Business Technology

Lasting power of attorney is the latest service to go digital. But with the government’s sketchy reputation on big IT projects, will it thrive or dive? Few transactions are more sensitive and emotive than applying for powers of attorney to manage the affairs of an incapacitated relative or friend. Yet this is the latest procedure [...]

What can businesses learn from the successes and failures of e-government programmes? The public and private sectors can be seen as too different from each other to share lessons effectively.Discussions about common e-commerce terms such as conversion rates, loyalty and cost-per-click either come across badly or are not relevant for the public sector. Electronically delivered [...]

We’re not in this alone; there’s plenty we can learn from how other governments are tackling e-services Although we Brits love to grumble about money squandered on big government IT, we are actually perceived in many countries as e-government leaders for huge, functioning projects such as our driving licence system. That is not to say [...]

Public sector IT has had a decidedly patchy history; so is it up to the demands of e-government? Surrey County Council receives some 7.5m inquiries a year, on everything from potholes to libraries, healthcare to weddings. A decade ago, nearly all these inquiries would have been dealt with face-to-face, or by letter. This year, 94 [...]

We are some way from engaging people in true participation through e-government, but the activities of some public services suggests it’s only a matter of time Britain’s planning process is a bit of a coconut shy. One party sets up a proposal, others throw objections at it. Once in a while, a proposal gets knocked [...]

E-government offers the chance to tailor services and reach the public in more ways than we can imagine. A world of opportunity awaits… Anyone who has had dealings with the online systems of government agencies will often have had a mixed experience. While renewing a car tax disc with the DVLA can be straightforward, the [...]

Big-thinking small businesses have the chance to pitch their high-tech ideas to public sector organisations in a series of collaborative events called Innovation Den There is enormous potential in technology for enabling the public sector to deliver improved services and generate savings. Many small businesses have innovative ideas and products which can help public sector [...]

With public services poised to move into the cloud, critical questions about IT security and data protection must be addressed No longer in the realm of blue-sky thinking, cloud computing has developed beyond the initial hype and is now a viable and attractive option for both private and public sectors. Many organisations are ready to [...]

Market-leading distributor provides resellers with the widest range of products and services for the public sector Distribution – the silent partner It is a little known fact that, in the UK, distributors handle 98 per cent of the IT and technology products purchased by the public sector. Distribution essentially brings technology to market and one [...]

Unlock the many potential benefits that leveraging private sector expertise can bring We are used to seeing our dustbins emptied by contractors, and nobody expects Whitehall departments to employ their own caterers or cleaners. But could central and local government further collaborate with the private sector to improve the quality and reduce the cost of [...]