IT in the UK public sector

Main article: UK Government

E-government

Main article: UK e-government

Overview of electronic government services for citizens.

IT Infrastructure

CloudStore - public sector app store

Main article: CloudStore - UK public sector app store

The purchase of services by government organizations in the UK is carried out through the CloudStore service. Services are available to the widest range of government organisations, central and local government bodies, the NHS (health) and the police.

Information Security Program

Main article: UK National Information Security Programme

2023: Disconnecting phones and failing to work with big data. British tax failed digitalization

In the 2022-2023 financial year (lasted from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023), the Office of Tax and Customs Duties of Britain (HMRC) faced a number of serious failures in the operation of IT systems, due to which customer service was temporarily stopped through communication channels. This is stated in the HMRC report, released on July 17, 2023. Read more here.

2021

The British government allocated $2.8 billion for state projects in the field of Big Data

In early September 2021 UK government , it allocated 2 billion pounds (about $2.8 billion) to finance state projects for storage (big data Big Data) and analytics from 2022 to 2026.

The contract will run from April 6, 2022, and will provide big data and analytics for central government departments and the rest of the public sector, including local authorities, health care, police, fire and rescue, education and decentralized administrations in the state. This measure is necessary to close the requirement for a national data strategy on more effective access to government data and their research to improve public services.

The National Data Strategy itself has long been in the process of formation and revision, and its main strategic document has been on the gov.uk website since 2019. Its latest revision, published on 18 May 2021, confirmed that the strategy has four steps described as: data basics, data skills, data availability and responsible data use.

Five tasks stand over these steps:

• reveal the value of the data stored in the economy;

• provide a data regime that promotes growth and is trustworthy;

• transform the government's use of data to improve efficiency and public services;

• Ensure the security and sustainability of the infrastructure on which data is used;

• facilitate the international flow of data.

The head of data and analytics at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Ian Smith, pointed out that they see a need for professional data analytics services worth about $80 million per year and they also spend about $20 million per year on software . He noted that HMRC wants the structure to be flexible enough to enter the market and find innovations in data analysis that will be in demand until at least 2026.^[1]

Data breach of 40m UK voters

At the end of July 2024, it became known that hackers stole the data of 40 million Britons by hacking the servers Election Commission. Britain The data breach occurred in August 2021, but was only discovered in October 2022. A specialist who missed a hole in online security was reprimanded. More. here

Create an agency to explore the latest technologies, including AI and big data

In early February 2021, the UK government allocated 800 million pounds (about $1 billion) to create an agency for the research and development of the latest technologies, such as artificial intelligence and big data. Read more here.

2018: Creation of a unified database of citizens' biometric data to search for criminals

In early July 2018, it became known about the creation in Britain of a single database of biometric data of citizens of the country. Through this project, the authorities want to simplify the search for criminals and speed up the work of border guards.

The British Home Office has published a report called Biometrics Strategy, which details a plan to create a database that will include DNA, fingerprints, face photos and possibly even voice samples from the country.

It is assumed that this information will be available to the police, migration services and passport control workers at airports. During the year, the British Ministry of Internal Affairs will hold several consultations with specialists about the formation of such a database, as well as ways to safely store confidential information.

The timing of the project was not announced, but by the beginning of July 2018, according to The Telegraph, the British authorities collected images of the faces of about 12.5 million people, which are already used by law enforcement agencies and the passport office.

The creation of a unified database of biometric data of the population will make it possible to investigate crimes faster and more efficiently, simplify identity confirmation when crossing state borders, and improve the work of bodies and systems when reliable and safe human identification is required.

This platform is not a new data set, but rather a technical framework with which to work more effectively with existing data. It will also facilitate the widespread use of biometric data in the home ministry, police, the National Crime Agency and other government departments and international partners. By combining them, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will provide biometric services that will increase efficiency, flexibility, integration and automation, the ministry said in a report.[2]

2015: Microsoft threats to close labs in Britain if it moves to Open Source

On May 22, 2015, it became known about the sanctions threatened by Microsoft if the British government implements plans to promote open source software. This was told by Steve Hilton, one of the former advisers to the head of the British government, David Cameron.

According to Hilton, when the Conservative Party proposed transferring state computer systems to Open Source technology, Microsoft began to intensively lobby for its interests in parliament. The software giant even threatened to cover up its own research centers in the UK.

Microsoft threatened sanctions to the British public sector moving to Open Source

"

Microsofts set up a direct phone line between Conservative Party MPs and their R&D offices, saying they would be closed if the initiative was passed. We could only prevent this, "Bloomberg quoted Hilton^[3] saying^[4]

Steve Hilton did not provide further information. Microsoft refrained from commenting.

As noted by The Guardian in a publication dated May 22, 2015, for many years Microsoft has tried to resist conservatives who have promoted the introduction of an Open Document Format (ODF) since 2007. It became the standard for UK government agencies in 2014.^[5]

Microsoft has repeatedly expressed its negative position regarding Open Source products. It is understandable, because they interfere with the sales of commercial solutions of American companies.

2013

Public sector digitalisation costs - £18bn a year

As reported in 2013, IT spending in the UK public sector is about £18bn annually.

In 2012-2014, IT public procurement Great Britain will amount to £4bn in hardware alone, not taking into account the purchase ON and large-scale projects of the G-cloud and NHS type.

The UK Public Procurement Service (GPS) has announced an invitation to participate in the public procurement program for equipment and technology suppliers. The tender program for the supply of ICT (information and communication technologies) for government agencies in the amount of £4 billion, according to a notification in the Official Gazette of the European Union, will be open to public sector organizations within two years.

The following lots are included in the program:

• Desktop user devices, including personal computers, keyboards, mice and computer memory. GPS says it expects the participation of three suppliers with whom agreements will be concluded.

• Laptop hardware, including laptops, port/docking replicators, and laptop-related equipment. Four suppliers will be involved.

• Tablets/ultra-thin devices. Contracts will be awarded to five suppliers.

• Monitors and additional equipment for them: it includes brackets for attaching monitors to the wall, desktop stands for monitors and speakers. Three suppliers are expected to participate.

• Computing systems are thin clients. The contract will be concluded with three companies.

• Servers include tower form factor, rack and blade servers, server chassis/standard racks, power supplies, server hard drives, RAID disk arrays, and server memory. Three suppliers will participate.

• Data stores. Three suppliers are expected.

• Network hubs/switches. Supplied by three vendors.

• Desktop printers: including printer memory, paper trays, and power cables. Deliveries by five vendors.

• Peripheral ICT devices. Three suppliers.

• Non-standard products related to desktop equipment, services and solutions. Five suppliers are involved.

• Non-standard equipment of IT infrastructure, services and solutions. Eight companies are invited.

The IT support program includes central ministries, state organizations and institutions authorized by them, non-departmental state organizations, health care institutions and local councils.

G-Cloud: Driving the transition of authorities to cloud services

The G-Cloud project (government cloud) was preparing for launch for two years (2010-2011). The UK government's plans involved, in particular, a 50% reduction in government IT spending due to various factors. One of the main approaches on which hopes were pinned involves the implementation of one-year contracts along with the creation of a pool of standard solutions from which users can choose the necessary ones. The G-Cloud project, according to the schedule, was supposed to begin work in January 2012.

In May 2013, it became known that all UK central government agencies were obliged to give preference to cloud services when buying certain IT solutions. The initiative was called The Cloud First (literally - "Clouds First").

The government hopes that thanks to it, by 2015, half of the costs of information technology in the public sector will fall on public cloud services. More precisely, the directives instruct government organizations when buying new IT solutions to try, if possible, to purchase them in the form of a public cloud service, if such an opportunity does not present itself - a private cloud service, and only in the third place - to consider the possibility of buying traditional proprietary systems.

The IT Reform Group Special Government Commission will check each IT project for whether these conditions were met at the level of approval of the IT project budget. At the same time, projects with a ownership value of more than £5m will be checked.

The head of the UK Cabinet Secretariat, Francis Maude, also expressed the hope that the implementation of the initiative will intensify the consumption of services within G-Cloud, a package of cloud services designed specifically for government needs. The latest version of the G-Cloud III platform provides access to more than 5 thousand. IaaS, PaaS, SaaS and other offers from 708 providers, 83% of which are representatives of medium and small businesses.

The latest version of the G-Cloud III platform provides access to more than 5 thousand. IaaS, PaaS, SaaS and other offers from 708 providers

Overall, G-Cloud services costs have already reached £18.2m. However, this is still a small part of all IT spending in the UK public sector, which is about £18bn annually. According to Denise McDonagh, head of the G-Cloud program, the country's government is still only at the beginning of a long journey to adapt cloud technology, but Cloud First will really help increase their penetration, she said.

2012: Microsoft accused of pressuring government to refuse to switch to open source software

Microsoft was accused of trying to influence the closed consultations of the UK government, which could cost the corporation a decrease in sales revenues to the local public sector in the amount of about £700m.

The Cabinet Office has selected one "independent" expert to help organise a public discussion on the opportunities and methods for public organisations to switch to free software, saving up to £600m annually. But, as it turned out, this expert is closely associated with Microsoft and is also a consultant to this corporation.

The Cabinet of Ministers rushed to make a statement that Dr. Andrew Hopkirk, who had already acted as a mediator at some government-organized round tables, did not declare his relationship with Microsoft. Also, officials said that they see in this circumstance "a clear conflict of interest."

By switching to the SPO, Francis Maud would like to save the UK government up to £600m a year, but Microsoft is not going to be so easy to part with its main "cash cow"

As a result of all the indicated events, the Cabinet of Ministers was forced to postpone the start of consultations by a month - on June 4, although it was originally scheduled to start on May 1, 2012.

In addition, Microsoft organized the arrival from Seattle to the UK of one of its leading lawyers, Steve Mutkoski, who is also the corporation's international director for standards and licensing.

All this served as the basis for the subsequent accusations against Microsoft that the corporation is trying its best to stay in the local market software for government organizations, where at the moment family systems Microsoft Windows and the package Microsoft Office are used very widely, including in healthcare. "Microsoft understands that if it loses this battle, closure for the government of other products will be broken, and the corporation will lose its cash cow," said Glen Moody Glyn Moody, an advocate for open standards.

Free software adherents believe that the British government should choose software that is not a product of a particular vendor, which will significantly reduce the cost of purchasing and supporting such software. As a result, the results of the meeting led by Hopkirk will now be canceled, and the meeting itself has been held anew.

According to analysts, Microsoft's annual revenue in the UK is about £4 billion, or 5% of the corporation's global revenue. About £700m is public sector revenue, with about half of that coming from supply revenues to the central government. Sales Windows and Office account for about 65% of revenue.

Francis Maude, Cabinet Secretary, hopes to significantly reduce government spending by using open source software. In fairness, I must say that this idea has been discussed in the government for many years. For example, Moda's predecessor Tom Watson unveiled a similar plan in 2009, but did not make visible progress in its implementation.

2011: Plan for a large-scale transformation of the state IT infrastructure

In 2011, it was reported that in 2012, a Great Britain large-scale transformation plan was to begin. state IT infrastructures The main goal of all these transformations is to reduce the deficit in the public IT sector by improving infrastructure efficiency and simultaneously reducing costs.

Major IT Supplier Agreements

The development of a new approach to state IT procurement, which in 2011 resulted in the conclusion of a "memorandum of understanding" with key suppliers, in 2012 remains the focus of the Cabinet of Ministers. Recent developments, such as the conclusion of a framework agreement with the largest British integrator Logica, indicate that work in this direction continues.

Another innovation in the field of public procurement will be the conclusion of strategic partnerships. In general, this approach has already been applied in practice. Here you can recall the partnership between Capita and the Birmingham government, which began back in the 2000s. The use of such a model is actively gaining momentum. For example, an agreement between Cleveland Police and the French IT service provider Steria achieved 20% cost savings compared to previously used services.

Increase in the share of SMB companies in public procurement to 25%

The government is also determined to significantly increase the contribution of medium and small businesses (SMBs) to public procurement, which, according to officials, will stimulate not only competition, but also innovation in the UK economy. The government's stated goal is to shift 25% of all purchases onto the shoulders of SMB companies. It is not a secret that the established early long and complex procedures for concluding state contracts almost completely excluded the possibility of participating in the procurement of small companies. The government has developed an action plan that will open up this area to new and small players. The G-Cloud project also aims to implement these tasks.

Change in the public procurement model

Public sector organizations must increase IT efficiency by changing the way they access technology. For example, a number of organizations have used a service separation model for a number of years, with different results. This approach was most successful in central government organizations. And, according to experts, in 2012 it will also be applied by local authorities.

In 2012, the trend towards a shift from capital expenditure to planning and control of operating expenses will also strengthen. For example, the London Police is implementing an initiative called the Metropolitan Police Strategic Cloud, which will make available the main systems it uses on a cloud platform.

See also

• Britain's IT Market

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