Public sector digital transformation continues to accelerate, but the journey looks very different across organisations. At DigiGov Expo, Gus Hodson highlighted the broad spectrum of digital maturity that now exists across government; from teams beginning their cloud migration to those experimenting with advanced AI tools to improve service delivery.
A major theme shaping transformation today is the complexity of public sector technology environments. Many organisations are still modernising legacy systems, while others are working to rationalise the growing mix of cloud-based platforms adopted over the last decade. Understanding where data sits, how systems integrate and how to maintain continuity of service are now central questions for digital leaders.
Cybersecurity remains one of the biggest priorities across all levels of maturity. As more public services move online, government systems have become increasingly attractive targets for cyberattacks. Disruption, data breaches and service outages pose serious risks, making resilience an essential pillar of digital transformation. Ensuring cloud services, applications and data pipelines remain secure is now a strategic requirement, not just a technical consideration.
Skills and capability continue to influence progress. While the public sector is attracting more industry expertise, specialist roles especially in cybersecurity, cloud architecture and AI; remain difficult to fill. At the same time, there is a growing openness to innovation, with many organisations engaging more closely with SMEs and exploring new digital delivery models.
Looking ahead, AI in the public sector will be one of the most significant drivers of change. From automation to predictive analytics and emerging agentic systems, AI offers real potential to improve efficiency and decision-making. However, questions around trust, governance and safe deployment will shape how quickly it becomes embedded.
🎧 To dive deeper into these insights, listen to the full conversation with Gus Hodson on The DigiGov Podcast – Episode #5: Gus Hodson: Cybersecurity, AI, and the Connectivity Cloud