that government release data more quickly Costi Perricos, public sector analytics leader (even if it is imperfect), while simultaneously at Deloitte, said: “Our research has shown that improving the quality and usability of data public sector information and open data is it puts into the public domain so that PSI already helping to drive economic growth and can be used (and reused) by individuals, innovation, and is delivering wider benefits the third sector and businesses in order to to the UK. But this is just the start and the stimulate innovation and growth. impact is likely to grow even larger still. Realising the full potential As the public sector overcomes t of PSI will require Britain the challenges identified in s r fi to build on its already our research, the UK will be ...The s about “ considerable prowess well placed to enjoy the a w in data science, and full potential of PSI and to hase unication. t p u with this in mind the cement its world-leading m o com ase is ab ch review proposes a position at the forefront e h t p d s focused programme of the open data and i e s h T crea o new n of investment to build transparency agenda.” i g usin city to d ings Minister for the Cabinet skill-sets through universities, graduate Office Francis Maude capa xciting th schemes and within has since commented “ e . . and th data. government departments. on the recommendations i w “This is Phase II of describing the review as an the digital revolution,” said important contribution. He said: Shakespeare. “The first phase was “This government is at the forefront about communication, this phase is about of the open data revolution, releasing using increased tech capacity to do new unprecedented amounts of open information. and exciting things with data. Britain has The release of open data is vital to a competitive advantage in that we have help the UK get ahead in the global race. centralised public services that collect vast Research supporting this review finds that amounts of data, the value of which remains the social and economic benefits of public largely untapped. If we play it right we can sector information to the UK are already break free of the shackles of a low-growth worth over £7 billion. We want to see economy and – rather than being seen as an that grow. The Shakespeare Review is an obstacle – government can become a key important contribution to how we unleash driver in this transformative process.” the potential in open data, and we will now consider its recommendations.” Trust in the system Matthew Hancock, Business Minister and The report also acknowledges that in order sponsor of the Data Strategy Board, said: for government to increase the availability “Stephan’s excellent review shows how of data to external users, it must ensure government and business can work together trust in the system. To achieve this, the and create new business opportunities. Shakespeare Review calls for a clear and Encouraging business innovation through pragmatic policy that makes maximum open data could transform public services use of data security technologies, as and policy making to be more efficient, well as much higher penalties for misuse timely and effective. We warmly welcome the of public sector information, including review and will look at the recommendations heavier fines and imprisonment in cases of carefully to see how they could be deliberate and harmful misuse of data. implemented to enable wider access to public “To realise the full potential of open public sector information so that we can strike the sector data we must have clear guidelines right balance between affordability, data for usage, and clear penalties – including security and value for money.” L
GT News
BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmenttechnology.co.uk
About the report
FOR MORE INFORMATION www.rusi.org
The comprehensive review, which was announced in the Open Data White Paper, is intended to improve access to data and help promote economic growth by examining the market for public sector information. In carrying out this review. Deloitte, the business advisory firm, was commissioned to conduct an analysis of the market for PSI. Additionally, seminars, larger events with big businesses, SMEs and start-ups, as well as interviews with individual experts, activists and practitioners have been used to collect insights that inform this review. Evidence has also been gathered through two waves of surveys. These surveys were run in two versions: an open format (in which anyone could take part online, with the link promoted across government and private enterprise communities via our email contact lists and to a broader audience from the YouGov Twitter account); and a closed format to a sample of the general population from the YouGov panel. About Stephan Shakespeare Stephan Shakespeare is chief executive officer and Co-Founder of YouGov, a leading online market research and polling company based in the UK and operating in America, Germany, the Middle East and the Nordics. He also founded PoliticsHome.com and ConservativeHome.com and, more recently, the new online venture Opigram. Stephan is a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery and chair of the Data Strategy Board for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. TO READ THE REPORT VISIT
tinyurl.com/c5a6kzo
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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmenttechnology.co.uk
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GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE | Volume 11.3
08/10/2012 12:38
Geographic Information Systems
BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmenttechnology.co.uk
GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
Written by Kristin Warry, geographic and demographic information manager, Swindon Borough Council
WHEN LOCATION BECAME ALL ABOUT THE DATA
Geographic information is not just about nicely produced maps but the data that comes with it. Used together, geographic information becomes a powerful tool that can transform public services, writes Swindon Borough Council’s Kristin Warry These days, most organisations are catching on to the fact that geographic and demographic information allows precise targeting and marketing of services, meaning you can scientifically stretch every vital penny that bit further. However, most leaders still see the specialists in these fields as geeks who draw pretty maps; useful, but limited. This could well be the year all of this changes. WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW Geographic sciences have changed immensely in the last ten years, with the big boys, such as Google and Microsoft, getting involved. Also, performance enhancements mean our standard laptops are capable of handling some very complex analyses, now taking seconds instead of days. Into this, throw in a very detailed database of everyone in the country and hand it out for free to data-hungry techies. Is it any wonder we are all currently in a state of glee? If you think about it, you will see just how much you can do with the census alongside your service data: the type of people who are successfully quitting smoking and those who cannot. How many children with parents who speak a foreign language that may need extra child services, despite living in a seemingly affluent area. The types of short‑term residents you are getting, and what services they want that they might pay you for. EUROPEAN INSPIRE DIRECTIVE AND THE UK LOCATION PROGRAMME How come it’s so much easier to fill up your car or answer your phone abroad then it is to open some map data? The data is surely the easiest to standardise – or is it? These new laws are to enable Europe-wide discovery and use of location-based data for public safety. What that boils down to is a massive amount of central and local government and health data slowly coming together in one place and all in one format for us to download and use. This data can be everything from transport networks to geographic incidences of allergies and cancers, via protected nature sites and forward planning areas. There are services being set up to help do this without spending E
Volume 11.3 | GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE
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GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION too much cash, but it’s going to take time. It will be well worth it, though, when we are considering cross-border issues or the impacts of major expansion plans. Money invested here will also bring local benefits when dealing with partner organisations’ data. Time currently spent on crowbarring information into our systems can now be spent analysing and making better use of it. POTENTIAL SYNERGY These together give us massive flexibility in our data offering. There could be new issues over staff spending too much time on the data, and not filtering fast enough. But for those staff who can find a quick path through, the evidence that can now be offered for change could prove comprehensive and decisive in short measure. Google Maps changed the game and now the public are happy to share data geographically. For example, pictures tagged with a location could be used to help report faults or even graffiti. This means we can consider moving a large burden of data creation away from specialists and to other employees, and give them the time to really save you precious pennies. Suddenly it’s not so much about a nicely produced map but about the data journey we
The UK Location programme
take, and that has many more opportunities that we are only just starting to discover. KEEP UPDATED The Association for Geographic Information (AGI) exists to represent the interests of the UK’s GI industry. This is a wide-ranging group of public and private sector organisations, suppliers of GI software, hardware, data and services, consultants, academics and interested individuals. The AGI Inspire Specialist Interest Group is working with Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Local Government Association (LGA) to get the word out on Inspire. The AGI is sponsored by, amongst others, Defence Geographic Centre, Defra, HM Land Registry, Land & Property Services, and Ordnance Survey. The Local Government Association runs specialist Knowledge Hubs where officers can subscribe and ask questions of the community www.knowledgehub.local.gov.uk A number of software suppliers are working with data that is available for free, such as providing downloadable output area maps of the UK. For more information, check your GI software supplier’s website or user groups. The AGI Awards Ceremony is held annually and is a set of industry awards to encourage
Pictures tagged with a location could be used to help report faults or even graffiti. This means we move a large burden of data creation away from specialists and to other employees, and give them the time to really save you pennies
UK Location is a government initiative to improve the sharing and reuse of public sector location information. This will be delivered through a multi-year programme of work: the UK Location Programme. The Programme is intended to deliver a significant change in the management of location information, one that introduces a new, innovative and joined up service for government, business and citizens. Visit data.gov.uk for more on the UK Location Programme and to find out how the government is releasing public data to help people understand how it works and how policies are made.
Geographic Information Systems
BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmenttechnology.co.uk
best practice, innovation and maximum use of geographic information. This year’s event takes place on 6 December in London. The category entrants are from across central and local government, the private sector, research and education. For more details, email claire.gilmour@agi.org.uk L
Kristin Warry is the geographic and demographic information manager at Swindon Borough Council, and is a member of both the AGI’s Local Public Services SIG and Inspire Action Working Group committees FURTHER INFORMATION www.agi.org.uk
The European Union INSPIRE Directive Geographic information does not currently join up between European countries, but the environment does. Major disasters, such as forest fires, floods and industrial explosions, do not respect national boundaries. To manage the environment better at a European level, change is needed to how geographical information is made available. The INSPIRE Directive (Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe) seeks to make those changes happen. It applies to all member states and concerns, including creation of metadata, interoperable data specifications, network services and sharing arrangements. Visit inspire.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ for more information.
Volume 11.3 | GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE
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GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE | Volume 11.3
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SECURE DISPOSAL
The Data Protection Act 1998 establishes a framework of rights and duties which are designed to safeguard personal data. The Act’s definition of processing covers almost anything that an organisation does with personal data throughout its lifecycle, from collection to disposal. Each element of processing must be carried out in accordance with the eight data protection principles. Alastair Barter of the Information Commissioner’s Office looks at the principle of security and how it should be applied in the IT asset disposal process
Written by Alastair Barter, Information Commissioner’s Office
IT ASSET DISPOSAL: WHAT DATA CONTROLLERS NEED TO BE CONSIDERING
Data Disposal
BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmenttechnology.co.uk
a The dat may ler control sponsible re be heldsset disposal if the a y it uses loses compan promises the or com stored on data evices old d The Data Protection Act requires organisations to take appropriate technical and organisational measures to keep personal information secure. The IT asset disposal process can leave data vulnerable to compromise, especially in cases where an organisation does not know if data is stored on devices earmarked for disposal and no asset disposal process has been established. Managing the asset disposal process can be challenging due to the increased use of
devices with large digital storage capacity such as tablets, smartphones and printers. Additionally, more organisations are adopting ‘bring your own device’ policies which means data may be stored on employees privately owned IT equipment. These challenges highlight the importance of carefully managing the asset disposal process to minimise the risk
of compromise when the time comes to recycle or decommission old IT equipment. To stay in control of the process, responsibility for IT asset disposal should be assigned to a member of staff with a suitable level of authority. That member of staff should ensure that the organisation: completes a full inventory of all equipment that has been marked for disposal; is clear about what will happen with devices when they are no longer needed; considers the security vulnerabilities E
Volume 11.3 | GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE
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Advertisement Feature
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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmenttechnology.co.uk
Software that powers the boards of top brands and provides the solution to reducing the cost of governance It is a challenging time for local government, as council’s struggle against a background of austerity to improve service delivery and respond to the public’s demand for greater transparency, while simultaneously reducing spending. The public sector is responding to this and has begun to find radical new ways of working, to ensure savings are achieved without compromising on core values. The introduction of new structures and changes to the way local government operates, such as delivering services through partnership, collaboration and commissioning, provide challenges for managing risk, ensuring transparency and demonstrating accountability. At this time, it is crucial that standards of governance are maintained. With 63 per cent of respondents in the eShare governance survey 2012/13 stating that their costs associated with governance, risk and compliance (GRC) have increased, the conflict with reduced spending is clear. The increase in expenditure related to GRC is a product of the rise in the importance of good governance. But with reallocation of resources
GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE | Volume 11.3
and reassessing your current methods, it is possible that governance can be managed efficiently and cost effectively. In fact, 82 per cent of eShare’s survey respondents believe that getting good governance practices in place will lead to long-term reduced costs. Governance software is already widely adopted within the private sector, as companies recognise the importance of transparency to their stakeholders. By utilising this software within the public sector, board members are able to securely access all their
governance resources (such as documents, guidance, meeting packs, decisions and risks) from a central location where they can collaborate at anytime without needing to be in the same room as their fellow members. With budgets being squeezed, the reality that governance software can help to reduce the cost of GRC will be appealing to those who hold the purse strings. Managing governance online means a reduction in paper and printing costs. It also eliminates the cost of distributing and couriering meeting packs, while reducing the issues caused by late or amended papers that require last minute updates and redistribution. Even the procurement of such software has been streamlined, thanks to the G-Cloud initiative. We may be living in austere times, but that shouldn’t lead to a compromise in standards of governance. Dedicated software will ensure your department is run transparently and efficiently, saving administration time and costs. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0845 200 7829 www.eshare.co.uk/governance
SECURE DISPOSAL associated with each method of disposal (recycling, destruction, donation etc.), and; if the organisation deletes data in-house, ensures that it is done adequately before recycling devices, so that data is not accessible to others after the device has left the organisation’s ownership.
TIPS FOR GOVERNMENT reselling them. There are cases where this has resulted in sensitive data being accessed by the new owners of the equipment.
ng Managi osal isp asset d allenging ch can be he increased SECURE DELETION t & DISPOSAL due to al storage To avoid this, a data t i dig lets, b controller should a t n i found ones and choose an asset h disposal company that smartp inters can demonstrate its ability pr to carry out deletion and
THE DATA PROCESSOR’S ROLE Data controllers who outsource the IT disposal and data deletion process to a specialist service provider will be using a ‘data processor’ under the DPA. A data processor should be chosen carefully as the data controller retains liability for the information. It is important to ensure that the data processor is capable of deleting data securely. A written contract should be in place between the data controller and the asset disposal company, describing the service to be supplied. The data controller may be held responsible under the Act if the asset disposal company it uses loses or compromises the data stored on old devices during the disposal process. For example, the asset disposal company may fail to adequately wipe data or remove hard drives from desktop computers before
About the author Alastair Barter joined the Information Commissioner’s Office as a Senior Policy Officer in 2010. He works in the ICO’s Business and Industry Group in a policy development and liaison role covering a range of data protection issues in the areas of finance, debt recovery, anti-fraud initiatives and data security. Detailed guidance on IT asset disposal, choosing a data processor and ‘bring your own device’ can be found on the ICO website at www.ico.org.uk
recycling in a secure manner. If you use a third party, select an organisation that offers guarantees about their ability to adequately delete data before recycling equipment. Obtain information from the asset disposal company about any specific software or hardware they use when wiping or destroying drives and ensure that audit trails are in place so that the equipment and its contents can be accounted for throughout the disposal process. For your peace of mind, ask the asset disposal company for evidence that data and hard drives have been deleted and destroyed in the form of a certificate of destruction.
Data Disposal
BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmenttechnology.co.uk
Julie Pickersgill, operations director at Advanced Digital Dynamics (ADD) offers some essential tips to help public sector organisations avoid costly mistakes
Make sure you have provision to destroy sensitive or personally identifiable data securely and certification to prove it has been done properly
FURTHER MEASURES You can take further measures by auditing the processor and requiring them to report any security breaches or other problems when they occur. Above all, you should be satisfied that you know who is doing what with your old IT equipment and the data contained on the devices. Certainly avoid letting organisations take your devices away without assessing their suitability for the job first. You should be able to demonstrate that you have completed a thorough risk assessment before engaging any third party to carry out IT asset disposal. This is particularly important if there is sensitive data contained on your devices. Be aware that adopting new technology will result in the need to periodically re‑examine any contracts and processes used by disposal companies to ensure they continue to meet industry standards. The Information Commissioner’s Office has regulatory responsibility for the Data Protection Act and breaches caused by inadequate security measures which could lead to enforcement action. In cases of serious non-compliance, the ICO may issue a civil monetary penalty of up to £500,000 to organisations that fail to meet the requirements of the Act. Looking to the future, proposals for an updated data protection framework released by the EU Commission suggest that legal responsibility and liability will be extended to include data processors. So, data processors may be subject to regulatory action if they, rather than the data controller, are found to be responsible for a data breach. It is a proposed development that all data processors should keep an eye on. L
Ensure you know the difference between onsite and offsite destruction and be mindful that offsite data destruction methods increase the risk of losing data before it can be destroyed Appoint a senior member of staff to take responsibility for data disposal practices. As the MD or CEO of your business, you should always keep oversight of this Run regular staff training for key people on information security procedures. If necessary bring in specialists to advise Ensure you accurately identify all equipment marked for disposal and its data bearing status and maintain accurate records When using a third party be diligent when checking their credentials. Ensure you are confident about their systems and their personnel as you are ultimately liable for their actions. Their processes must include Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) checks and Counter Terrorist Checks (CTC) on staff, including agency workers Implement robust service agreements with your suppliers and carry out regular audits to demonstrate your due diligence. Outsourcing does not relinquish your responsibility but may provide you with a course of action against the third party, providing you can prove they are in breach of contract
Volume 11.3 | GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE
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Cloud Computing
G-CLOUD
A YEAR TO CHANGE THE FACE OF PUBLIC SECTOR IT PROCUREMENT
Philip Dawson, ceo, Skyscape Cloud Services, focuses on the rise of G-Cloud since its inception at the beginning of last year. The programme represents a cultural leap for the government and its success has already seen it pass the £18m mark in sales procured through the framework The G-Cloud programme, which celebrated its first anniversary in February this year, was formed to deliver on the government’s commitment to reducing its ICT costs, introducing competition, innovation and opportunity into the relatively static ICT market, reducing procurement and deployment timelines through the introduction of agile, lowcost and environmentally sustainable services. G-Cloud services are available to over 29,000 public sector organisations and the Framework is already delivering tangible benefits. The government’s ambition to improve the process by which ICT services are selected and sourced is being enabled through the G-Cloud programme, which is creating a market populated by a wide variety of suppliers and services, 70 per cent of which are SMEs. SUCCESSFULLY INTERACT G-Cloud therefore presents a significant opportunity for new suppliers to successfully interact with the public sector, a market that was traditionally considered very difficult to engage with. This demonstrates the government’s commitment to improving procurement and disrupting the status quo, as it has historically favoured a supply oligopoly with the majority of the government’s substantial ICT spend vested
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GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE | Volume 11.3
with a limited number of large companies. The programme represents a great cultural leap for the government. This shift has been catalysed by a challenging economic outlook and in response to a need to support overstretched public sector organisations by addressing operational efficiency, whilst enabling cost savings, greater energy efficiency and better business outcomes without compromising security. HOW HAS PUBLIC SECTOR IT PROCUREMENT CHANGED? The Framework was initially met with some scepticism, however its success has proven how transformational the new model can be, not just in terms of cost savings, but also with regards to the speed of procurement and enhanced operational efficiency. In the year that it has been up and running, it has tackled the problems associated with the old methods of procurement and has sought to improve security, increase financial and energy efficiency and create a more transparent pricing model, while opening up the market to SMEs who would have found it difficult to market their services to the public sector. The programme enjoyed its most successful month to date in March, passing the £18m mark in terms of sales procured through the
framework. This total is largely based on cloud services consumed to date, with the exception of Lot 4 services, as public sector organisations are now able to pay only for what they use. As a result, the cost of similar services would have been far greater using the legacy procurement model. A key attribute of G-Cloud is the unprecedented transparency it delivers in terms of price, helping to drive competition and innovation. The Framework has also opened the market to a whole community of suppliers who would previously have found it challenging, if not impossible, to offer their services to the UK public sector. The success of G-Cloud is also supporting plans by the Cabinet Office to move to a “public cloud first” policy, which is expected to mandate central government departments into considering public cloud services as the main channel of their IT spending, a policy which is currently in progress. SECURITY IN THE CLOUD Understandably, security is a top priority for organisations across the board, and the G-Cloud Framework enables the UK public sector to access and select from a wide range of assured services. This allows organisations to reap the benefits from lower costs,
reduced procurement times and a simplified Giii will look to further transform the tendering process, without the need for face of IT procurement within the public compromising on security or performance. sector, simplifying the tendering process, In response to the concerns of organisations creating greater transparency of pricing and and the evolving set of regulatory demands enabling organisations to be better placed to facing the public and private sectors, the reach informed decisions due to the ability to G-Cloud programme has worked with make vendor-on-vendor comparisons. CESG (The National Technical Authority for Information Assurance) to adopt a rigorous BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE Pan Government Accreditation process. To date, the programme has delivered This will provide the UK public sector (as well a number of benefits to public sector as their end users, who are in many cases the organisations and has tackled the numerous general public) with the appropriate levels of problems associated with traditional assurance about the security of their data. methods of procurement – delivering Accreditation is a crucial consideration more efficient, cost-effective, scalable and for public sector buyers looking to secure services and a greater and better procure assured cloud services through informed choice. The programme has G-Cloud. Vendors should endeavour to also succeeded in facilitating a behavioural understand and meet with the government change, by allowing organisations to assurance standards, certifications and turn servers off during evenings and accreditations regarding quality, information weekends, resulting in significant energy security, IT service management and the and cost savings as a direct result. environment in which data is hosted. G-Cloud has attracted much attention in By securing Pan-Government Accreditation, the year since its launch back in February vendors can offer reassurance to customers. 2012, and with more and more preThis will help remove compliance headaches approved vendors opting in to this evolving as these standards are already demonstrably framework, momentum is continuing to being met by IT providers, and the confidence build. The project has forced the re-appraisal for buyers to not have to repeat of the UK public sector ICT market expensive accreditation and is continuing to evolve. processes locally. G-Cloud has proven e The Framework provides its worth by delivering h T . . “. s a an OJEU-compliant significant benefits w k r o route to market for the to the public sector. Framewmet some public sector. Thanks to The far-sighted y l l a i s it t init u CESG accreditation of approach that the b , sm services via the G-Cloud, sceptici s proven how government has taken confidence in the cloud to improving public ha success sformational is growing and often sector IT deployment tran w model using an accredited and is also leading the assured cloud services way in Europe. The the ne be...” provider is more secure than initiative additionally can the existing storage of data supports the government’s that organisations were using. target to transact 25 per cent of its business with SMEs, by giving them LOOKING AHEAD a low-barrier route into the ICT market. The G-Cloud programme has come a long way since it was launched, but there is still INCREASED COMPETITION much more to do to deliver the levels of The only ones for whom the Framework change that the government is aiming for hasn’t been good news is the incumbents, in its commitment to invest in technology who have for too long remained complacent, as a way to facilitate positive changes for inflexible and expensive. Instead of offering the over-stretched public sector. easy-to-adopt, easy-to-use and easy-to Our government is committed to ensuring leave services, many incumbents have for far the programme continually evolves to meet too long been delivering services that not with the changing end-user needs. The third only lock-in customers but fails to deliver, round of the procurement, Gii, has recently either in terms of performance or cost. been completed and will introduce further In a bid to create a superior end-user new services and suppliers into the market. experience, which directly impacts the general
Cloud Computing
To date, the programme has delivered a number of benefits to public sector organisations and has tackled the numerous problems associated with traditional methods of procurement
About the author Phil Dawson is ceo of Skyscape Cloud Services. The company was awarded Pan Government Accreditation status from CESG (the National Technical Authority for Information Assurance) earlier this year. The certification means Skyscape’s products are now certified to support all levels of data sensitivity through the G-Cloud programme, from Impact Level 0 to Impact Level 3. The company has been present in the G-Cloud framework since February 2012 and counts the Ministry of Defence, Gov.uk and HMRC among its clients. Skyscape is currently working on over 100 projects across central government, local authorities, police, healthcare and other publicly funded bodies.
public, the G-Cloud initiative has driven competition among vendors to deliver the best cloud services at the most competitive prices. Even the best suppliers will have to continually evaluate their offerings and ensure that they are delivering the best service possible in order to stay ahead of the game. The Framework has delivered exactly the change that was needed in the public sector, and with the fourth instalment of the programme due to go live by the end of the year (with the fifth swiftly following in 2014), the initiative is set to continue delivering positive change to the UK public sector. In the year ahead, we can expect sales of cloud services to steadily increase and, with more suppliers and services being added to the G-Cloud Framework, we will see increased competition further driving efficiency in the public sector. As a result of the success of the G-Cloud project, we anticipate the evolving SME ecosystem to gain momentum and become an increasingly powerful voice in the public sector market. This diversification of IT providers will help organisations to move away from incumbent IT providers, in order for them to seek out vendors who can be more flexible, agile and cost‑effective to meet the individual needs of public sector organisations. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.skyscapecloud.com
Volume 11.3 | GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE
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Engage
Meet UK Oracle User Group (UKOUG) at Cloud World Forum Stand 5015 UKOUG, established in 1983, is a not-forprofit membership association for those engaged in the Oracle community. UKOUG membership provides you with relevant products and services designed to help you maximise your return on both your organisation’s and your own investment in Oracle.
See what Dermot O’Kelly, SVP at Oracle UK, has to say about UKOUG
www.ukoug.org Follow us @UKOUG
Visit Stand 5015 to learn more about how UKOUG can help you
EVENT PREVIEW
MEET THE CLOUD EXPERTS
Cloud Computing
BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmenttechnology.co.uk
With the 5th Annual Cloud World Forum just around the corner, organisers are proud to announce a line-up of speakers that includes some of enterprise technology’s leading visionaries Taking place in London on 26-27 June at National Hall Olympia, the 5th Annual Cloud World Forum will bring together IT decision‑makers, giving visitors the opportunity to do business and learn about the leading trends and topics in the cloud space. The two day conference pays homage to the men and women pushing the boundaries on a variety of fronts within the cloud computing sector. With over 200 speakers presenting to over 5,000 IT professionals across eight theatres, here are the 10 experts that are not to be missed. TEN EXPERTS NOT TO BE MISSED Dr. Jeff Jaffe, CEO of the World Wide Web Consortium is right-hand man to the inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, and has been named one of the IT industry’s ‘10 Most Influential People’ in 2011. Dana Deasy is Group Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Group Vice-President, Information Technology & Services for BP, and has been voted twice in Silicon.com’s ‘CIO50 list’. Francisco Garcia Moran, Director General Informatics, European Comission, defines the IT strategy of the European Commission and provides ICT corporate services. He is also responsible for the European programme ISA (Interoperable Solutions for Public Administrations). Jeff Barr is Chief Evangelist for the world’s biggest infrastructure provider, Amazon Web Services, and is focused on furthering awareness among software developers of the opportunity to innovate and build businesses using Amazon Web Services. Oskar Stål, CTO of Spotify has helped Spotify switch focus to become one of the
world’s leading mobile applications and an award-winning digital music service that gives you on-demand access to over 20 million songs, wherever you are. Jim Reavis, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Cloud Security Alliance, is listed as one of the Top 10 Cloud Computing Leaders by SearchCloudComputing.com. Jim is helping shape the future of information security and related technology industries as driving force of the Cloud Security Alliance. James Thomas, Director of ICT, UCL Hospitals was rated eighth in the 2012 ‘CIO 100 List’ and was finalist of the 2011 BCS UK IT Industry Awards ‘CIO of the Year’. Richard Harris has been CIO at ARM since November 2010 and rated number 61 on the 2012 ‘CIO 100 list’. Richard is responsible for transforming ARM’s IT function so that it can stay one step ahead of their rapidly growing global business. Sujay Aswa, is Vice President of Sales and Business Development at Dropbox, responsible for leading the company’s business activities. And finally, John Finch, CIO of Experian is listed as number 34 on the 2012 ‘CIO 100 list’. John is responsible for spearheading Information Technology delivery and service globally for external clients and Experian people. SEMINAR THEATRES The seminar agenda will be held across 8 theatres, with a renewed focus on the key subject areas driving change in IT departments across Europe and the rest of the world. The Vision Theatre will hold seminars on all the biggest cloud computing topics, from the issue of developing large-scale service-led infrastructure to case studies
from some of cloud’s leading pioneers. The Strategy Theatre is the place to discuss new implementation and monetisation methods for cloud. Visitors will engage in discussions related to cloud security and the benefits of the as-a-service models, as well as hearing from key case studies examples in the public and financial sectors. The Evolution Theatre is where it gets technical, offering advice on the physical elements involved in enhancing your cloud, and discussing the next wave of applications and services available to those looking to build on their existing infrastructure. The Connection Theatre offers attendees an opportunity to discuss the mobile cloud and the cloud Channel. The Google™ Theatre returns for a second year and will cover all things in the Google cloud, including their Work the Way You Live (WTWYL) initiative, the benefits of Google Drive for business and the latest scaling enhancements of the Google platform. Cloud World Forum will once again be hosting the Executive Leadership Summit – a unique, senior level gathering held during the conference, where 150 of the globe’s top decision-makers will network with peers and share discussions in a more intimate atmosphere. What’s more, the show is co-located with two additional symposiums; the Big Data World Congress and the CDN World Forum. These conferences give delegates the perfect opportunity to discuss the growing interest in managing Big Data and the latest trends in Content Delivery Networks. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.cloudwf.com
Interoute Virtual Data Centre – flexible cloud computing with data control Today, cloud computing services are mainly characterised by public internetbased cloud solutions. Whilst this brings on demand, flexibility and cost benefits, it presents major challenges for compliance with data confidentiality regulations, integrity and governance. Interoute developed its virtual data centre (VDC) to deliver the ease and simplicity of the public internet cloud, as well as to allow users to build highly secure solutions, with complete data control including absolute control over where data is hosted or stored.
Interoute’s VDC is built into its 60,000km pan-European fibre optic network. Certified as a government G-Cloud provider, Interoute VDC is a cloud within
a secure wholly owned and managed international MPLS network. This is a technology proven to provide data security. Interoute’s virtual data centre has automated the creation of virtual machine’s using its private network or over the public Internet. Users can select from five virtual data entres (in London, Paris, Geneva, Berlin and Amsterdam) to ensure compliance with local data laws and regulations. FURTHER INFORMATION www.interoute.com/vdc
Volume 11.3 | GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE
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Being told to sharpen your pencil again this year?
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Visit www.appscare.com
Email as a service. Gordano Messaging Services (GMS) has been developing innovative messaging solutions for a global customer base since 1994, beginning with NTMail, the first email server running under Windows NT. Our success is rooted in our philosophy that a high quality, reliable and powerful email solution requires a service that’s focused on the needs of the customer – throughout their relationship with us. Backed by our world class Support and customer service teams, Cloudline from GMS brings all the features you would expect from an enterprise‑grade, cloud-based messaging solution, but with the added security, protection and peace of mind that our team of Client Account Managers and Dedicated Support Engineers are ready to serve your needs – 24/7/365. Cloudline uses the true cloud, globally recognised IaaS stack infrastructure from Amazon’s AWS EC2 platform, to deliver our robust and highly functional email messaging solutions. As a result Cloudline offers exceptional server redundancy with 99.95% uptime and is backed by strong SLAs; flexible quota and licensing options allow for easy onboarding and ongoing usage. GMS also offers multiple reseller and partnership opportunities for deployment of Cloudline in private cloud infrastructures, or to address OTT challenges in the Telco Operator space. Ask our Business Team for more information.
Scalable, highly available, database
Riak is the database chosen by the NHS, the Danish national health authority, Comcast and other organisations with critical big data problems. Created by Basho, Riak is linearly scalable, highly available, fault tolerant and ops-friendly. Try the open source version free today and book a tech talk from our engineers to learn more.
To find out more, come and visit our Business Team on Stand 6055 at the Cloud World Forum, 26th-27th June, Olympia, London or visit our website. www.cloudline.gordano.com
Email as a service.
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GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE | Volume 11.3
email: london@basho.com phone: +44-800-011-9600
www.basho.com
Google takes cloud-based Operational simplicity productivity to new heights from an open-source distributed database Google Apps is a change for secure collaboration, mobile management project. Are you looking to change attitudes, challenge your existing processes and improve the bottom line? Google Apps for government has brought about a step change in the economics and sustainability of ICT within central and local government. It is underpinning the delivery of a number of transformation projects and new ways of working initiatives across the public sector. AppsCare is helping councils in Suffolk, Lincoln and Merthyr Tydfil drive down costs by working in more innovative ways with cloud-based solutions. New initiatives available include the deployment of Google Apps
and home working and social communication. Secure encrypted data transmission, two-factor authentication and SSO support are standard features of Google Apps for government solutions. AppsCare has designed a range of public sector services offering value-for-money consultancy engagements, focused on delivering successful outcomes. Google packages available include: short 30-day suitability trials, pilot group migrations and ongoing premium support.
FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 08703 510018 helpmegogoogle@appscare.com www.appscare.com
Scaling and data availability are the two problems every IT project faces, within time. Traditionally, we have dealt with that by throwing ever bigger and more expensive, hardware at our deployments. However, that doesn’t work as it steals money away from places that it could be more useful. This results in just as much uncertainty about how to deal with increasing numbers of users, huge growth in the data we want to store and the need to guarantee data availability. England’s NHS and the Danish health authority both chose the Riak database to solve their scalability and data availability problem. Riak is a distributed key-value store built, from the ground up, to scale easily and cheaply: simply add another commodity server to your cluster and Riak will provide you with much more capacity. It also gives you a technical guarantee that it won’t lose data.
Cloud Computing
BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmenttechnology.co.uk
When you write data to Riak it makes multiple copies across your cluster, so even if things do go wrong you can fall back to another copy and still keep reading and writing that data. Riak is built by Basho Technologies and backed by an active open-source community. Basho’s London office can talk to your team about Riak and how you can build scalable, highly available, applications. FURTHER INFORMATION london@basho.com www.basho.com
Cloud solutions work well Maximise your return in with world-class service Oracle with added benefits Gordano, a G-Cloud partner, has a global reputation for on-premise email solutions, backed by strong service levels. The company is now using its expertise in the development of cloud messaging services. G-Cloud will fundamentally change the way the UK’s public sector procures and operates IT using cloud solutions. Cloud solutions are a primary focus for Gordano but the company is mindful that, for a business-critical application such as email, changes to the delivery of messaging services need to be carefully considered. It continues to refine an integrated product portfolio that offers a natural ingress into
cloud deployment. Gordano’s partnership with G-Cloud is in its early stages but it has seen some encouraging public sector customer wins with its Cloudline solution. The company has found that a cloud-deployed email service with world-class service levels are natural complements. At this stage, customers need the reassurance of quick access to support to facilitate the move to cloud services usage. Cloudline benefits from the same high-value service and support Gordano has dedicated to its on-premise solutions. FURTHER INFORMATION www.gordano.com
UK Oracle User Group (UKOUG), established in 1983, is a not-for-profit membership association for those engaged in the Oracle community. The company provides relevant products and services via a range of membership benefits. These are designed to help you maximise your return on both your organisation’s and your own investment in Oracle. A key benefit of UKOUG membership is invitations to attend events: from exclusive focused meetings to acclaimed national conferences. Content and interaction are key elements of these. A benefit of which is to bring together organisational users, commercial partners
and Oracle, providing highvalue, relevant content and opportunities to interact further. The company connects you with other users and solution providers to get together for education, innovation, networking and information. Membership also includes access to an online library of presentations, guides and white papers, our flagship publication, Oracle Scene and discounts. Visit stand 5015 at the Cloud World Forum, Olympia, London, from 26-27 June, to learn more about how UKOUG can help you. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 020 8545 9670 www.ukoug.org
Volume 11.3 | GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE
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Advertisement Feature
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Capabilities to remove risk Corporate geographic and cost as you build skills information systems for the public sectors Open source together with considered as part of any strategy cloud computing and BYOD are all current game-changers that deliver massive benefits. Ten years ago, open source was not considered for business critical applications. Now, the technical capability has been advanced to the point where not only can it be considered equal to commercial offerings, but it often provides technical innovations that can deliver a substantial edge. From a pure cost basis, open source products make a compelling commercial proposition. Government initiatives to capitalise on these benefits, especially in the current financial climate, are proof that today open source must be
or for individual applications. PostgreSQL is the leading open source database and 2nd Quadrant is a global leader in helping projects of considerable complexity, size and criticality deliver real benefits by using it. From brand leaders in high-volume, real-time applications with over 80 million users, to security application providers and financial institutions, major organisations have selected PostgreSQL and 2nd Quadrant to partner with them for successful migrations. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0870 766 7756 www.2ndquadrant.com
Selecting open source products is becoming more commonplace particularly with Government initiatives leading the way. PostgreSQL is the worlds most advanced open source database, based on its sophisticated features, usability and the significant number of major implementations. Make the most of your PostgreSQL database by partnering with the global leader in Professional PostgreSQL, 2ndQuadrant. Find out how 2ndQuadrant can complement your skills to meet project deadlines, fine tune your application, teach you new skills, support you 24/7 and much more. Call now and discuss what YOU need on 0870 766 7756 or email info@2ndquadrant.com www.2ndquadrant.com
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GGP Systems provides corporate information systems to improve efficiency and service with local government, fire and police. It specialises in geographic information systems (GIS) and gazetteer management systems. With a 21-year track record of success implementing systems in the public sector, GGP’s software is used daily by tens of thousands of users nationwide. GGP Systems’ specialists work closely with authorities to support implementation, system integration and provide advice based on extensive knowledge from over 100 GIS and gazetteer management implementations. GGP’s GIS provides the ability to store complex mapped information and read from and write to spatial databases, meaning information can be shared between departments and partner organisations. This eliminates isolated data silos, reduces data duplicity and improves system interoperability,
as well as enabling the joining up of diverse datasets to provide a richer information resource. GGP’s systems also underpin centralised information systems with easy-to-use software for the management of corporate land, street and property databases. The gazetteer management systems enable rapid access to all authority data for one-stop public information services, including online, call/contact centres and shared services. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0208 686 9887 www.ggpsystems.co.uk
Public Service Network
SHARED SERVICES
Written by David Wilde, CIO, Essex County Council
THE POTENTIAL FOR PSN
Essex County Council’s CIO David Wilde discusses how a Public Services Network (PSN) is helping to make shared services a reality across the county Public Services Network (PSN) is an absolute key enabler for modernising local authority practices and helping the public sector work more closely together. By sharing information more freely, each part of the public service realm, that is, health services, local government, work and pensions, emergency services and even the voluntary sector can come together to provide better services for businesses and residents. PSN also encourages multi-agency working which will help bring services into single points of access, thereby reducing the need for numerous separate networks and physical office spaces – helping to bring shared services into reality. NEXT GENERATION NETWORK Early this year, Essex County Council (ECC) set out to deliver enhanced ICT services to around 200,000 users through its Next Generation Network (NGN) whilst also reducing its spend. Built to PSN-standards but requiring no new financial investment, the NGN will initially establish a single
network with connectivity and associated services to more than 200 ECC corporate sites, including council offices and libraries, and 550 primary, secondary and academy schools. It will also provide a platform for sharing services with members of the Essex On Line Partnership (EOLP), a combination of organisations working together on ICT projects including local district, borough and unitary councils, Essex Police and Essex County Fire Services. NGN introduces a true PSN throughout Essex. Both work symbiotically – NGN will improve network capacity but it is PSN that is required to promote sharing of services and co-location practices. NGN also has the capacity to quickly encompass other public sector bodies – for example,
the NHS and also potentially connecting other public and third sector organisations from the wider region outside Essex. The same benefits Essex will realise are available to the wider region and are covered under the scope of the OJEU procurement.
Public s Service SN) A NEW k (P INFRASTRUCTURE Networnabler for Daisy Updata e y e l k a c o is a l Communications g n isi modern y practices, Limited (DUCL) t was awarded the authori public sector £81 million NGN contract to manage helping rk closely and develop the IT wo r network infrastructure and togethe
associated telephony services, for 10 years. DUCL is a new Joint Venture between Updata Infrastructure, a provider of network solutions to the public sector and Daisy Group, an experienced supplier of unified business communications services. E
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Advertisement Feature
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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmenttechnology.co.uk
Grapevine Computing for tailored IT training
Multichannel contact and mobile working solutions
Specialising in computer training courses and consultancy, Grapevine Computing can help your staff use Microsoft Office applications more effectively. Often the full capability of programmes is not fully exploited, resulting in staff not working as efficiently as they could. The company offers bespoke or standard training in all the main Microsoft applications, ranging from beginner to advanced level, as well as specialist forecasting and data analysis courses. Training is normally done in-house to minimise travelling for your employees, but external training facilities are available. Plus, tailored manuals are always provided
mplsystems is an SME provider of multichannel contact handling technology (iContact) and a G-Cloud supplier providing solutions that help with channel shift, managing multiple contacts across multiple channels to facilitate home or flexible working. Using its experience of developing field service mobile apps, mplsystems creates public-facing apps to assist with digital strategy objectives. The creation of user-specific apps will encourage the uptake of these new services. The company’s software solutions enable users to take control of the design of their own desktop, mobile
as an added on-going resource to support any training given. The company also provides support to solve your specific needs, such as a comprehensive spreadsheet giving you the analysis you want rather than having staff struggle to provide the statistics you need to make accurate business decisions. Are staff working efficiently? Are you getting the analysis/reports you need quickly and reliably? Are documents laid out professionally? If not, Grapevine Computing can resolve the situation. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0800 458 9308 www.grapevine computing.co.uk
app and contact routing, making Agile development a reality at reduced cost. iContact technology can be delivered on-premise or in the cloud and is fully integrated, with a single administration console to reduce IT complexity. With over 19 years of contact centre practitioner experience, mplsystems works with more than a thousand clients globally, in many vertical markets. This drives the product innovation and the new ideas received by customers. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0800 0931 474 Tel: 01926 623523 info@mplsystems.co.uk www.mplsystems.co.uk
Don’t just communicate with your customers, engage with them more
A new direction for The European e-Identity Management Conference
Netcall’s dedicated solutions help organisations manage the ever-changing demands of their customers efficiently and cost-effectively, to increase customer satisfaction. The company offers a platform with a broad set of innovative market-specific solutions for end-to-end customer engagement, incorporating intelligent contact handling, workforce optimisation, business process management and enterprise content management. The solutions are scalable and can be delivered on-premise or in the cloud. The biggest challenge for the public sector is to balance savings initiatives with meaningful changes in the services provided. Netcall understands that any cut-back strikes at the heart of service improvement. The company has an established track record of successfully implementing pragmatic citizen engagement solutions for
As the Identity world is evolving, we are too – which is why our annual conference will now be known as Digital Enterprise Europe. Regularly attracting over 150 senior delegates from the commercial and public sectors throughout Europe and beyond, this high-value conference remains an essential date for those in business, public sector and government who are involved in the policy, security, systems and processes surrounding identity management. For two decades EEMA has led the industry by assisting its member’s to gain a competitive advantage by investing in applied identity and security systems and services as well as investigating & leading current industry issues. This is the only community event that enables delegates to examine these issues in depth with thought-provoking keynotes, panel discussions, round table sessions and focused
customers, to achieve a rapid return on investment and the most potential to deliver a stepchange in service performance. Netcall’s customer base contains over 750 organisations in the private and public sectors. These include over 70 per cent of NHS Acute Health Trusts, over 50 per cent of London Borough Councils, major telecoms operators such as BT, as well as leading organisations like University of Cambridge, The Forestry Commission, Interflora, Lloyds TSB, Odeon, Interserve, Orange, Prudential and Thames Water. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0330 333 6100 www.netcall.com
GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE | Volume 11.3
workshops whilst networking with peers, making it an invaluable and unique occasion. This year’s event takes place at the Kroonburgh Conference Suite at Verizon’s offices in Amsterdam on 11-12 June 2013 providing a valuable opportunity to access thought leadership, share best practice and learn about the latest innovations in Identity Management and related areas of e-Security. For further information and the registration page, please visit the event website at www. digitalenterpriseeurope.com FURTHER INFORMATION www.digitalenterprise europe.com
SHARED SERVICES Top tips for adopting PSN Outcome based management – It is important to focus on outcome based managed service provision, rather than today’s technology solutions, to ensure ability to adapt with change and maximise benefits is baked into the service. It is the supplier’s responsibility to keep pace with new developments and ensure that any new infrastructure is flexible for any future technology changes. PSN Compliance – Ensuring PSN compliance is a core component of network service provision going forward. This is the key for future public service delivery. Convergence – Convergence across voice, video and data offers great opportunities to maximise IP technologies against cost rather than having them compete for bandwidth or be duplicated. Fixed and wireless networks run separately, so you can’t move the demand from one to another. With a flexible network infrastructure in place, it enables means you can move bandwidth around at no extra cost. Work together – Working closely with all the other public services in the planning stages of building a PSN gives you more flexibility down the line, even if they don’t want to join on the outset it will pave the way for future collaboration. The new infrastructure is part of our strategy to reduce expenditure on network and telephony services, whilst ensuring a future-proofed, robust and fully managed service. The contract will combine ECC’s data and telephony networks and add additional services – unified communications, video conferencing and converged fixed/mobile telephony, for example – to support flexible working. As part of a comprehensive upgrade programme, primary schools will receive an increase in network bandwidth from 2Mbps to 10Mbps, and secondary schools and Academies will have the option of upgrading their links to a 1Gbps connection. Where required, corporate sites will also receive a bandwidth upgrade to meet new services. Call costs will be reduced through the introduction of new telephony services including the utilisation of IP
Telephony and the introduction of new mobile tariffs. Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) will enable calls to be routed in the most cost efficient way.
a real enabler. PSN can realise significant cost savings with rationalisation projects – if a council consolidates by even just ten per cent – that will achieve significant results in saving money. It also helps with local economic growth as land released in consolidation of public properties can be re-used for public housing projects. By using PSN, councils can not only co-locate buildings but also share information and resources.
MORE FOR LESS For Essex and the users of this network, it is about getting more for less; providing a better service at a significantly reduced cost. DUCL has developed a model that will deliver our strategic objectives and support the transformation of the Council’s services delivered to our citizens. In March 2012, we announced our plans for a new network infrastructure that would achieve savings to of our overall network infrastructure costs whilst also introducing new technologies. As part of its bid process, DUCL proposed a highly innovative and transparent commercial model that ensured best value for the county and helped us achieve cost savings. PSN IN 2013 2013 will see a massive uptake in PSN. Already there are many councils which are putting into place PSN-ready networks – Buckinghamshire, East Lothian, Rochdale and Hertfordshire, to name but a few. But this year, many more local authorities will realise the potential for PSN. Furthermore, with the Government Connect Secure Extranet (GCSX) and Government Secure Intranet (GSi) framework contract coming to their end of life, central government will soon be turning to PSN and we can expect local and central government working more closely together in the near future. The landscape of the public sector and how networks are utilised will change significantly over the next two to three years. This will be driven by the continuous drive by councils to increase efficiencies, together with the increased demands of residents wanting better and faster communications with public sector services. With increased investment in the UK’s broadband infrastructure and the push towards PSN to support these demands, all this can be achieved.
Public Services Network
BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmenttechnology.co.uk
WORKING TOGETHER PSN helps to facilitate closer working between public sector partners. Essex is one of four areas piloting the government’s ‘whole place’ Community budgets. Together with East and West Cheshire, Greater Manchester and the Tri-Boroughs (Kensington, Hammersmith, Fulham and Westminster), Essex is looking at different ways of delivering public services in a more streamlined way by sharing resources, funding and expertise to help troubled families in the region. PSN enables a complete public services approach to dealing with specific issues. There are multiple public services involved in working with families with complex needs, whether social services, police, health services and the local authority. By pooling their resources and knowledge, any issues can be dealt with more efficiently. The Community Budget pilot programme runs parallel to our commitment to sharing services and collaborating with our partners and neighbours, and clearly the most cost effective way of doing that is across a shared infrastructure. In Essex, we are already seeing public sector staff working across multiple disciplines, particularly in re-ablement, where teams help residents revert to home care after hospitalisation. At the moment, re-ablement teams need to work across numerous Council systems – at the hospital, social services, local authority buildings, and so on – but with PSN there will be a much improved flexible working experience as teams will be able to manage the right access to the right information on a shared network and equipment. In the near future, with the adoption of PSN, physical boundaries of different public service buildings will disappear, whereby police can operate if required out of public buildings, health workers can work from social service offices and fire and rescue officers can remotely access information from schools or libraries. L
PSN helps toloser ec facilitat between workingtor partners, ec public sng a complete enabli ic services publ ach to appro es issu
CONSOLIDATION A good example of PSN in practice can be demonstrated at our shared site with Braintree County Council, where we transferred staff into the Council’s main office which was previously a third empty and sold off the two redundant buildings. This worked well for Braintree as it has meant extra rent coming in and good for us because we were able to divest ourselves of other buildings. Currently there are two networks going into the site, which can reduce down to one with the PSN. That is when it becomes
FURTHER INFORMATION www.essex.gov.uk
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perfect integration
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HRSS 2013
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EVENT PREVIEW
TECHNOLOGY TO TRANSFORM THE PEOPLE MANAGEMENT PROCESS
HR Software Show
BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmenttechnology.co.uk
Pick up tips, learn new techniques to help drive organisational performance and make contact with the foremost HR software and technology suppliers at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s HR Software Show, from London’s Olympia on 19-20 June 2013 HR technology can be a powerful tool that can transform organisational performance and effectiveness. And it is playing an increasing role across all areas of management and development activity, from flexible benefits and pay modelling to absence management and talent planning. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is the world’s largest Chartered HR and development professional body, setting standards for best practice in HR. CIPD’s HR Software Show 2013 on 19-20 June at Olympia in London provides a valuable opportunity to explore and assess how technology can be used to deliver and support HR activities and the needs of the business. Leading suppliers will be at the event sharing their innovations and demonstrating how they are helping organisations tackle their latest HR challenges. SOFTWARE SYSTEMS While technology is not a replacement for effective HR policies and processes, the right software systems can enhance HR professionals’ ability to deliver improved performance and make a more strategic contribution to business goals. As well as helping to streamline processes, software and web-based resources are providing increasingly sophisticated data and up-to-date information to support decisionmaking. Software providers will be offering plenty of practical tips and advice at the show and previewing latest systems and resources. Providers will also be highlighting cost-effective solutions that demonstrate a clear return on investment. Exhibition visitors can check out the latest thinking behind and uses of HR software technology by attending one of the numerous free 30-minute learning sessions running throughout the two days of the show. For example, a session by MidlandHR will be exploring the face of HR technology in five years’ time and its likely impact on the workplace. Case study-based sessions include one on how to utilise HR software to manage organisational change effectively, presented by Cascade Human Resources. A presentation
While technology is not a replacement for effective HR policies and processes, the right software systems can enhance HR professionals’ ability to deliver improved performance and make a more strategic contribution to business goals on auto-enrolment from Intelligo Software and an employment law update from Croner reflects on some of the current concerns that are high on the HR agenda, as well as technology’s role in providing solutions. Other topical themes in the learning sessions include the use of “big data” with payroll, time and attendance, while HR outsourcing provider ADP will look at the emergence of new technologies that are helping to provide powerful benchmarks against which to measure the impact of HR initiatives. Monster will be focusing on big data’s use in recruitment and sourcing. Self-service, integrated systems and absence management are other subjects to be discussed in sessions. INFORMED DECISIONS Organisations need to make informed decisions when choosing the right HR information system, software package or service or the results can be costly. As CIPD’s own research has shown, workplace absence
costs organisations an average of £600 per employee, per year. Having the right time and attendance system in place can play an important role in managing absence effectively. HR practitioners need to work in partnership with suppliers, individual IT team and others involved in the decision-making process to ensure the right technology-based choices for their organisation are made. The HR Software Show will provide a one-stop shop where teams can benchmark different approaches. Improved communication and employee engagement are also concerns for business. The use of self-service systems, enabling employees to access personal HR data and views online is just one way in which people are able to use technology to engage more with these particular organisations. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS Advances in mobile technology and the growing influence of social media are among the latest developments to be E
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HR Software Show
BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmenttechnology.co.uk
EVENT PREVIEW making their mark on HR software and web-based developments. But whatever the solution, successful implementation relies on an informed and well-partnered HR team and software supplier. HR information systems, payroll, talent management, employee benefits, online testing, social networking, pensions administration and shared services are just some of the key areas that will be represented at the HR Software Show. Exhibitors with new launches or updated software and systems will be demonstrating how they are responding to the changing needs of HR professionals and their organisations, and visitors will be invited to try out the latest software and web-enabled HR applications for themselves. The show will give visitors practical solutions and innovative ideas to take back to their organisations, whatever their level of experience or expertise. .
COST-EFFECTIVENESS As leading recruitment suppliers at this year’s show will demonstrate, HR technology is being used across the whole recruitment, retention and talent management cycle to help balance cost-effectiveness with developing, retaining and motivating top talent. The Recruitment Exhibition will also feature free learning sessions and updates, looking at topics such as job boards, online video interviewing and mobile technologies. WCN will be hosting a panel discussion that will look at how mobile and social technologies are transforming the recruitment process. Jobsite is at the event, presenting research on the use of digital, mobile and social channels for attracting tomorrow’s talent. CIPD will unveil findings from its Resourcing and Talent Planning Survey 2013, produced in partnership with Hays. The annual survey provides a benchmark of latest trends and current practice. CIPD will also be presenting a session entitled “Recruitment practices and young people: how to make the most of your young candidates”.
ing Resourc ent and tal ent m manage pressing er is anoth rn where conce ftware HR so e an k can ma ct impa
RECRUITMENT SOFTWARE Resourcing and talent management is another pressing concern where HR software can make an impact. In a downturn, high volumes of job applications put increasing pressure on recruitment and resourcing activities, so systems that help to streamline the process and allow HR professionals to identify talent have a potentially valuable role to play. The CIPD Recruitment Exhibition, co-located with the HR Software Show, reflects the growing use of web-based resources in the recruitment and talent management process. Registering for either of these events gives fast-track entry to both exhibitions.
MAKE NEW CONNECTIONS Both the HR Software Show and the Recruitment Exhibition also provide an opportunity to network with fellow professionals and suppliers, making new connections and sharing knowledge and experiences. As well as face-to-face meetings on the exhibition floor, HR professionals can also network online before and during the events, via Twitter and LinkedIn. For the suppliers, the events provide valuable insights into the challenges facing HR professionals in the current organisational climate and beyond. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.cipd.co.uk/hrss
CIPD People Management Awards The CIPD People Management Awards 2013 is the most prestigious awards in the profession, recognising and celebrating outstanding achievements in people management and development and the impact it has on business success. Peter Cheese, chief executive of CIPD, says: “I am particularly excited about our new award categories. We will, for the first time, be formally recognising those individuals who deliver for our profession as HR consultants. The two new awards focused on diversity and developing the future workforce have also been established to highlight those organisations who are forward thinking in their approach to workforce development.” This year’s event will be held on 17 September at the London Hilton Hotel. Visit www.cipdpmas.co.uk for further information. HR SOFTWARE SHOW HR Software Show takes place at Olympia West, London, on 19-20 June 2013. For more information, including fast-track pre-registration, timetables and exhibitor details, visit www.cipd.co.uk/hrss For details of CIPD’s co-located Recruitment Exhibition, see www. cipd.co.uk/recex, and the Recruitment Conference visit www.cipd.co.uk/recruitmentconf. These events are both also taking place on 19-20 June at Olympia.
Move with the times as HR and payroll evolve To see how Frontier Software is providing integrated HR software solutions to local government HR and payroll departments, visit Stand H80 at the HR Software Show, Olympia, London, 19-20 June 2013. Frontier Software’s comprehensive human resource integrated solution (chris²¹) has additional modules, including payroll, learning and development, e-recruitment, performance management, multiple contracts and time and attendance. The software is real-time information compliant and has passed the HMRC PAYE Recognition Scheme. chris²¹ also accommodates specific reporting
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GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE | Volume 11.3
requirements, including LGPS, HESA, SIR and TPA. chris²¹ creates a centralised, virtual HR office and allows maintenance of HR information with one‑time data entry and a user-friendly report designer. The payroll module features comprehensive rules to meet statutory compliance, stringent requirements and comprehensive auditing and security facilities. Frontier Software also offers a payroll outsourcing service, from
traditional bureau arrangements to fully managed service contracts. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01276 451551 www.frontiersoftware.com/uk
EVENT REVIEW
DECISION-MAKERS ADDRESS KEY CYBER SECURITY CHALLENGES
Cyber Security
BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmenttechnology.co.uk
Taking place in March, the second annual ‘Cyber Security, CNI and the Citizen’ conference in Canary Wharf, London, brought together senior decision-makers from the public and private sector to deliver insight through a full day’s programme of keynotes and technological demonstrations Cyber security breaches are increasing in both frequency and magnitude, becoming ever more sophisticated and knowing no borders. Citizens and businesses alike are finding bank accounts compromised, sensitive details leaked and devices hacked. According to Symantec, an estimated 12.5 million Britons fell victim to cybercrime in 2012, losing over £1.8 billion in direct financial losses. The loss is even greater for the business sector. The latest data from the National Audit Office’s landscape review estimates that the UK suffered 44 million cyber attacks in 2011 alone, the equivalent of 120,000 a day, costing an approximate £27bn a year of which over three-quarters of the economic impact is felt by business enterprise. The threat is persistent and constantly evolving; data breaches, identity theft and fraud are now common-place given the UK is one of the largest internet based economies in the G20 group of industrialised nations. Just over 8 percent of the UK’s GDP is generated through the internet, which comes as no surprise when you consider how Britons are classed as the most avid internet shoppers in the world. An average Briton will spend over £1,000 shopping online every year, almost twice as much as the average resident in France or Germany. A secure internet is therefore essential to the UK’s economic prosperity. In recognition of this, the UK Cyber Security Strategy published in November 2011 committed an additional £650 million towards a cross-government cyber security programme through to 2015. In the face of economic austerity and spending cuts, the public sector in particular faces key challenges; most notably, raising public awareness, influencing industry to invest in better cyber defence mechanisms and addressing the UK’s current and future cyber security skills gaps, which the NAO warns could take as much as 20 years to bridge. The successful delivery of the government’s strategy however is incremental for citizens, business and public sector alike in order for them to gain a competitive edge in the global marketplace and to be better protected against data theft and fraud.
BUILDING RESILIENCE IN THE INFORMATION AGE As our dependence on cyber space grows, so the security of the digital sphere becomes ever more critical to the health of our nation. There are numerous concerns associated with cyber attacks that cannot easily be quantified. As an example, it may be easy to calculate the replacement cost of fraudulent activity but the real economic losses associated with the disruption of critical national infrastructure, in particular, the networks that control our power grids, water supplies, telecommunications and even military, are not easily quantifiable. In the wake of several global, large-scale incidents, the UK government has committed itself to working closely with industry given that around 80m per cent of our critical national infrastructure is privately owned. The latest EU directive titled An Open, Safe and Secure Cyberspace introduced in February 2013 will go some way in addressing vulnerabilities that riddle the IT systems of key assets and services within the UK national infrastructure. For the first time, companies in specific sectors like banking, energy and health will be required to ensure
they have suitable IT security mechanisms in place and that they report major incidents. All this is significant when you consider how, according to Eurostat statistics, in January 2012, only 26 per cent of enterprises in the EU had a formally defined IT security policy. While one of the strengths of the EU policy is that it is comprehensive, its stipulation that the private sector report all major breaches may be difficult in practice given business confidentiality, the extra costs associated with implementing a robust IT infrastructural framework and the possible damage to reputation for big enterprises. One of the primary cornerstones of the directive however lies in its advocacy for the application of existing international laws in cyber space and more specifically, as Dr Marco Roscini from the University of Westminster notes, it “affirms that the laws that apply in the ‘real’ world also extend to cyberspace: there is no need to negotiate special cyberspace rules”. This affirmation, though holistic, invites a series of questions about the application of existing human rights laws and rules governing warfare; when can a cyber threat be considered use of force E
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Cyber Security/Advertisers Index
EVENT REVIEW under the UN charter? Who determines proportionality and how are legally enshrined concepts like sovereignty and neutrality determined in the cyber sphere? THE 2013 CONFERENCE From DDoS attacks to the defacement of government websites, from espionage to the destruction of critical infrastructure, cyber attacks offer activists, criminals, terrorists and hostile states the ability to strike the soft underbelly of internet‑dependent states like Britain with precision and anonymity. With national concern about cyber security greater than ever, how can public and private sector organisations stay ahead of the escalating threats? This was the focus of iMM Group’s second annual cyber security conference. The all‑day conference, chaired by Colonel (Retired) John Doody and composed of keynote speeches, panel discussions and seminars, opened with an address from Lord Erroll from the Parliamentary IT Committee, who provided an overview of existing government policy and the challenges ahead. Following on from this, delegates heard
from Nigel Harrison, director of Cyber Security Challenge UK, on the importance of bridging the skills gap and how his organisation sets about sourcing the best cyber experts through competitive challenges. Testing entry points, scanning for weaknesses and developing strategies to best leverage resources are all instrumental in the delivery of more effective information security practices. Later in the day, attendees heard more on this from Martin Jordan, Head of the Cyber Response Team at KPMG, during his session on modern hacking techniques and how organisations can best combat these. Failure to achieve a robust security culture is often identified as the Achilles heel of the business sector. On account of this, the morning sessions benefitted from a presentation by Tony Neate, ceo for the government’s ‘Get Safe Online’ scheme, aimed at providing small enterprises and the general public with advice on how to secure themselves against phishing, malware and internet fraud. The insights from this session were embellished later in the day
g Accordintat to EurosJanuary s, in statistic ly 26 per cent 2012, on rises in the EU p of enter a formally had ty T securi I d e n fi de policy
Silver lining for cloud and web developments Web-Labs has used its experience as a leading developer of Content Management Systems (CMS) and web-based solutions to develop a cloud development platform. This offers the advantages of open source (access to code and community development) with guaranteed support and a development path in the Microsoft environment. The ‘Bridge’ was conceived to keep pace with the changing methods by which customers wish to interact and do business with an organisation. There has been a ‘channel shift’ in the way customers contact organisations. They wish to go ‘online’ or use a mobile phone to do things such as order goods,
check an account or get a quote. The organisation has to be ‘digital by default’ with systems that permit end-to-end transactions unhindered by manual interruption. Out-of-the-box components can provide can provide a full Enterprise CMS, Document Management System, Middleware or e-forms features, or a combination of them. The interrelated nature of the components that comprise a ‘Bridge’ installation means operating between features is seamless, this includes the consumption and integration with external non-bridge systems. FURTHER INFORMATION www.web-labs.co.uk
with a discussion on social networking led by Graham McKay from DC Thomson & CO whose presentation centred on how social cybercrime has risen to prominence with the use of Facebook and Twitter. He asked: what does this mean for organisations, and how easily can social media be utilised to infiltrate organisations to extract sensitive information? Elsewhere, the day’s proceedings included key addresses from Chi Onwurah MP, Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Office Minister with responsibility for cyber security; Natalie Black, Deputy Director for Cyber Defence and Public Networks at the Cabinet Office; Professor Bill Buchanan from Edinburgh Napier University, and Kevin Doherty from the PSN Authority at the Cabinet Office. The conference rounded off with a presentation from David Smart from RUSI on vulnerabilities in IT delivery, physical threats to IT infrastructure, as well as response and recovery mechanisms to protect the UK’s critical national infrastructure. Cyber Security, CNI and the Citizen brought together senior decision-makers from the public and private sector to deliver a wealth of insight through a full day’s programme of keynotes and technological demonstrations. L FURTHER INFORMATION The day’s proceedings can be watched online at: www.youtube.com/ iMMGroupConferences
ADVERTISERS INDEX The publishers accept no responsibility for errors or omissions in this free service 2nd Quadrant 22 Abtech UK IBC AppsCare 20,21 Basho 20,21 Cadcorp 8 Civica 8 Cyberscrub LLC 12 Else Refining & Recycling 12 eShare UK 14 Frontier Software 26,28 GGP Systems 22 Gordano Messaging Services 20,21 Grapevine Computing 24 Idappcom 10 Interoute Comms 20 Misco UK IFC Mplsystems 24 Netcall Telecom 24 Next Generation Data 12 Ordnance Survey BC Revolution Events 24,29 Tabernus UK 22 UK Oracle Users Group 18,21 Varese 12 Web-Labs 30
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Central and local government, NHSÂŽ organisations, emergency services, parish, town and community councils across England and Wales are benefiting from the Public Sector Mapping Agreement (PSMA), achieving savings of over ÂŁ18 million last year. Nearly 3000 organisations already have joined the PSMA, and this is still growing. More public sector organisations than ever are using geographic data for the first time, converting their data into intelligence, to deliver public service efficiency Visit www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/psma to see how they are benefiting from the agreement.
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