How forward-thinking governments are transforming citizen services

Yesterday, India announced the next set of 27 cities to join its Smart City Mission program. Launched in January, the initiative will aim to enrol 98 cities into the initiative by 2019 where government funding will help local communities improve power supply, public transportation, IT connectivity and e-governance.

It’s encouraging to see countries that are embracing digital technologies to better serve their citizens being recognized for their leadership. Digital transformation for governments and those in public services is not always straightforward, but I have been struck by the many ways it is being embraced.

Creating an environment that fosters innovation

Singapore, for example, aspires to become the world’s first Smart Nation – a bold vision that is gathering academics, enterprise and startups together with government. Its ambition is to help solve some of the world’s toughest societal challenges through technologies such as the cloud, the Internet of Things (IoT) and data analytics.

We are passionate about supporting and empowering this community of public and private organizations. Working with our partners, we are helping Singapore make the most of IoT across a number of sectors, including manufacturing and smart building facilities, developing an ecosystem which integrates devices, connectivity and analytics through a cloud platform.

Singapore faces a familiar challenge to many other countries: how best to care for an ageing population. One of our innovative local partners is helping to address just this, using IoT to provide the elderly with a remote system that allows the monitoring of vital signs, telemedecine and offers other connected services.

Taking first and responsible steps in digital government services

Estonia is another pioneering country where I recently spent time with with one of the most tech-savvy officials I’ve ever met. Speaking with Estonian President, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, you can really feel his belief in the power of digital innovation.

Estonia is a pioneer in digital government services and systems. Leading the way for digital democracy, it was the first country in the world where citizens could vote online during parliamentary elections, with 30% of the population choosing to do so. This ground-breaking move gave citizens more choice and flexibility for voting. It also saved time by using digital signatures, saving the country an estimated 2% of GDP and improving the overall efficiency of the election process.

While the country’s use of e-services has improved and citizens have benefited, it was naturally conscious of the potential risks of using digital technologies. For Estonia, “digital continuity” and “government resiliency” are priorities. Ensuring e-services are secure, reliable and that there is a back up plan for any outages is of the upmost importance to protect people and businesses.

Looking to address these concerns, we recently partnered with the Estonian Government to explore the concept of a “data embassy“, to examine whether cloud capabilities could enhance digital resilience of government services. I strongly urge you to take a look at the summary report, which helps policy makers and civil servants navigate the nuances of incorporating public cloud into government digital continuity.

What can we learn from this?

So what makes for a strong and innovative digital government? To me, these three things stand out: 

1.      Both Singapore and Estonia demonstrate huge ambition and the drive to be the first to do things, because they don’t become too complacent with the status quo

2.      This is tempered by a deep sense of responsibility to ensure that services are secure and can be trusted

3.      They are working with industry-leading partners who can support them in realizing their ambitions responsibly

I’m honored to meet many public and private organizations who are digitally transforming during my travels, and love to hear about how technology is changing people’s lives for the better.