One Point Blog

The event was organised by the IET/BCS on 24th Feb (http://www.theiet.org/local/uk/london/enabler.cfm).
The lecture discussed how established and emerging trends in ICT can be used to reduce costs, reduce risks, increase innovation and prepare for the post-downturn period. ICT trends covered included:

• Application Portfolio Rationalisation
• Virtualisation (Server & Desktop)
• Cloud Computing
• SaaS
• Outsourcing - BPO
• Enterprise Content Management
• Open Source
• Semantic Web
• Mobile Platforms
• Enterprise 2.0(including collaboration and Web 2.0)

UK Government has published on 24th Feb a new policy on open source software that will ensure maximum value for money for taxpayers. Policy covers:

1. Open source software: the policy includes 10 actions that will actively help make sure the best possible, best value for money software solutions are put forward for government requirements, be they open source or propriety products.
2. Open standards: the policy contains an explicit reference to open standards, ensuring systems are interoperable and avoiding getting locked in to a particular product where possible.
3. Re-use: the Government will look to re-use what it has already bought, with successful solutions being made available across government.

The new policy reflects changes to both the open source market and the Government’s approach to IT. In setting out the ten actions Government will make sure of a level playing field for Open Source Software, and encourage the use of Open Standards and re-use of software the Government has already paid for. The new policy can be found at http://www.cio.gov.uk/transformational_government/open_source/index.asp.

One Point welcomes this and will actively provide our feedback and suggestions to help the effective implementation of this policy. #ukgovOSS