Natalie CeeneyJuly 2008

CIO/CEO challenges – the UK perspective

“This is the century of information. Our ability to compete in the global economy, to protect ourselves against crime and terrorist attack, depends not just on natural wealth or on walls or fences but on our ability to use information.”

Speech by The Prime Minister on Liberty, October 2007

The UK Context

• Information has come out of the back office to become mainstream

• It’s exposed the lack of capability and capacity we have to deal with the challenges presented by the explosion of digital information and new media

• Our challenges focus on addressing the short term issues, and raising capability

Managing personal data

• Big UK scandal – loss of 25 million records including bank details and addresses

• Rising concern at concept of ‘surveillance society’ and of government’s increasing ability (& practice) of data sharing

• Significant new review of how data should be shared.. Due to report in July

• Major review of data security and focus on risk

Ensuring data stays readable

• Most UK government consultations, official publications, announcements made online

• >50% of Hansard web links no longer work

• Digital obsolesence now a mainstream issue

• Our focus shifting from ‘archiving’ to ‘ensuring continuity’. Active digital continuity & web continuity programmes underway targeted at current info.

Realising the value of information

• In Web 2.0 world, information no longer static, and huge potential to create new value

• Shift required in culture & behaviour to move from ‘info as just a record’ to ‘info as asset’

• New UK initiatives (PoI review, Treasury economic study) significantly changing the landscape to see ‘reuse’ of public sector info as inherently a good thing

Raising and building capability

• In UK, professionalisation has been a big theme. Finance, HR and IT led the way.

• Knowledge & Info Management following . Most Departments/ Agencies now have a senior lead, and we have pan-Government Council, and (coming) strategy

• All new joiners in the civil service to be inducted into the importance of managing information & handling data effectively

Proactively shaping the future

• It’s clear that a lot of our paper paradigms simply don’t work in an e-age

• We need to actively shape the future (whether influencing IT supplier developments, org. structures or new approaches).

• This is requiring new skills and capabilities within our own organisations.