Foreign Office to cut back on ICT spend

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has published its ICT Strategy for 2011-2015, confirming the Whitehall Department plans to spend less on ICT over the next few years, as well as become "better, cheaper and greener in the process".

The strategy also confirmed running costs would be between 30% and 40% lower compared to 2010.

Despite this, the Foreign Office said it would still be in a position to improve services to its staff so they could improve their own levels of effectiveness for ministers. According to the Department, this would be achieved through a number of initiatives including the modernisation of its ICT infrastructure, improved staff training on using technology effectively, and the rationalisation of technology - which the Foreign Office claimed would enable "substantial" savings to be made.

The Foreign Office is currently deploying what it described as "a major upgrade" to its telephony and data networks, as well as deploying unclassified videoconferencing through its Echo programme. The Department is also working on replacement contracts for the delivery and support of its core IT platform, Firecrest, and ERP system, Prism, which have a deadline in 2012. "[These] programmes create opportunities to drive costs from our existing IT spend, as well as to improve the reliability of our core IT systems," a FCO statement said. 

The Foreign Office's Chief Information Officer David Meyer said the ICT used within the Department is "far better now than 5 years ago thanks to great work by my predecessors and staff across public and private sectors". He added it will build on that success by using "the most modern and efficient ways of giving users what they need to do their jobs, drawing on best public and private sector practise in the process".

"Staff in UK and in more than two hundred FCO offices around the world will be linked by better telephony, video conferencing and secure computer systems than now."

"But by making these services less complicated and more integrated they'll be cheaper; they'll reduce our carbon footprint significantly; and they'll be more accessible to staff with disabilities. What I'm seeking is for all our staff to be able to focus on the information, not the IT," he added.