How local authorities can balance digital transformation with data protection

What are some of the challenges facing local authorities navigating digital transformation today?

Whilst financial challenges are significant, and usually quickest to be referenced, the picture is more complex. Across the wider public sector we’re seeing a range of challenges and greater demand, yet with maintained or lower human and financial resource to step up to the challenge.

Digital technology and transformation represents the one addition that can address the growing imbalance and provide scale and efficiency without an ever growing payroll. Yet, making the most of digital requires time and energy, and bringing people along, over the longer term. It also presents new challenges and responsibilities with security being at the top of that list. Making the right decisions that support and protect services, whilst helping them transform is often not straightforward.

When considering local authorities and systems, we’re also seeing a greater need and drive for more integrative working outside of the LAs themselves. Over recent years community assets and VCFSEs have stepped up to play a bigger role, yet collaboration can be hard. Similarly, the circumstances and reforms in the NHS are driving more need for functional collaboration and closer working to address the needs of local communities and citizens. Silos are being broken, yet existing tech infrastructure is often incompatible, and joint working is mired with difficulty.

Why is data loss such a critical issue in the public sector?

Often in order to engage a range of vital public services individuals have little choice but to trust us with their data. From healthcare to social services, to housing, schools and police, the public sector is custodian to some of the most private and sensitive data for our citizens, with many of them often being the most vulnerable members of society.

Our relationship with the citizen has to be built on trust, and breaches – or loss – of data are in themselves breaches of trust that is hard to get back, especially when regularly profiled in the media.

More pragmatically the loss of more sensitive data can result in fines, investigations, negative press and a huge amount of work for public sector providers who are already up against time and cost pressures

How can they best address the challenges you’ve outlined?

At a strategic level local authorities and other public sector providers need to find opportunities that support and protect their staff and service users, ideally without requiring stretched services to take on huge people change programmes resulting from digital ambitions. They also need to find ways to improve and progress local services, because in this landscape standing still is just not an option.

When it comes to security many organisations rightly invest time and energy on securing their IT systems and reducing cyberattacks. Whilst this is very important, reports worldwide consistently show that over 80 percent of data leaks can be attributed to human errors such as sending an email containing sensitive information to the wrong person or incorrect use of ‘Cc’ by adding recipients in the ‘Cc’ field instead of the ‘Bcc’ field. This is a complex problem and one that virtually all public sector organisations struggle to tackle, especially those with citizen facing services.

Few will disagree that digital will only play a greater role in citizen interactions, and for those who can use it effectively there are many benefits, providing the user experience is good. However, digital exclusion remains a huge blocker that adversely impacts those with the greatest need for local services. For those seeking to improve and secure their communication services, both accessibility and security absolutely needs to be front and centre in their assessment process, so as not to inhibit opportunities to improve service provision and increase digital exclusion.

What is Zivver doing specifically to support local authority customers in their efforts to reduce data loss incidents and drive service improvement?

Whilst most security solutions create barriers and complexity, Zivver was built to do the opposite, with a focus on seamless capability and accessibility for those you’re collaborating with and supporting. With a rapidly growing body of local authorities using Zivver, we’re proud to be able to profile the central role that Zivver is now playing in their digital transformation.

Zivver seamlessly integrates into the email provider you use (such as Microsoft or Google) proactively preventing human error before, during and after the point of sending. Staff are alerted in real-time when sharing sensitive information to incorrect recipients, as well as making recommendations like using ‘Bcc’ instead of ‘Cc’ before they hit send. With excellent reporting and insights, you can also use this to drive improvement and assurance internally.

Beyond this, when emails are switched to encrypted, staff will not just be sending with the highest standards of security, but importantly best-in-class accessibility, offering a range of verification methods, pre-emails to build trust and offer better guidance, and custom support in each email footer. Across the public sector, in Local Government, healthcare and beyond, more and more services are confidently driving accessible, secure interactions with our suite that also includes 5TB of secure bi-directional file sharing and ‘Conversation Starters’ so citizens and partners can initiate secure interactions with services.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Don’t forget to stop by our stand and say hello at Think Data for Government. If you’re actively thinking about security and you’re not aware of how Zivver can also significantly impact your ability to drive greater capability and accessibility with citizens and partners, then you’re at risk of missing out.

Zivver is a sponsor of Think Data for Government.