The Public Services Network (PSN): from vision to reality
The PSN will create a ‘network of networks’ for the public sector. This dynamic marketplace will provide opportunities for industry and savings for the public sector.
The PSN will change the way government departments and agencies, local authorities, and the third sector buy and use voice, data and video services. It will drive efficiencies in procurement through a range of technical and service standards and will lead to an open, collaborative environment for all UK Public Sector employees.
Above all it will save public sector organizations money and enable them to embrace new ways of implementing and paying for ICT solutions. Read about how we can help you with the PSN here.
Involved from the outset
As one of the organizations involved with the PSN from its inception, we have made significant contributions to the design and continued development of the Public Sector Network. Working closely with the Cabinet Office, the wider public sector and other industry organizations, we have helped create an innovative and forward thinking program that will lead to major changes in how public sector organizations buy and use ICT in the UK.
The PSN consists of six workstreams; we lead the transition workstream on behalf of the program, and are also represented in each of the others.
PSN priorities
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Significant savings: PSN will help make substantial savings on the Government’s £16.5bn annual ICT spend.
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Seamless connectivity: PSN users will be seamlessly linked through a ‘network of networks’, governed by standards, and capable of accessing a range of business and network services where and when they are needed, with security and integrity guaranteed.
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Interoperability: PSN will enable a versatile and flexible private network offering interoperability for the public sector, allowing users to share information and access open standard-based services.
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Service assurance: PSN will enhance the benefits of a multi-supplier environment, by providing the assurance and reliability of a single supplier – creating the tools necessary for end to end service assurance.
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Open marketplace: PSN will reduce the cost and complexity of procurement by creating an innovative open market place offering competitively priced services.
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Transformation: PSN will underpin and enable key elements of the Government ICT Strategy and transform cross-boundary working.
Government ICT Strategy
In the ICT strategy, the Government commits to:
- reduce the cost of using data centres – servers which store, process and transact government-held information – by 35% over five years - cutting their carbon footprint
- move away from big bang solutions delivered by the same large suppliers to a greater number of smaller and agile projects
- publish details of Government contracts and reduce bureaucracy and costs, so that new providers and SMEs have the opportunity to win Government ICT contracts
- share and reuse ICT solutions and services, via a common ICT infrastructure, an ICT asset register and fully online Applications Store, to enable the reuse of business applications and components across the public sector
- enable interoperable ICT by using common and open standards, creating cross-government standards on Application Programme Interfaces and developing a quality assurance ‘kite mark’ – helping to open up new innovative services from a diverse range of providers
PSN Governing Body (PSNGB)
We are also proud to be one of the founder members of the PSN Governing Body. The PSNGB is a trade association for any organization or individual that provides PSN services to the Public Sector. Its main objective is to bring together the collective strength of suppliers in ways that allow us to change our market place for the better.
The PSNGB continues the great work that has already been done in order to get the Public Service Network this far. This has been achieved through close collaboration between government and its suppliers, working within a well structured program, with the authority to make ‘game changing’ decisions. For more information go to the PSNGB website: www.psngb.org.uk.