Public sector IT trends 2021-22

Shaping citizen-centric IT strategies

So, what technology trends are likely to have an impact on public sector IT strategies going forward?

• Expanding digitalization and greater efficiency are top priorities — although the potential of automation is often underestimated
• IT units are suffering from increasing complexity of the IT landscape
• There is a reluctance to use intelligent technologies for all but the simplest scenarios, such as automation of manual work and deeper data analysis
• Established technologies and methodologies are rated the highest, such as DevOps, metadata management and, multi-channel architectures

The Public Sector IT Trends 2021-22 study also found that increasing data security, developing innovative IT products and services, and stronger orientation towards the needs of citizens and businesses were among other top priorities.

The aim to focus on the needs of citizens and companies is driven by two factors. Firstly, the pandemic has demonstrated a requirement for contactless digital services; secondly European standards are pointing in the same direction. The EU’s new goals stipulate that all public administration services should be available online by 2030. Thus, it is no surprise that slightly more than half of the respondents said they wanted to develop automated service offerings over the next 12 months.

The report delves into the use of intelligent software robots, predictive analytics (a new territory for most of the study participants), and data ecosystems. It makes recommendations, such as putting data at the core of operations, noting that the “acceleration of digitalization depends on dealing with data the right way — for both the transformation of processes and the use of intelligent technologies.”

Finally, it recommends linking the IT journey with a purpose, such as aligning with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.