PUBLIC SECTOR
the public sector. “In recent years, the sector has experienced a significant shift to cloud-based services and the majority of resellers now have the product portfolios that public sector firms need at their disposal; whether it be telephony, contact centre or IT support, or other cloud solutions. “It seems that we have been talking about digital transformation for a decade, however, there are still a lot of organisations out there yet to make the switch from legacy technology. Public sector buyers are still very much focussed on improving efficiency and providing a better quality of service to their audiences and end-users. “Citizen or customer engagement is another huge focus at the moment. Looking specifically at local councils, members of the public want a more efficient communication method than having to visit the local office to raise a query. Buyers also want to improve the journey by utilising the power of technology and AI.” The communication angle is also a theme that Chris Hopkins, Public Sector Lead at Logitech, has picked up, as public sector organisations aim to replicate the face-to-face contact we largely relied on before the turn of the decade. “Hybrid working is now a way of life for many public sector employees, and the market is primarily composed of technologies that support effective remote working, hot- desking and meeting space environments. What is changing now is what workers want from the office when they choose to go in, with collaboration space technology such as meeting room cameras and room booking systems likely to be a high growth area. “The biggest priorities for the public sector are simple, standardised and sustainable solutions, which offer value for money in order to maximise limited budgets. Because of this, public sector organisations are also looking to ensure that existing products and investments can continue to be used where appropriate. They are moving towards upgrades of accessories and solutions that bring existing estates up to date, and provide higher levels of security for a hybrid working world. “In a similar way to the private sector, the public sector requires AV technology to help replicate the feeling of face-to-face collaboration. Large-scale hybrid working will be the future for many parts of the civil service, and it’s key that employees have
access to meeting rooms that are equipped with high quality and easy to use video conferencing systems.” Legacy Now that these organisations are coming around to working from home, the next step is working out whether it’s possible. Hopkins went on to say that there can be a range of sticking points with selling into the public sector, including regulations, budgets and the legacy systems that are often in place. “Government departments, as well as other areas of the public sector such as education and healthcare estates, are often hindered by limited budgets and a desire to reuse existing AV equipment, whilst also trying to relieve pressure on their IT support teams,” he said. “Also, legacy systems have still been in place in many government departments until recent years. This means that it’s important to opt for technology that is easy to use and integrates seamlessly into accessible programs such as Microsoft Teams. With simple, easy to use kit employees in the public sector can be empowered, sometimes for the first time, to use technology like video conferencing systems without IT support, and new systems can be integrated alongside existing equipment. “We are also finding that public sector organisations simply don’t have the bandwidth to provide on-site support for meeting spaces. This means that meeting room solutions that come with the addition of 24/7 support if anything stops working can help IT teams be confident their business- critical rooms always function as intended,
CONTINUED
Dan Lloyd Channel Partner Manager
cirrusresponse.com
Hybrid working is now a way of life for many public sector employees, and the market is primarily composed of technologies that support effective remote working...
30
Powered by FlippingBook