As the world of technology continues to disrupt the private sector, it is the public sector that could stand to benefit the most from the cloud evolution and its accompanying feats. Digital transformation and modernisation are two of the leading trends across the globe and have become a point of interest in South Africa. Digital transformation will impact the way data is processed, stored and analysed in the country which is why this adoption could leapfrog the public sector entirely.
While the digital technology transformation taking place in South Africa is impacting the way people do business, the shift to the cloud and other digitally-based software require a stable infrastructure and large budgets, ultimately excluding most facets within the public sector. However, if these technology advancements were integrated within the public area, outdated processes and applications could allow for a more efficient, seamless sector to operate within the country.
Naturally, the process of migrating to technologies such as cloud computing and analytics tools is slower than that of most privately owned companies. The above is partly due to the diversity within this sector and the assumption that the public sector is one entity.
“It’s a bit unfair to compare a bank or retailer with government. [The] government has to take care of public safety, social security, healthcare, tax management, and these are totally different sectors. Because of the way government works, transformation will be much more fractured than it is in a different industry sector.” – Andrea Di Maio, managing VP for research at Gartner.
Digitally transforming the public sector would be a futile task as it would require government structures to change its fundamental model. As commonly agreed upon, the public sector model is unlikely to change; the business model is based solely on revenue raised through taxes and money spent on the services provided. Concluding that transforming this model would not be of benefit to both the public and private sectors.
Therefore, while the digital transformation is unlikely to occur, digital optimisation is likely to flourish in this environment. Optimisation will allow government structures to have better control of their expenditures and provide better services. It will enhance the running of the current model without changing the fundamental basis of its functioning. Digital technology will enable the public sector to embrace public cloud adoption, data and analytics tools as well as seamless software applications that will ease the pain of outdated infrastructures.
Adopting the public cloud
Public cloud adoption is on the horizon with Gartner expecting it to be the sole infrastructure for governments in 2020.
Cloud adoption has proven to be safe and effective within public sectors, which for South Africa means it will play an essential role in reducing corruption and reducing costs. Further, adopting the cloud will allow governments to store and analyse more data than previous years, allowing it to optimise its services. At CrossCheck, we believe in the age of technology and the power of optimising processes, infrastructures and applications in the public sector. As a company focused on municipalities capability to enhance their revenue, we believe in the need for digital optimisation when it comes to storing data and analysing it. – Lindy Mbatha, CEO CrossCheck
The public sector faces many challenges when it comes to the quality of data available for analysis which in turn causes difficulty in their ability for accurate billing. Part of our process to improve billing is to conduct a redemptive process called, data cleansing. For more information about the importance of data in South African municipalities, click here.
____
In 2005, the Social Sector Cluster approved the Municipal Indigent Policy as part of the social wage package. The Municipal Indigent Policy was instituted to guide the national initiative to improve the access to free basic services and the overall standard of living for the indigents in the South African municipalities. CrossCheck Information and Credit Bureau has a specific and invested role in the manner that South African municipalities optimise their indigent grant programs.
