Public servants take up devices
The NSW government has signalled the end of public sector computing dominated by the PC, with a new whole-of-government tender opening the way for more smartphones and tablets to be used by public servants.
Opened to response last week, the panel contract replaces the state's 2007 personal computers contract and covers end-user equipment including desktops, notebooks, tablets, workstations and other client computing devices.
Collectively, NSW agencies are among the country's biggest hardware customers.
A 2012 NSW government ICT survey identified about 420,000 devices, including desktops, laptops and tablets, in use across the state.
IBRS analyst Kevin McIsaac said the scope of the tender reflected the public sector's growing enthusiasm for tablet and smartphone technology, a phenomenon being driven from the top down.
"Desktops are alive and well - enterprises will continue to use them but they're not expanding," Mr McIsaac said. The hardware landscape had changed dramatically since 2007 when the previous panel was created,
he said.
A spokeswoman for the NSW Department of Finance and Services, which manages the tender process, said the contract did not presage a major upgrade or purchasing bonanza.
The NSW government ICT strategy released last year advocated an "as-a-service" model, rather than the state owning and operating its own IT infrastructure, she said.
Public spending on hardware has declined in recent years. Government investment in
devices and data centre hardware was expected to total $693 million in 2013, a 2.8 per cent drop on
the previous year's figures, according to IT research company Gartner.
The company predicts spending of $704 million in 2014.
Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…
The NSW tender is a new whole-of-government panel contract that replaces the state's 2007 personal computers contract. It covers end-user equipment including desktops, notebooks, tablets, workstations and other client computing devices, opening the way for more smartphones and tablets to be used by public servants.
The article notes a clear shift toward tablets and smartphones in the public sector. IBRS analyst Kevin McIsaac said enterprises, including government, are increasingly enthusiastic about tablet and smartphone technology. He also said desktops are "alive and well" but are not expanding, implying mobile devices could become more dominant.
According to a 2012 NSW government ICT survey cited in the article, about 420,000 devices — including desktops, laptops and tablets — were in use across the state.
No — a spokeswoman for the NSW Department of Finance and Services, which manages the tender, said the contract does not presage a major upgrade or purchasing bonanza. The state's ICT strategy also favours an 'as-a-service' model rather than owning and operating all IT infrastructure in-house.
The NSW ICT strategy advocates an 'as-a-service' approach, meaning the state prefers using externally provided IT services instead of owning and operating all its own IT infrastructure. This can shift how devices and services are procured and managed.
Public spending on hardware has declined in recent years. The IT research company Gartner expected government investment in devices and data centre hardware to total $693 million in 2013, a 2.8% drop on the previous year, and predicted spending of $704 million in 2014.
NSW agencies are collectively among the country's biggest hardware customers, so a whole-of-government panel covering desktops, notebooks, tablets and smartphones could create procurement opportunities for vendors. Investors watching government IT buying patterns may want to note the shift toward mobile devices and the 'as-a-service' purchasing model.
The article quotes IBRS analyst Kevin McIsaac, who highlighted growing public-sector enthusiasm for tablets and smartphones and noted desktops are not expanding. A spokeswoman from the NSW Department of Finance and Services said the new contract does not signal a major upgrade or spending surge. Gartner provided the public-hardware spending forecasts for 2013 and 2014.
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