Global economies and public services are rapidly migrating to secure digital environments. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), “The global digital economy is expected to reach $25 trillion within five years”. In other words, 25% of the world economy.
The benefits for the population are numerous: access to jobs, to knowledge, easier regional development and more resilient public administrations. According to the OECD, Europe continues to set the tone, particularly in the UK and Scandinavian countries.
In Canada and Quebec, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) report, An Informed Approach to Digital Transformation: Critical Considerations for Canadian Government, 92% of public agencies have started or are planning to make the digital transition. . This is great news, but important questions remain unanswered and we want to bring them to light.
How long it will take? How soon will citizen adoption happen? And will this happen consistently at all levels of our government?
Too often, for security or political reasons, our public institutions have neglected the citizens’ experience of migrating their services.
Portals are many, complex to use, and processes and user experiences are rarely consistent across portals.
For many people, the dissonance is great. On the one hand you can buy a flight ticket in five minutes and on the other hand it is difficult to sign a form in an authority. Furthermore, why invest heavily in construction when municipalities do not have the technology to evaluate projects or issue permits efficiently?
A shattered trust
Trust in our public services has eroded. However, the delivery of user-centric digital services can be done securely and with respect for privacy. People want an easy and safe user experience. It’s no coincidence that according to IDC, 56% of companies are transforming their business models to provide a better online experience.
Action must be taken urgently. According to the same IDC study, more than half of respondents (51%) believe that government agencies’ technological debt is limiting their ability to provide needed digital services. Still, more than 31% of government agencies estimate that 25% to 50% lags in tech debt are working.
The main problems of this debt are the docking of new technologies with old systems (44%) and technological planning (46%).
This is where our organizations and many of their peers have been inventing reliable technology solutions for almost 30 years that work just as well on modern systems as they do on older ones. Quebec and Canadian companies can provide proven solutions to governments and regulated sectors. Solutions that can now help all sections of the population to receive better services and facilitate the economic development of our territory.
As directors of technology companies, we invite you to think in a balanced way and adopt unified and safe local solutions for the population. Imagine that a single secure session gives access to all public services: hospitals, transport, taxes, etc. It would take a lot of pressure off people’s lives and our public system.
Now is the time to act to preserve our international competitiveness and uphold public confidence, which will be tested if we remain with our hands folded.
Total web buff. Student. Tv enthusiast. Evil thinker. Travelaholic. Proud bacon guru.
