Unlocking government’s technology future

Five keys to public sector digital transformation success

3 min read

Unlocking government’s technology future is based on data from the KPMG global tech report 2024 which includes the results of a survey of 118 senior government technology executives and decision-makers around the world. It shows that public sector organizations are building – and maintaining – change momentum, particularly in key capabilities such as cloud enablement, cyber security and data and analytics.

Governments and public sector organizations are making good progress on their digital transformation journeys. Now they need to pick up the pace and start delivering the value that citizens expect. This report explains how to help make that happen.

Why you should read Unlocking government’s technology future

Drawing on findings from the latest global KPMG tech report and experience from global engagements, this report provides public sector executives with actionable intelligence and tangible steps to expedite and sustain progress in their digital transformation endeavors.

Find out how leading governments are getting ahead of these challenges and opportunities to deliver sustainable, citizen-centric transformation.
Read recent case studies and client stories that provide practical context and insights.
Benchmark your organization against your peers and colleagues.
Share in KPMG professionals’ experience based on recent global engagements.
Get key takeaways and action items to help you develop your transformation strategy.

As part of Vision 2030, the Smart Government Strategy sets goals for the government to be agile, capable and innovative resulting in new seamless smart government experiences for its beneficiaries.

The publication observes another example on how technology transformation affects the government’s future is that when it comes to expanding citizen-centric solutions. The success of the digital ID system in Saudi Arabia was related to smart and timely scaling. As citizens became more comfortable with the system, more and more government services were added, as well as integrated private sector functionality (like payments and banking), and the systems moved into other higher-value services like healthcare. The key was to create a digital ID system that delivered value, that people could trust and had good reason to use.

In today’s world, the location of both the beneficiary and a public service provider is less relevant for a digital user, and for both parties, centralizing digital policies and strategies at a national level have many merits. That said, protecting constituent data through secure identification authentication and data use legislation will be necessary to build trust in such new digital government architecture.

Ismail Alani
Partner, Head of Government & Public Sector
KPMG in Saudi Arabia

What are the key findings?

Technologies and methods are being modernized.
Eighty-five percent of government and public sector respondents say they are prioritizing embracing emerging technologies over maintaining legacy ones.
Cloud-enablement is delivering benefits.
Government respondents rank improved efficiency as the top benefit of Everything-as-a-Service (XaaS) adoption, followed by better data management and improved security and compliance.
AI is influencing internal and external experiences.
Forty-five percent of government respondents say they are experimenting with AI in controlled groups, and many expect to democratize their approach as they gain experience.
Citizens are playing a greater role in defining value.
Seventy-four percent say that customer feedback influences their investment decisions and 82 percent are confident using customer-centric metrics to measure the value of their technologies.
Talent shortages and capability restrictions are creating bottlenecks.
Two-thirds of government executives say they have great ideas on digital transformation but lack the talent they need to bring their plans to life.