A leading enterprise software provider has warned that smaller government agencies risk missing out on the benefits of digital transformation and may be unnecessarily putting themselves at risk of cyber-attack, because they lack the resources of their larger cousins.
New Zealand’s Central Government includes more than 200 departments, statutory and crown entities, and organisations. The largest department has more than 9,800 staff and a budget to match, while more than half of the agencies have less than 500 employees, and some less than 50.
According to John Mazenier, Country Manager for TechnologyOne – when it comes to digital transformation size shouldn’t matter.
“Under NZ’s Cloud First policy, many central government agencies are being empowered to take the leap from small ‘on-premise’ IT teams, to a Software as a Service (SaaS) model, and this is great news because it can significantly reduce the risk of cyber-attacks and other threats and means agencies are using the latest software available,” said Mazenier.
“Unfortunately, we hear time and time again that smaller agencies choose to ‘stick it out’ with on-premise systems, or they turn to large tech giants for support, only to be told they are too small.
“Our government solution is designed specifically for government and we are very proud that customers get the same functionality, the same stringent data security, and the same twice-yearly updates as the big guys. We can scale up or down to suit the needs of the agency, but the fundamental protections and benefits remain the same.
“Late last year, TechnologyOne raised the default level of security we provide to all government agencies. This investment is vastly larger than what any single department could ever afford to deliver.
“We don’t charge more – it’s just part of the service and all agencies on our SaaS platform – whether they have 500 staff or 50 – get the same data security,” he said.
But it’s not just in the cybersecurity space that small and medium-sized agencies are gaining access to some of the resources of their larger and better equipped brethren.
“Taking advantage of new software functionality or moving ahead with economic initiatives such as e-invoicing can be easier for larger agencies than it is for others. That’s where TechnologyOne’s SaaS solution provides a real advantage,” said Mazenier.
“We’ve been working to prepare for e-invoicing for several years now, and we’re already reaching out to NZ agencies – big and small – to help them to get ready.
“Our OneGovernment SaaS ERP solution has been e-invoicing compliant since September, and we have already helped numerous Australian agencies to successfully go-live.
“We are sharing our learnings with the Ministry of Business Innovation & Employment’s (MBIE) E-Invoicing Adoption Leadership Group and advocating for smaller government agencies who will really benefit from e-invoicing but need help in getting it up and running,” he said.
“The big advantage of TechnologyOne’s e-invoicing solution is that it is fully integrated into the financial system, ensuring high levels of automation, complete visibility and integrity of the process,” he said.
“Everyone wants to make life simpler, and with the right partner on board, digital transformation should be an opportunity available to all organisations – large and small,” Mazenier said.
To reimagine the way your government department operates, discover TechnologyOne’s OneGovernment SaaS ERP solution today. www.technologyonecorp.com/industries/government
*https://www.publicservice.govt.nz/our-work/workforce-data/2020-fact-sheet-summary/
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