3 Key components to getting the digital workplace right

Xavier Mongin

June 07, 2022

With the right foundation, governments can create secure digital workplaces with improved communications and collaboration, and services delivery.

Over the last two years the public sector has been launched into new ways of working, new ways of providing services, and new ways of responding to its citizens. It’s now time to take a moment to catch our collective breathes and assess where we’ve been, what we’ve learned, and look at where we’re headed.

The right foundation

We know that seamless technology integration is a ‘must’ to support a digital workplace and ensure a smooth path forward as we move into more complex workplaces in the future. What we’ve learned along the way, and what we can say unequivocally is, a successful digital workplace requires a single, resilient digital foundation, built on three core components:

• An integrated communications and collaboration environment

• Inclusive connectivity

• Ubiquitous security

Integrated communications and collaboration

Fundamentally it’s about streamlining communications between employees and enabling efficient communications with citizens. To do this, we need to empower employees with the tools they need to communicate and collaborate with colleagues, access information from databases, and interact with citizens using whichever communications channel they prefer.

Seamless connections between employees and with citizens, built on a solid digital technology foundation will ensure secure and optimised communications channels to provide better information flow, and that means better services for citizens.

Additionally, a single, integrated environment will make it easier to incorporate Internet of Things (IoT) devices, as well as processes and services such as common calendars and directories, chatbots and Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabling governments to automate the delivery of routine services.

Just think, chatbots could provide opening hours and assist with location information for public venues, such as museums and art galleries. Self-guided processes could help citizens find the right forms they are looking for, provide notifications when documents are ready, or send reminders about appointments. And interactive menus could connect citizens immediately with the right team resolving problems quicker as well as provide information about service disruptions or changes.

Inclusive connectivity

Of course, to optimise service delivery, the digital workplace must provide employees with access to networks that enable the connectivity, applications and information they need. With direct, secure connections to internal networks employees can use the communications and collaboration services that allow them to communicate with colleagues and deliver services to citizens.

Ensuring municipalities are digitally inclusive is a win/win for governments and citizens. Bridging the digital divide requires readily available connections so citizens can access services whenever they need them and from wherever they are. It also involves training so citizens can easily connect to the Wi-Fi to access government services using tablets, smartphones and computers. Municipalities may also consider creating publicly available digital access points, such as kiosks or service locations equipped with computers and tablets citizens can use when they need to connect with government services.

Ubiquitous security

Ubiquitous security is required to ensure highly secure environments for employees and citizens across the service delivery chain. Policies, procedures and practices are required to protect the network from intrusions and ensure data integrity and privacy.

At the network level, secure connections between on premises and cloud infrastructures that leverage the most advanced authentication and encryption technologies can be ensured within a zero trust framework.

At the data level, ensuring confidentiality requires strong, standards-based encryption in all software and hardware elements. This should include:

• Role-based access control and encryption of stored data to ensure data is fully protected from end-to-end

• Compliance with regulations and standards such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

The digital workplace evolution

We understand the challenges governments face as they evolve toward the digital workplace. The right solution may consist of a combination of on premises and cloud-based technologies. A hybrid cloud solution may be the place to start, however, over time the hybrid cloud may evolve to a full private cloud providing an integrated digital workplace that supports both workers and citizens.

ALE digital transformation strategies offer solutions that connect people, objects, machines and processes with a focus on:

• Communications and collaboration solutions that streamline communications between government workers and enable more efficient communication with citizens

• Connectivity solutions that optimise communications and collaboration, enhance service delivery and ensure digital inclusion

• Security solutions for network cybersecurity and data privacy in digital workplaces

Contact us to learn more and discuss how we can help you build the right foundation for your digital workplace.