Analysis
Core renaissance
A public sector perspective
Many public sector Chief Information Officers (CIOs) today stand at a crossroads of large systems that have powered their agencies for decades and the latest wave of cloud, social, and mobile technologies. With a sharp focus on modernizing their legacy transactional systems, these CIOs are now thinking about ways that they can use lessons learned over time to inspire new services and growth at the core. This “core renaissance” involves plenty of coordination, integration, and alignment by public sector IT leaders.
From renaissance to revitalization
Many government agencies have spent more than 30 years building out core transactional, reporting, and management systems. These systems have typically been the lifeblood of public organizations, powering both the back office and the mission.
The environment is ripe for a renaissance. Modernization is leading towards a convergence, with shared services receiving a resurgence with support from Shared First and Cloud First mandates.
In some cases, renaissance goes beyond technology consolidation to focus on revitalizing or augmenting legacy systems to fuel new capabilities. This area is often more difficult for many government agencies, given the sheer size of their IT systems and the traditionally risk-averse mindset of many in the public sector.
Download the PDF from Tech Trends 2015: A public sector perspective.
Moving forward
- Consider an asset assessment. After years of slow, steady growth, many public sector IT organizations have a hodgepodge of technologies, tools, and solutions–many of which may have been forgotten or are even unknown. The first step is to take inventory and make decisions about which technologies are candidates for consolidation, elimination, outsourcing, or endorsement.
- Have a clear vision for the short and long term. Public sector IT leaders should think about and plan along both their short-term goals as well as long-term enterprise-level vision and core architecture investments. Otherwise, modernization could result in disconnected technologies and more technical debt down the line.
- Start with your advocates. Leading change, especially in government, can be challenging. Start with internal stakeholders who understand the vision and need to revitalize the heart of the IT and business footprint. Stakeholders behind the plan can help to promote the potential benefits with you.
