The government isn't doing enough to make the most of the data it has at its disposal, according to TechUK, the trade association that counts more than 850 companies as its members.
Sureyya Cansoy, a director at TechUK, said that different industries were at different points of their journeys in making the most out of data, with retail and transport ahead of other sectors.
Read more: GB: Government not doing enough with data it holds – TechUK
The Internet, they say, has changed everything. By giving us access to a world of information and services, we’re no longer tied to office hours, to queues, and to telephone calls.
Meanwhile we’ve grown accustomed to the ease of use that comes with services like social media, expecting the same level of design and responsiveness from any other provider.
Read more: GB: How local councils are harnessing power of cloud computing
The government's willingness to embrace the innovation and agility of smaller enterprises, originally came hand in hand with biting austerity measures.
Realising that it could not create a modern government fit for the digital age while also being locked into costly relationships with big vendors, the government decided that something needed to change. To that end initiatives were launched to help small businesses raise concerns about procurement processes and to also bring transparency to what government projects could be bid for.
Read more: GB: SMEs and the government: It’s a race, not a sprint
The government has claimed that more than 55,000 small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) signed up to receive vouchers for its Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme - a programme that has now been shelved after it was revealed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to have run out of money.
The idea behind the scheme was to get SMBs ready for a faster digital market with the help of faster broadband speeds.
Read more: GB: More than 50,000 SMBs received broadband vouchers for now-shelved £40m scheme
An innovative scheme described as ‘an air traffic control system for patients’ developed in Cumbria has been shortlisted for a national award.
The ‘Electronic Referral and Resource Matching Scheme’ has been named as one of the best in the UK in the Health Service Journal (HSJ) Awards 2015.
The Cumbrian team will find out next week (Wednesday November 18) if it has won the ‘Using Technology to Improve Efficiency’ category.
Read more: GB: Cumbrian e-Health Scheme shortlisted for national award