Public sector CIOs call for more Government IT ambition

A large majority of public sector chief information officers (CIOs) want the next Government to be more ambitious when it comes to IT, according to a new survey.

The research, conducted by SAP, showed 43 per cent of respondents thought current Government IT strategies were not ambitious enough and 71 per cent wanted the Government to be more ambitious to help their organisations meet their goals into the future.

The top priority for the CIOs is to gain more strategic guidance from the next Government when it comes to IT. Half of respondents also felt a key focus for the short term would be reducing complexity in the IT systems, with a third wanting to reduce energy and power costs.

Although 45 per cent said the lack of both human and technological resources stood in the way of achieving goals, 38 per cent were positive that more could been done with less if processes were streamlined and new technologies were embraced.

"It's good to see that public sector IT directors are optimistic about achieving change," said Simon Godfrey, director of business development and government relations at SAP UK and Ireland, in a statement.

"However, many are finding themselves in a catch-22 situation; they are faced with an increasingly demanding and tech savvy public but at the same time have decreasing IT resources and investment. The challenge is working out how they can achieve more with less."

When it comes to the types of technologies to use, 19 per cent of respondents thought cloud computing should be a top priority, with a third believing open source solutions would help to take full advantage of cheaper technologies.

However, 44 per cent felt the proposed Government app store was a long way off becoming a reality.

"The message to the incoming government is loud and clear: ICT needs to be closer aligned to organisational needs," Godfrey added.

"There needs to be more guidance on how to do more with less and a faster move to simplified and shared services that reduce complexity and drive efficiencies for the public."

The report arrives the day after the Conservative Party said it would freeze spending on all major public sector IT projects, as part of its manifesto pledges.