According to the new administration’s State of Digital Government report, more than a quarter of central government IT systems are classified as “legacy” – meaning that they are “based on an end-of-life product, out of support from the supplier, impossible to update, no longer cost-effective, or considered to be otherwise above the acceptable risk threshold.”

As the report warns, this presents huge risks – including vulnerability to cyber-attacks and to service failures – and drives up operating costs, while blocking the introduction of advanced technologies such as AI. “Legacy risk is not effectively managed across the public sector and impacts service delivery in an unsustainable manner,” the report says.

To address these challenges and renew the government’s IT estate, civil servants will need fresh investment, proactive leadership, and more innovative, flexible solutions from technology suppliers. And to ensure that this renewed estate provides a firm foundation for new and emerging technologies, they’ll need to carefully consider their digital standards, processes and architecture.

Bringing together senior civil servants from across government, this Global Government Forum seminar – supported by NTT DATA and Cisco – will explore the skills, policies and resources required to transform and replace legacy IT systems, and debate the role of the digital centre in supporting this crucial agenda.