Crowdsourcing an ICT Strategy - Update

Way back in July, I blogged about an exercise I did with SOCITM SW regarding crowdsourcing an ICT Strategy. The group came up with many ideas but the overwhelming favourite was for a regional workshop with Chief Executives and Senior Directors to discuss the problems and challenges where ICT had a key role to play. We all talk about ICT getting a seat at the top table but in practice CIOs find this very difficult to achieve. The aim of the workshop was to put ICT on the agenda. The plea for support from ICT Managers in the SW gave me an interesting insight into life at the coal face.

Fortunately I was invited by Eastern Region to repeat the event and post CSR and the coalition government it came up with some very different results. I plan to blog more later on the outputs. The interesting point for me was that Vic Freir (Somerset) was on the same agenda with SOCITM President Jos Creese and we had an interesting chat beforehand. It seems that the workshop idea is taking off and will take place shortly with SOLACE at their Regional Conference. SOCITM will be attending as is seen as a huge opportunity for ICT to increase its influence. All credit to SOLACE SW for responding so positively and it highlights that its no use bemoaning the lack of influence unless you are prepared to get off your backside and do something about it. Well done SOCITM SW and the timing could not have been better.

Workshop Session:
An opportunity to ‘set the scene’ for Chief Executives/ Senior Directors to the opportunity that ICT represents. The workshop would support local ICT Officers in taking a more central role in the savings process. This project had the singular advantage of being a quick implementation, minimal resources, easy to manage, a quick win, low cost and supporting the ICT professional role.

4,000 Holes in Blackburn Lancashire ...

Ever wondered why there are so many roads and pavements dug up with no apparent sign of any work going on? Recent events directly outside my house gave an insight but also caused me to question is the cheapest the best approach?

Let me take you back to the beginning. I arrived back home from Leeds to find strange paint markings on the pavement outside my house. First thoughts were maybe we were to be ‘saved ones’ in some apocalyptic event. Later my neighbour informed me there was a problem with the water main and the recently re-laid pavement would have to be dug up on both sides of the road.

The following Wednesday (as promised) two large holes appeared in the pavement and my neighbour had water again – but the holes remained. The one pavement was completely blocked so the safety ‘elf’ had erected a plastic barrier in the road to create a walkway. This would definitely protect everyone from our 4x4’tless neighbour’s dubious driving. Well, apart from the old gentleman whose buggy could not negotiate the kerbs and he had to drive down the middle of the road to get by the hole and the walkway.

We also received a short note from Veolia explaining that the next day a separate contractor would arrive to fill the hole with recycled aggregate and take away the spoil. Sure enough the next day a large ‘Grab’ lorry arrived, stopped in the middle of the road and partially filled the holes – leaving room for another contractor to finish off with tarmac the next day. In minutes, the operator had also removed the soil dug out of the hole. The whole operation was planned so efficiently that the contractor didn’t even have time to stop off for a pee – so he walked between the rear wheels of the lorry and the wheel arch and went where he stood – in the middle of the blocked road. Very nice manners!

He quickly drove off leaving a small wet patch on the road and a load of plastic barriers blocking the driveway. No problems, my 89 year old neighbour quickly removed them. He wasn’t doing anything else and so much more efficient for him to do it than a contractor. (Yes, I could have moved them but cannot see the drive from my office window!)

The next day another contractor arrived and filled the holes with tarmac and even repaired the crazy paving on my neighbour’s drive. They drove off and then another contractor arrived to remove the plastic barriers. A final contractor should have arrived to wash the road and pavement down with recycled water – but its 4 days later and still no sign. Maybe the washing contractor is a ‘higher being’ and the G-cloud has not produced the rain!

All in all it has taken 5 separate contractors to get us this far and we are still waiting for the 6th. All through Veolia stressed its green credentials but that’s 6 separate vehicles, 9 operatives and 3 days of disruption, just to fix a broken water pipe. Pitkin (Norman Wisdom) and Mr Grimsdale would have fixed it in an afternoon and still had time for a brew!

Am I just showing my (increasing) age and longing for a bygone age? Driving back from Bristol recently I had the misfortune to discover that a combination of 3 sets of road works had created an ‘Italian Job’ style traffic jam that meant it took 2 hours to do the 2 miles from the M40 to home. Yet, at only 1 of those road works was any work being done. It might be cheaper for the utility companies but at our expense in unnecessary delays and frustration. Why should it take 3 days to fill a hole in the road?

Hidden Assets

Lats week we held the first full Board Meeting for the Yorkshire and Humber Public Sector Network. The meeting was succesful and we moved forward in establishing the Project Framework and took some key decisions. More significantly the baseline surveys are rolling in from the 22 Councils in Y&H and it feels like we are now really moving forward. Of course, there is a lot to do and we need greater engagement from the wider public sector if we are to achieve our aims. We are undertaking a more detailled study around West Yorkshire (Leeds and Kirlees Councils), Police and Blue Light Services and if possible Transport and Health.

The Board meeting was held in the slightly unusual setting of Leeds Art Gallery (it has a newly refurbished conference centre) and I took some time after the meeting to look around the Gallery. I particulalrly enjoyed the sculptures - important works from Henry Moore, Dame Barbara Hepworth and my personal favorite The Brick Man by Anthony Gormley. The Leeds collection is second only to the Tate in the UK.

Prior to the meeting I met up with collegues in the cafe located in 'The Tiled Room'. This is an absoltely stunning room restored in 2007 when it was previsouly covered with shelving. The Gallery and Tiled Room only go to show what assets Councils may own. If you have a spare hour in Leeds then I'd urge you to visit the Gallery or even just the Cafe which is a lot better than the usual Costa Coffee or Starbucks. Good food in stunning surroundings and unusually plenty of room. (Unfortunately no WiFi connection available when I attended). Its located next to the Town Hall. Map and further information here http://www.leeds.gov.uk/artgallery/default.aspx

GCSX Customer Forums 2010

Government Connect are holding Autumn Forums hosted at 4 events across the country. I will be speaking at all events on the work we have been undertaking with Devon regarding the Trusted Client solution. This allows access to Council systems from non council controlled PCs that has been approved for use with Local Authority IL2 networks. There will also be presentations from SOCITM regarding the importance of retaining GCSX access ahead of PSN transition. The event will also cover all the inside information on Government Connect, Services and an insight to the N3-GCSX Gateway service. The events will comprise a briefing session as well as one to one workshops from the Government Connect team, Cable&Wireless Worldwide and Glasshouse.

Each event follows a similar agenda and, with the exception of Manchester, run from approximately 09.30 through to 15.30. The agenda for each event is available at http://www.govconnect.gov.uk/events.php where you can also register on-line.

7 September 2010 Manchester (Event Full)

9 September 2010 Leeds

14 September 2010 Bristol

16 September 2010 London

Contact for more information: gc.info@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

Can you ‘Crowdsource’ an ICT Strategy?

I recently managed a workshop, working with SOCITM South West Region, in an attempt to develop a Regional ICT Strategy using ‘crowdsource’ techniques. The object was to identify if there were regional initiatives that could help Local Government implement a strategy and achieve expenditure savings. Ahead of the event, the group received a short note summarising the Government ICT Strategy, updating the group on recent developments and suggesting some example projects in advance of the session.
The ‘crowdsource’ workshop was split into 2 sessions straddling lunch. The first session was to effectively ‘brainstorm’ ideas involving the whole group. In the space of 30 minutes, the group identified 24 areas where regional initiatives could help, although even more could have been identified if time had permitted. We then focussed on grouping the activities into 5 key areas (see below). Everyone signed up to one of the five groups over lunch. In the 2nd session, each group was asked to discuss their topic areas and to identify a main project or projects that could be taken forward. At the end of their time, each group had to ‘pitch’ their projects and sell it to the wider audience in 2 minutes. In total, 7 projects were reported back to the main group.
One project had almost universal support. This was to hold a SOCITM supported regional workshop for Chief Executives and Senior Directors to discuss the problems and challenges. This would be an opportunity to ‘set the scene’ for Chief Executives/ Senior Directors to the opportunity that ICT represents. The workshop would support local ICT Officers in taking a more central role in the savings process. This project had the singular advantage of being a quick implementation, minimal resources, easy to manage, a quick win, low cost and supporting the ICT professional role.
Overall the session was highly productive with many ideas that could be carried forward - 24 individual projects were identified. The 5 key areas were:
1. Data Definitions, Protective Marking and Common Architecture
2. Resource Pooling - Shared Teams – expertise, approaches, Innovation, Research and Development, Technical Architecture
3. Culture Change - Influencing Senior Management
4. Single Service and South West Cloud – Shared Services, User Authentication and Identity Management, Remote Access
5. Procurement and Supplier Management – Open Source and Joint Teams
Conclusion
The event was valuable in developing ideas and common threads. The ‘winning’ idea for a regional seminar is one that could be taken forward quickly and it is hoped it is precursor to more regional thinking with ICT at the forefront of the process. The SW regional group is taking forward many of the key themes arising from the session Overall, it was a worthwhile event and in the space of 2 hours we produced some amazing work. The technique is certainly one I would use again even if a little out of my own comfort zone. The South West region of SOCITM should be congratulated for its innovative approach.

Government Connect Pricing

So, Government Connect (GC) are to proceed with charging for their GCSX connections to Local Authorities. This was announced at the Spring Forum events held this month (March). Local Authorities in England and Wales will be charged for their GCSX connections from April 2011. The cost for a 2mb connection will be £15.5k per annum if usage stays the same as at present. It could possibly rise to 18k if usage moves to the next band.

Many authorities have an aggregated connections - LPSN, Kent Connects, Essex, Wales, Hampshire etc. and will pay either £39.5k for a 10mb connection (possibly rising to £51k) or £98k for a 100mb connection (possibly rising to £216k). Quite a wide variation there! Note actual charges from the partnership may be higher as the costs do not include the regional network costs and will have to include back up as as well as the main connection.

The good news is that GC have finally agreed with the NHS that the GCSX connection can be used for N3 connectivity as the 2 networks will be connected via the PSI. This will provide national, spine and PCT connectivity. The GCSX Code of Connection will be deemed adequate for technical purposes although a very much reduced IGSoc will still need to be completed to cover Data Handling not Incorporated in the GCSX CoCo.

What are the implications for Local Authorities? When the GSi is replaced by PSN (although in the interim the GCF will provide continuity) there is an opportunity to procure additional aggregated networks where network connection costs are shared. Hampshire, Kent and Dorset are all at various points in creating PSN compliant network services that will serve their Counties. The networks will include the LAs but also Fire Authorities and other public bodies needing connectivity. The opportunity is to exploit the architecture of PSN to provide a regional network with links directly into all buildings (even schools) rather than operating separate LA networks. The potential is therefore to reduce WAN and internal support costs for operating separate networks. Services can be provided over the network including access to Government systems and the NHS. In addition, the PSN is a pre-requisite to accessing the G Cloud. Yorkshire and Humber Region have already begun the process of developing a regional network (developed with Red Pepper@52) and is now seeking RIEP funding. This shared services model must now be the route for all other Counties and Regions.

Moving to the Cloud - Washington's approach

Readers of my previous post on cloud computing might also be interested in how Vivek Kundra began thinking about the advantages of cloud computing as chief technology officer for Washington, D.C. and implemented Google Apps for employees. Instead of using Google Apps (including email) as a replacement for Exchange he began a process of voluntary transfer http://bit.ly/ct0Crr. Back in 2008Kundra stated 'Around 5,000 people are actively using it as we speak. We have another 3,000 people going through migration.' This is from 38,000 licenses purchased. Interesting approach to the take on of new technlogy.

Vivek Kundra is now the Federal Chief Information Officer of the United States appointed by President Obama in March 2009.

A Strategy for Cloud Computing

So you’ve heard all the hype about Cloud computing and are now thinking about how you might enter the fray, test it out, give it a try? You even have the endorsement of Cabinet Office and the Government ICT Strategy let alone secure networks (PSN) and the G Cloud under development. So what services would it be best to consider?

My colleague Martin Howitt (Enterprise Architect from Devon CC) has very rationally suggested that it is integration and SOA that is the holy grail of cloud computing and that is where we should invest. It’s hard to disagree with Martin looking at it from a purely architectural viewpoint (http://forestandtrees.wordpress.com/author/martinhowitt/).

However, in my experience which is admittedly public sector biased, this type of decision is more political rather than taking the best technical option. In Local Government individual Directors, as head of professions, hold enormous power and virtually run their Directorates as private companies with the Local Authority acting as the conglomerate HQ. It’s hard to convince all powerful Directors that they should act for the good of the Local Authority and take all the risk on behalf of the others. The decision really requires a little more subtlety by CIOs keen to move into Cloud computing.

The obvious first step is to use cloud as a stop gap – use it for development and testing services initially to prove capability rather than going straight for full applications hosting. This takes advantage of the Cloud service providers’ capability to build platforms quickly which can speed development and reduce pressure on critical staff. There is no need to procure and pay for server hardware as you only pay for actual usage. The risks at the development stage are also a lot less than for losing a production service (and data). The cloud offers big opportunities for short term hosting such as testing upgrades which only lasts for a short period. Best practice would substantially reduce the number of environments to permanently maintain whilst still retaining flexibility to restore known end states. That should increase the Cloud’s credibility whilst saving funding on new projects.

So you’ve proved the capability of your cloud services provider on development services and are willing to take the next step of hosting applications? My approach would be to look for a utility application, core to my business, but not likely to make any major technology leaps in the near future and one that my cloud services operator has heaps of experience of. You could use a portfolio analysis to help you analyse things (in McFarlan’s IT Portfolio Analysis – Factory systems) but I think there is one application that stands out. Email - a standard application, configuration and hardware that will save bundles of cost. Not only that, but it does not have a clear service owner that could object.

I would also look to achieve one other major benefit. Every few years, even if you miss one, you have to upgrade. This is a major headache where you put in lots of effort and only perform once. How much easier to pass this over to an experienced provider that has done it before, has the ‘T’ shirt and probably all the scars. Let them take the pain and roll it out on a phased basis. Undoubtedly, this would be my first choice for hosting a service via the cloud. Next I’d be looking for other similar applications. Standard operations (in every sense) where I could cut costs – ISPs and shared workspaces spring to mind.

Having made the leap into Cloud and everything is now settled and operating well I’d be looking to see where I might gain some ‘advantage’. Obviously being Local Authorities we don’t actually complete in a commercial sense but to the uninitiated do not be fooled. It’s a bit like F1, the first person you want to beat is your team mate. (For central government think departments – DWP and HMRC for example.) I’d be looking to really exploit collaboration services. Not as many have already achieved by implementing Sharepoint internally but working externally with the Local Strategic Partnership. Incorporating other public sector bodies and significantly third sector organisations (TSOs). Major performance benefits could be achieved by sharing project based information with partners.

Note now I have moved away from the Factory based systems of McFarlan. We are in the area of Turnaround systems which are more future based, innovative and experimental. In a word ‘risky’. For this reason I would be less inclined to go with a standard solution but more favour an innovative or Open Source option. It remains to be seen if the service providers of the G Cloud will be prepared to take that risk or stick with the traditional ‘safe’ options? Certainly within SOCITM, there are individuals such as Glenn Wood (Wolverhampton) who are keen to champion the open alternatives as well traditional suppliers.

Since moving out of direct Local/Central Government I have been struck by the innovation that has taken place in the Social Media arena and how central based systems are being left behind by the extent of innovation in these spaces. Frankly it reminds me of the late 80’s when the first computer networks were challenging the heartlands of the traditional mainframe suppliers. Perhaps this really deserves its own blog but I am still struck by the number of CIOs that are not engaged (don’t even have Twitter accounts) and the fact that we have systems and procedures in place that prohibit their use at work from council/departmental systems.

So, my strategy for the cloud is to start safe using development services then move into utility and finally new innovative services. But what about legacy systems, I hear you say. Well, my view is that unless you can justify moving them onto standardised platforms then it will be difficult to develop the business case. That does not mean to say that you can’t move towards common (shared) data centres but the benefits of the cloud require dumping those traditional architectures. And so those unmentionable mainframes in central government chug on, and on, and on……….

Safer Driving?

This week, I had to drive to Cheltenham for the Design Review of the Devon/Torbay Flexible Working solution. It uses the Becrypt Trusted Client Solution. I have been advising them on policies and a design that might allow Local Government to use non-council controlled PCs and laptops to access GCSX (IL2 only). This was to be a big day for the project and the team were all pretty nervous never having faced a full design review before.

I suppose I was more focused on the afternoon than the route I was driving but suddenly realised I was travelling on roads I had last used over 30 years ago when I was still a student. My family still lived in Birmingham then and I often traveled back from Oxford over the Cotswolds to cut out the endless British Leyland lorries on the old A40. No M40 then and all single carriageway roads!

What struck me though was how different the roads were. It was as if someone was desperate to use up gallons and gallons of paint. Everywhere was cross hatching prohibiting overtaking, warning me to slow down for roundabouts, red colouring for villages etc. I ought to say it was safer but frankly it was incredibly tiring. It was a bit like a real life video game with new threats coming at you all the time - except the threats were 'painted' not real. I began to think what if a real threat occurred - a pedestrian, cyclist or a child suddenly running out. Would I actually spot them quickly enough given all the other distractions. A good driver like me (?) really didn't need all this interference.

I'd like to think that the engineering professionals would have endless surveys proving that I was actually more alert, driving at a more sensible pace, not trying to pass the lorry in front as soon as the road clears but I have my doubts.

I laughed when I realised the argument was not unlike that of those used by the critics of the GCSX Code of Connection. It was so much better before all these restrictions and controls. We've had to spend a fortune upgrading and for what benefit etc. You know that rant. I suppose I do have some sympathy even if I did spend 3 years driving in new standards of Information Assurance and Data Handling for Local Government . Yes, the CoCo probably can be improved to make it more relevant to IL2 regimes. It does need to take account of mobile and flexible working. Are the threats really that relevant to Local Government? There is a big issue with the third sector that LG needs to connect to and why is Health different?

It is to be hoped that we can make improvements with the PSN CoCo. There are key meetings coming up to thrash out the issues. The problem is that you do have to have some standards and that means giving up some of the freedom and flexibility that we used to have. Think back - roads were less crowded then, cars were slower, they didn't have safety equipment like air bags, no driver aids such as anti-lock brakes, and were dreadfully uncomfortable etc. On reflection, I think I'll stick with the cars and roads of today. And the march of Information Assurance? Well, when you consider all the new threats we face today - viruses, phishing, denial of service, identity theft, e-crime then the world has changed.

I wouldn't drive today like I did back then - overtaking lorries in an under-powered 1200cc Ford Cortina with no safety crumple zones to save me if I got it wrong! And so we also have to recognise that Information Assurance is now a fact of life. Even if it doesn't seem quite as much fun as it did in those days!

Cuts, Cuts and a way forward?

As part of working with SOCITM Futures, we considered a report recently published by CIPFA/SOLACE on Public Sector Funding (After the Downturn). The report considers 2 scenarios for future funding neither of which is palatable. The first, ongoing cuts of 7.5% pa in real terms over the next 3 year spending round and beyond; the second 15% in real terms over the next 3 years and reduced after that. The real impact of such scenarios are even more dramatic as essential services (NHS and Schools) are protected, producing cuts as high as 20% for unprotected services in Local Government. We could see whole functions, such as Leisure services, disappearing altogether into the private sector. If this proves to be realistic, rather than just scare mongering, then the question “are IT Departments sustainable” will be asked? Certainly for smaller districts shared services seem almost inevitable.

Having been through similar, though possibly less stark experiences during my 23 years as a Local Government CIO, what can we expect? Directors of Finance will be looking for big budget savings. Let me be absolutely clear, that does not mean projects that could save money by investing more, but lopping big money off existing budgets. A root and branch appraisal of all expenditure. Which service is absolutely essential? Which members of staff can I lose but still keep services going? Or as my Director of Finance said privately “use it to get rid of the deadwood”. Yes, the term was not very PC and it was a few years ago but it is hard to disagree with the sentiment. At the end of it all, we came out more efficient and effective than ever (Newham). But not a pleasant experience all the same and some friends were lost along the way.

What may surprise some was that I always found this a good time to get new ideas and opportunities through. Surprisingly the risk appetite is greater and I always found that the “dinosaurs” were too busy protecting their own empires to worry about what I was doing. So what are the hot opportunities now?

Obviously, it’s a good time to push through self service and possibly close some traditional outlets – face to face in particular. Some might like to consider opportunities presented by Open Source – and why do officers need Smart phones, laptops and desktops? Do I need full maintenance on kit or could ‘fix on fail’ provide savings?

More longer term, I would be considering the opportunities presenting themselves though the Cloud. With greater economies of scale, buying power, standardisation, automation etc commodity services can be delivered at a much lower cost than in house. Private sector companies such as Bechtel have achieved savings as high as 60%. If I were back in LG, I’d start low risk – moving development machines onto Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). Possibly whole platforms could be shifted where I start to load the requirement for ‘difficult to recruit’ support staff onto others (Platform as a Service – PaaS). Eventually I’d be looking to put live applications out (Applications as a Service- AaaS) and number one would be email and collaboration services – generic services where there is a minimal requirement for customisation.

The potential drawback is security concerns and with the Cabinet Office we are seeing developments in the idea of a Government or G Cloud. This seeks to exploit the Public Sector Network (PSN) to connect to secure data centres. Working with my old GC Director Dilip Parmar, we are attempting to get like minded LG CIOs together for a quick wins workshop session (February). The project pulls together private sector initiatives into the quick wins initiative. Its surprising the number of applications – email (C&W), collaboration, CRM (Lagan) etc that already are available. There are concerns as IT Trends highlights but we are intending to work with the Cabinet Office to address them (http://bit.ly/8rBu8j).

The view of industry experts such as Gartner, is that by 2012, 20 per cent of businesses won't own any of their IT assets, including servers, PCs and software, turning to leasing, employee ownership schemes and cloud computing instead. Interesting, then to consider that middle item ‘employee ownership’. Currently the GCSX Code of Connection prohibits use of non controlled PCs. Working with the Devon e-Partnership we are hoping to get CESG approval for the use of the Becrypt Trusted Client device that boots up from an encrypted memory stick. Effectively, it separates the contents of the drive and the use of Trusted Client for remote access. The project will go to a Design review in February and if agreed it offers the possibility of remote access for around £50 per head. The Devon and Torbay business case is based around flexible working rather than full time use.

Final thoughts on surviving through a cuts programme – remember who is the usually the most expensive ICT person on the payroll. It’s the one name in ICT the Director of Finance knows. Still think you can afford to bury your head in the sand? Start preparing your action list now or you may be the first name on the list!

An on-line aplication I would really appreciate

At a recent SOCITM Futures workshop, I suggested that a good application Local Authorities should consider is to publish their ratings of restaurants and food establishments on the web. Quite a surprise therefore, to see that 8 Staffordshire Authorities have done just that - see www.ratemyplace.org.uk. Not only that but there is an iphone version as well that works whilst you are mobile!

Consider the situation - you are outside 2 unknown restaurants in a strange town considering where you should eat? Which one do you choose? The one with the best review of course!

Part of my surprise stems from the fact that I had previously been assured by environmental health staff that legally this could never happen. (I won't mention the names or authorities.) It always seemed pretty obvious to me that the best way to get a restaurant to change its practices was not to prosecute them but to publicise their failings. The restaurant is therefore forced to change its practices or lose trade.

The use of web 2.0 social networking to publicise bad reports could destroy trade overnight. If I owned a restaurant, I'd request a very quick re-visit to highlight my responsiveness and get a clean bill of health - possibly even something I would pay for if it was permitted.

The only disappointing aspect of rate my place is the lack of coverage. In my London Borough (Hillingdon) I could find nothing about the standards of local food establishments. Its hard to understand why a scheme like rate my place is not a national standard.

It seems to me this is exactly the type of web use we should be developing in Local Authorities. Not only does it give an excellent service to the public but potentially leads to innovative working that challenges the old bureaucratic methods.

So well done Lichfield and your Staffordshire colleagues - come on the rest of you.

Now, has anyone thought of informing residents of new planning applications in their street using Twitter ............ ?