2023 is likely to be a challenging one for local government. Against a background of already stretched budgets and resources, the impending recession, inflation, cuts and cyberattacks are piling pressure on organisations. Despite this, frontline services need to continue to be delivered and much of this now relies on technology.
Therefore, organisations need to be able to continue to implement and manage this technology no matter the pressures to ensure the public remains safe and has access to key services.
Sharing the cost of technology across organisations
One approach that some in local government are already taking is to find ways to share technology services and costs. By sharing the cost across multiple organisations they are able to access enterprise-level technology which can help to deliver efficiencies. For example, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust has recently on-boarded a Microsoft Power BI P1 Premium Service to help modernise and improve the Trusts analytics and BI reporting capability. This type of solution might fall outside of the reach of an individual organisation, but by sharing the service and cost across multiple other organisations within the local area, each of those participating were able to gain access to cutting-edge technology.
This type of technology enables quick, accurate insight into the multiple sets of data sources and as such means informed, timely decisions can be made to help improve services and manage resources.
In 2023, this model of shared use and cost should be one that local government organisations across the UK should be looking to replicate. It allows organisations to have access to leading, enterprise-level solutions for a fraction of the cost, as well as ensuring that all of those involved can gain access to the efficiencies and cost-savings that they deliver.
Cybersecurity will be a key focus
Another key area for local government in 2023 will be the continued threat from cybercriminals. We’ve seen a real increase over the past couple of years, particularly during the height of the pandemic, of cybercriminals targeting councils and local government with cyberattacks. The nature of the data held by organisations means it is an incredibly tempting target. All of this highlights the need for new approaches to be implemented in order to combat this growing threat.
One area of vulnerability that cybercriminals are constantly seeking to take advantage of is what many describe as an organisation’s weakest link – the remote worker. This has increased since some local government employees have now got remote or hybrid roles. This means that they are sitting outside of the corporate network, working on end-point devices and potentially being more easily distracted. Cybercriminals are using more convincing phishing attacks than ever before leaving employees vulnerable to unintentionally opening a malicious link.
With the level of sophistication rising all of the time the pressure on employees to make decisions about incoming emails is huge. A new approach that some in local government are implementing is a zero-trust approach.
Zero-trust is where nothing inside or outside the network is taken at face value. It wraps layered, protected, AI-powered software around every user and every element of the infrastructure. It essentially means that everything coming into a user is treated as a threat until proven otherwise. In the face of such sophisticated attacks and with so many sitting outside of protected layers, this is a good option for local government in 2023.
Staff recruitment, attrition and outsourcing services
Another challenge that will impact councils and local government departments in 2023 will be staff recruitment and attrition. As we’ve already identified more local government employees are working from home or in hybrid roles. With the cost of living crisis kicking in there will be an understandable desire from employees to look for higher wages that organisations in this sector can’t always compete with and with remote working now available from many organisations, office geography is no longer a restriction.
So, we are likely to see staff attrition rates in local government rise leaving more holes and skill gaps. Add this to the financial and cybersecurity pressures on IT teams it is clear that local government needs to find new approaches to managing these challenges.
Turning to third-party IT consultancies to provide outsourced IT managed services might well be the answer and shouldn’t be seen as an additional cost. Having a team of experts in place from a single trusted supplier like Northdoor plc that can manage and provide IT needs, such as cybersecurity, infrastructure and analytics might well be a more cost-effective solution than trying to recruit and retain high numbers of internal staff to cover the raft of technology skill-sets now required.
Outsourcing well means that councils and local government organisations can rest easy about their ability to deliver frontline services against a backdrop of financial, technological and cyber pressures. It is clear that 2023 is going to be a year of challenges for the sector. Bringing in outside expertise might be a way that organisations can successfully navigate their way through these challenges ahead.
Richard Hartill is client account manager at Northdoor plc
