Data sprawl is a real problem for government. By connecting data sources, centralising, and then getting rid of what’s not needed, along with automation, agencies can set themselves up for the future and deliver better services to taxpayers.
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that taxpayers are now demanding government provide services comparable to what they get from the private sector. This means personalisation, rapid responses, and behavioural insights designed to customise how they’re being served.
But agencies and departments face a real challenge meeting these demands, mainly because the data they hold is spread across silos, it’s often outdated or inaccurate, and the ability to ‘join the dots’ is often just too difficult.
“There’s now a recognition that the way data was stored a decade ago is no longer appropriate for the kind of services government wants to provide taxpayers,” says Jonathan Hatchuel, Director of Public Service and Enterprise at Commvault.
So, what’s the answer for agencies and departments wanting to meet the needs of taxpayers?
There are two steps. The first one is to connect data sources to enable better insights, and the second is to move data to places where it’s most useful. This could be in the cloud, on-prem or in a hybrid environment, depending on the needs of the agency and the outcomes it seeks.
“This is relevant as it enables the public sector to make better, faster and more considered decisions about what services to offer their communities,” he says, adding it’s exactly what a private sector company would do, but for the public sector the shift is citizen, rather than profit, focussed.
Leading by example
In October 2022, the Australian Government’s Department of Social Services released its National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children, and it’s in meeting the goals of this plan that the centralisation of data could be illustrated, says Mr Hatchuel.
“Being able to predict, being able to intervene and being able to support victims all requires data, but with data stored across different states, different agencies and different programs, doing so is not easy unless the data is connected,” he says.
Connected data could also be leveraged in helping people with drug and alcohol dependence, or in creating a more effective, equitable and cost-saving Medicare. Or perhaps in helping Centrelink deliver its services better.
“Government needs to evolve as citizens demand more consumer-like service and trusted data. To be able to make the right decisions about where and when to launch those services is critical.”
Taming data sprawl
One of the lessons from the much-publicised breaches of 2022 is companies are holding onto data long after it’s needed. There’s no reason for a telco to hold onto an application for telephony services from a decade ago.
The same goes for governments. Data sprawl increases the attack surface for cybercriminals, and a breach could reduce taxpayer trust in public institutions.
However, according to Mr Hatchuel, there has been some recent reconsideration about what data government holds onto, driven by the cost of infrastructure, concern about security and more savvy taxpayers questioning what, and how much, data is being held about them.
“As you bring new applications and services into any environment, there’s an increase in data sprawl,” he says. “But there has definitely been a shift in the market which is seeing organisations think carefully about what they age out.”
But the data kept by agencies will depend on their function, with differing agencies having different requirements about what they keep and what they get rid of.
It’s for this reason agencies need to think about using an intelligent data service, which can manage data infrastructure from both a storage and a security perspective. It also must be a holistic solution. Platforms, or end-to-end data services that span today’s heterogeneous environments, are better equipped than point solutions to deal with evolving threats.
“It’s important for each organisation to look at a modern data protection and management model that puts the data where it’s most useful to them, be that on-prem or in the cloud or some combination of the two,” he says. “then you connect that data to other relevant, trusted data to draw insights. You don’t hold on to everything because that unnecessarily increases your risk.”
A modern data model for government is also a leadership issue, he says, because someone senior within the agency or department must be accountable for data, keeping it secure, ensuring it’s fit-for purpose and ageing out what’s not needed.
Having governance of a data estate can also help increase transparency with taxpayers, so they know exactly what’s being held on them and how it’s being used.
“Openness and transparency from the government will build trust with taxpayers. Getting a handle on how you’re managing your data will build trust not just today, but into the future, and this is particularly important as a new generation of taxpayers increases their digital maturity.”
To learn more about the importance of data for digital government, download Commvault’s eBooks on Data Transformation and Data Insights today.
