BT survey reveals optimistic attitude towards PSN

This is according to new research published by BT.

The BT PSNsus study, which surveyed attitudes towards the Government’s flagship ‘network of networks’ among 1,300 public servants from a range of professional areas suggests those in the know are positive about the programme, and many see it as an opportunity to drive cost savings through economies of scale and greater interconnectivity with other public bodies.

Obstacles to PSN adoption were also identified by the research, with the need for capital investment and compatibility with existing systems among the most common barriers. Fourteen per cent of those familiar with PSN said that they will not adopt it if they think there will be a lack of widespread adoption by other public bodies, while 12 per cent of the same group indicated that they would be deterred if there is a risk that their organisation's IT security may be compromised. However,  assuming these obstacles can be overcome, four out of five (80 per cent) said that PSN connectivity will be valuable.

As well as widespead optimism towards PSN, the research suggests there is also a considerable lack of awareness in some areas. When asked where their organisation stands in the process of adopting PSN, over half (56 per cent) of Public Servants within the IT/commercial group did not know.  When broken down into sectors, this figure rises to 69 per cent for Central Government (compared to 31 per cent for Local Government), suggesting that awareness of, and commitment to PSN, goes beyond Westminster.

Levels of awareness were considerably lower in the results for the non-IT/commercial group, where 57 per cent stated they had never heard of PSN. This reinforces the recent recommendation from the Public Administration Select Committee that more needs to be done to ensure that knowledge about how modern information systems is shared effectively across professional groups within the civil services, and not restricted to the IT profession1.

Neil Rogers, President, Global Government, BT Global Services, said: “PSN is a unique opportunity to transform the way the public sector works, making it easy for organisations to save money, simplify and share services.

“If planned well, PSN will transform the way public services can be delivered. By making it easier for public sector organisations to buy and connect ICT networks and services, PSN will create opportunities that haven’t existed before. The Government estimates that by 2014, Britain’s public sector could be saving £130m or more a year."

“BT is playing a leading role in making the Public Services Network a reality. We’re committed to helping central government, defence, health, blue light and local government customers prepare for PSN and the transformational benefits it will enable. This research gives us valuable insight into how our customers and stakeholders are feeling right now, so we’ll be using it to help us evolve our approach and make sure we deliver precisely to their needs.”

BT’s National PSNsus research represents a large barometer of public sector sentiment towards the Public Services Network undertaken so far.

The study was undertaken by Dods for BT Global Services between December 2011 and January 2012. Over 1,300 Public Servants from a range of professional areas (IT, Finance, Policy, Procurement, Operational Delivery) and sectors (Central Government, Local Government, Health, Defence, Police) took part in the online survey.

A summary of the results can be downloaded from www.bt.com/PSN