A new independent government report into the efficiency of UK government spending suggests that the UK government should introduce a central registry of all its data centers. According to the report, this recommendation comes in an effort to ensure “every pound is spent effectively and efficiently” in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The review, conducted by Lorde Maude, on behalf of the cabinet office, argues that currently, cross-cutting functions, such as IT and digital, property, finance, and HR, often encounter “great inefficiency and waste” as a result of their “scattered” nature.
Lord Maude
To tackle this head-on, Maude recommends the introduction of a new “acceleration entity” under the chief digital officer with "strong powers of mandation". This entity would have the power to create a whole government strategy, whereby it would replace “obsolete technology lines” and assess the legacy backlog. The creation of a central register of all data centres used by the government was also recommended by the report to drive performance improvements while bolstering security and efficiency.
The report outlined: “Its overall task would be to partition and contain the brownfield legacy, while a renewed and revitalised GDS oversees and directs the greenfield replacement. The GCDO should receive advice from the security function on cyber security risk associated with legacy tech.”
