Digital Transformation 2023

The opening session of Holyrood's tenth annual Digital Transformation event will hear from public sector leaders on how far the sector has progressed since publication of the national digital strategy, A Changing Nation: How Scotland will Thrive in a Digital World, in early 2021. After introductory keynotes, presenters will sit down with our event Chair for an audience Q&A where delegates will be able to voice their own opinions and queries.

There is no shortage of information and knowledge that helps to identify problems and challenges that exist across the Public Sector. But all too often, there are many barriers that prevent this same information and knowledge from being used with the right level of scrutiny and confidence needed to make an informed decision, whether that’s a significant change to policy, the scrutiny needed to agree an investment business case, or where to allocate scarce resources.

Smart Data Foundry exists to unlock the power of financial data to help improve people’s lives. And it is this very purpose that can help fill the gap between information & knowledge and near-real-time Private Sector data that can provide the confidence needed to make evidence-based decisions across the Public Sector.

Rui Cardoso, Head of Insights at Smart Data Foundry will discuss how Private Sector data shared by NatWest Group has been used to create a cost of living dashboard for East Renfrewshire Council. Louise Bickerton from East Renfrewshire Council will also speak about their journey with Smart Data Foundry, the learning and emerging use cases for using data insights in this way and how they can transform how they evidence decisions within the council on resource allocation to support areas and households impacted by the cost of living crisis.

We will be discussing how you can overcome your budget challenges and accelerate your journey to Hybrid Cloud with Lenovo Azure Stack HCI Solutions.

The session will be chaired by Andrew Cruickshank (Director of Solution Sales at XMA), with speakers who have been involved in a recent hybrid cloud transformation at Fife Council.

Our Public Institutions and bodies are consistently challenged to drive ever-increasing efficiencies with their IT budgets. XMA, Microsoft and Lenovo will present a thought-provoking and technologically efficient way to take advantage of Public Cloud flexibility, whilst maintaining data sovereignty and control with leading-edge infrastructure solutions, focused to drive the best possible value out of your IT budgets. 

So, what does this mean for you? Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI) means simpler hardware. Lenovo Azure Stack HCI Solutions mean simpler support and management. 

The benefits include: 

- Paying less for high performance, whilst reducing cost and modernising hardware and software at the same time.

- Reduce TCO – Less hardware, less physical space, power and cooling, no extra licenses to buy.

- Save your way – Faster performance/ same budget OR same performance/ lower budget.

- Flexible Purchasing – One-off OR subscription-based model

The world of work has changed drastically over the past couple of years. Logitech is focusing on ways to make hybrid work easier. Through challenging outdated norms, empowering people with the right tools, and creating the right environments for collaboration, we all have an opportunity to define the new logic of work.

People-Centred Digital Change

In the first of our split-audience panel sessions, a group of thought leaders and experts will participate in a panel discussion about the importance of keeping citizens at the heart of digital transformation. The Chair will question how best to involve people in the design and production of digital technologies. 

In the second of our split-audience panel sessions, a handful of public and private sector experts will unpack the complexities around achieving sustainable digital transformation. How can we ensure that, as organisations speed towards digital solutions, those solutions are thought-out and applicable long-term. Delegates will have the chance to ask panellists their questions throughout the session using Slido.

Hear from Scottish Government's Isaac Smith, Senior Responsible Owner of the ScotAccount programme, and Kenny Birney, Deputy Chief Executive of Disclosure Scotland. These speakers will be providing real-life examples of effective collaboration for digital transformation in the public sector.

As set out in Scotland's digital strategy, the digital identity service, ScotAccount, will improve people's access to digital public services. It will also provide them with a secure, easy and reusable way to prove who they are, or that they are eligible for a public service.

The speakers will showcase how Disclosure Scotland has successfully delivered the first series of disclosure results online through the beta trial phase of ScotAccount.

In the final session of the day, a handful of public sector digital leaders will take part in a panel discussion focused on collaboration and shared learning around digital transformation. The panel will reflect on key themes brought up throughout the event, as well as look towards the future and comment on the most important next steps for sector-wide digital transformation.