The UK government has confirmed that it is currently developing plans to implement a set of open technology standards that all IT projects must comply with going forward. Once the standards are properly implemented, IT professionals will be forced to work to a clearly defined framework, which will relate to formatting and software interloping issues.
The move to develop open standards comes after a four-month consultation exercise, while they also follow government-led efforts to ensure the standardization of hardware on which services are built. Announcing the new strategy, Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude explained that the policy is designed to be less expensive and complex.
He added that under the proposals put forward by the government, innovative businesses would benefit in a meaningful way. And from November 1st onwards, government departments applying for cash to bankroll IT projects will be compelled to refer to open standards when developing their proposals.
"At the moment we lag behind," the government minister observed. "For example, 74 percent of people use the internet for car insurance, but only 51 percent buy car tax online." Mr Maude added that this approach was totally inefficient, owing to the fact that digital channels were significantly less expensive than "post, phone, or face to face interactions".
The government has already taken significant steps towards more open technology, according to Mr Maude, who confirmed that the infrastructure behind official IT services had been standardised. Added to this, some services that were used by a multitude of departments had been made available centrally.
In order to truly embrace the digital future, it is, according to Mr Maude, imperative that government departments "migrate" away from big contracts.