马丁McFadyen, 公营部门主管, 维珍媒体业务, explains why investing in technology will help us move from reaction to recovery amid the 新型冠状病毒肺炎 pandemic
The 新型冠状病毒肺炎 pandemic has forced public sector organisations to rethink where they focus resources and how they help their staff adapt to the here and now.
组织已经做出了根本性的改变，以保持发展, 许多公司将业务转移到远程或在线工作. 总的来说, 公共部门已经做出了令人印象深刻的转变, having moved at an extraordinary pace and made enormous changes while continuing to support staff, 顾客与市民.
但是，虽然封锁最终会结束, ways of working in the public sector will never be the same again. Organisations are already thinking seriously about the investments they need to make to ensure their workforce can provide high-level services long term, 不管员工和他们的客户在哪里. Upgrading their infrastructure and levelling up technological skills are two places to start.
让球滚起来
Improving efficiencies in the public sector brings tangible benefits for the countless people, 依赖我们公共服务的社区和企业. We want people working in the public sector to be equipped to meet their daily challenges quickly and confidently – whether working on large planning projects or helping with individual council tax enquiries. 这是在我们提到重要的社会, health and care services that have been crucial throughout the coronavirus pandemic. 这些都是至关重要的服务，不能“不工作”。.
但是为了提高效率, the organisations providing these services need to access information reliably, 安全, 安全、快速.
The rapid transformation we’ve seen in recent months has been easier in some organisations than others and their success has depended largely on how much they have invested in networks to date. 现在, 更甚于以往, there’s a need to have the infrastructure in place which allows public sector bodies to flex and rapidly make changes to support staff and customers, 为了应对快速变化的世界.
Social distancing obligations are likely to continue until at least the end of the year, with organisations compelled by government to stick with working from home if they can. 除了政策要求，还有文化因素在起作用. If, 研究表明, 人们正在享受更大的灵活性，可以在任何地方工作, 任何时候, 然后他们会期望将来能够这样做. 现在 is the time for public sector organisations to invest in the infrastructure that will allow them to make long-term changes, 因此，他们的人民为成功做好了准备, 不管他们在哪里工作.
遥远的现实
The coronavirus pandemic has thrown an extra complication into the fray. Our public sector workers must maintain high levels of service despite many now working from home. Our own research found that 60% of the entire UK workforce will work from home by 2022.
For organisations that handle sensitive information on a daily basis – as almost all public sector organisations do – this will raise concerns over security. 虽然短期的解决方案可能已经找到了, organisations must ask themselves how they can enable their people to work from home as well as they do in the office, 同时保护敏感数据.
技术提供了一个答案. Collaborative tools such as Cisco Webex and Microsoft Teams have kept many businesses going through this period of uncertainty. Organisations will benefit from staying on top of the latest developments in communication software, as the right cloud-based communication tools give staff the ability to adapt to new ways of working while keeping information and data secure.
在实现新工具时, it is vital that workers are bought along for the journey from the outset. 在某种意义上, the solutions many organisations have started using during the coronavirus pandemic illustrate this point. Organisations across the public sector have rapidly rolled out new technology and tools because they directly enable and empower employees to be effective in their jobs, despite being physically absent from their normal place of work.
That focus on the end-user – and delivering tools which meet their needs – is vital when looking at longer-term solutions. Because new technology that is forced upon staff without warning, 而且没有明确的理由, 是否会对士气和生产力产生负面影响.
Organisations need to have certain elements in place for success: clear use cases, 简单明了的培训课程和易于获得的支持. 但, 最重要的是, they must have an engaging narrative of how this technology will help workers and the organisation deliver better services to those who use them.
互联互通惠及所有人
Boosting investment in infrastructure and technology will have wide-ranging advantages—from the public sector workers that make direct use of boosted connectivity, 造福于改善服务的企业和公民.
This investment will provide public sector organisations with scalable and secure foundations – empowering a workforce with next-generation networks that channel information between buildings, 员工和数据中心快速安全.
最重要的是, these organisations don’t need to rip out legacy systems or begin an overwhelming transformation project to strengthen themselves for the long term. 通过选择合适的技术合作伙伴和供应商, 组织可以为员工创造正确的结果, 服务使用者及市民, 随着我们进入下一阶段的反弹和复苏.