Forget e-government, it’s smart m-government next

• Wearables to pave the way for public sector IoT ecosystems
• To affect public order and safety, transportation, healthcare, and social services

WEARABLE technologies will boost smart mobile government (Smart mGovt) projects and consequently pave the way for public sector Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystems, according to an IDC Government Insights report.
 
The Designing Tomorrow's Smart mGovernment Landscapes Enabled by the Growth of Wearables and the Internet of Things report has identified the IoT, Context, Instantaneous Reach, Privacy, Security, Technology Readiness and Wearables as the seven key ingredients for Smart mGovt adoption.
 
Today's disruptive environments highlight the dawn of an increasingly ‘smart and mobile’ global workforce, IDC said in a statement.
 
In addition, Smart mGovt initiatives are driven by mission-critical and real-time solutions in functional domains such as public order and safety, transportation, healthcare, and social services.
 
Key findings of the report include:
 
Growing roadmaps and initiatives
 
Smart mGovt projects will be boosted by wearable technologies and consequently, pave the way for the growth of public sector-led IoT ecosystems when used pervasively.
 
‘Shadow IT’ continues to outpace Smart mGovt deployments
 
Mobile devices continue to grow exponentially in the consumer space. As a result, several government IT departments are facing burgeoning pressures of ‘shadow IT’ operational threats through Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) demands.
 
While these governments continue to grabble with the usability, operational, and security concerns of shadow IT, it will fall upon leading public sector agencies, industry leaders, and private sector players to showcase the benefits of Smart mGovt solutions, IDC said.
 
Still sceptical government IT departments need to be continually encouraged and assured the viability of Smart mGovt solutions, the research and analyst firm added.
 
CYOD may quell BYOD scepticism
 
The ‘Choose Your Own Device’ (CYOD) trend can function as a potential means of partially addressing users' choice needs.
 
At the same time, CYOD can help government IT departments rein in the proliferation of foreign mobile devices within the enterprise and thus, gain back some form of operational and security control, thereby eliminating shadow IT threats.
 
While pervasive shadow IT through consumer and employee mobility needs continue to outgrow implementations and acceptance of Smart mGovt initiatives, CYOD deployment models may be the way forward to help public sector IT departments address scepticism with regard to BYOD-led (Bring Your Own device) security and operational challenges.
 
“In the mid- to long-term, mobility solutions, wearables, and the Internet of Things markets will see significant public sector uptake and growth once the adoption tipping point is breached,” said Gerald Wang, research manager at IDC Government Insights.
 
“Meanwhile, solution providers and public sector end-users who consider themselves early adopters of emerging technologies can consider a more granular and targeted approach toward Smart mGovt initiatives,” he added.
 
Wang said that this included taking considerable strides in identifying key government operational gaps, and co-creating appropriate mobility solutions tailored to address the unique functional or jurisdictional government objectives, which at best, can be replicated to a greater scale of operations, if successful.
 
For more information on obtaining the Designing Tomorrow's Smart mGovernment Landscapes Enabled by the Growth of Wearables and the Internet of Things report, go here.
 
IDC Government Insights assists government policy, programme, and IT leaders, as well as the suppliers who serve them, in making more effective technology decisions by providing accurate, timely, and insightful fact-based research and consulting services.
 
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