In a study commissioned by Portage CyberTech from the International Data Corporation IDC, and the findings highlighted the priorities of government agencies and those of the public sector regarding the digital transformation of public services.
IDC's report titled "An Informed Approach to Digital Transformation: CRITICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR CANADIAN GOVERNMENT", shows that investments in cybersecurity are critical, but system resilience and user experience are not yet up to par.
Here are some key takeaways from the report.
The impact of technological debt on public services is noticeable
More than half of those surveyed (51%) believe that the technological debt of government agencies limits their ability to provide needed digital services.
31% of government agencies believe that technological debt delays work by 25-50%.
The main issues with this debt are integrating new technologies onto old systems (44%) and technology planning (46%).
Transformation is underway, but...
More than 92% of government agencies are considering or are in the process of, a digital-first strategy, opening up an incredible opportunity to enhance public services.
Nevertheless, more than a third (31%) have just started their transformation or are still evaluating it, and 33% are continuing a transformation that began during the pandemic.
Workers are concerned
93% of respondents express worries about the resilience of their organization's infrastructure in the face of unexpected events.
In addition, 41% of them believe that management does not understand how digital infrastructure supports organizational resilience. More worryingly, 36% believe there is a lack of control over what third-party providers do with our data.
Citizens want easy-to-use digital services
When asked where they will intervene in the next three years, over 56% of organizations responded with user experience is at the top of the list, with its large impact on key performance indicators.
Moreover, 40% of organizations acknowledge that customers are currently getting lost in the complexity and multiplicity of digital channels.
On the side of constituents, 47% of citizens have encountered malware attacks, and 40% want their privacy to be better protected.
Cybersecurity affects organizations
The data held by public organizations is of great interest to fraudsters.
More than 10% of public agencies say they receive on average over 100 cyberattacks per day on average. No wonder more than 48% of them invest more in the security of data and systems than in any other IT envelope.
The three issues that concern public organizations the most are cybersecurity risks, vulnerabilities related to remote work, and the continuity of operations, particularly in the event of a disaster.
Cybersecurity: government agencies are struggling to recruit
Compared to the private sector, the difficulty of recruiting IT personnel is 11% higher in the public sector.
Moreover, when it comes to identifying the main digital skills deficits, cybersecurity (51%), followed by data management and protection (42%) are the most frequently mentioned.
Digital investment puts people at the forefront
It is striking: the three main factors motivating investment in digital services are not even related to technology or cybersecurity.
At the top of the motivations is the convenience of remotely or self-serve digital services (38%).
In second place is improving access to social services or economic activities (36%), followed by ease of use or user experience (35%).
Conclusion: Reflection on the current state
The IDC report provides a better understanding of the current state of digital transformation in government agencies.
On one hand, the amount of data held by government agencies make them vulnerable to cybersecurity issues. On the other hand, they have significant technological debt and are putting a lot of energy into adopting new technologies that work on aging systems, exacerbating risk.
Agencies believe that current work is slowed down by technological debt and that digital infrastructure lacks resilience and ease of use. Workers are concerned about infrastructure resilience in unexpected events and lack control over what third-party providers are doing with their data.
Citizens want digital services that are easy to use and prioritize the user experience. Cybersecurity is a major concern for agencies, with more than 10% of public agencies receiving over 100 cyberattacks per day. Agencies are finding it difficult to recruit IT personnel, especially in cybersecurity and data management.
Overall, the report highlights the need for continued investment in digital services to prioritize user experience, accessibility, cybersecurity, and workforce development in the public sector.
If you are seeking to serve your citizens better by enabling digital-first strategies to improve public services, contact us today.
We will meet with you and your team to learn what stage you are in to create a sustainable development roadmap specifically to suit your needs and increase your service delivery.