Reaffirmation of DISIC’s central role in the pursuit of the digital transition

This significant change should mark a decisive step in the State’s digital transition, a concrete response to the many challenges posed by the modernization of public action. The success of this policy could not be envisaged without reflection on method and governance. In this respect, the reaffirmation of DISIC’s main role, beyond traditional administrative contingencies and delays, and beyond entities that are too often compartmentalized, is a good signal and a guarantee of efficiency for the players in our ecosystem and for all users.

The financial stakes involved in modernizing public action, against a backdrop of budget restrictions, are immense. Jacques Marzin, Director of the DISIC, spoke of the need to make savings of 20 to 40% over 3 to 5 years, on an annual budget of 1.8 billion euros for payroll and 2 billion euros for services – excluding the Ministry of Defense and (para)public establishments excluded from the decree.

Current and future projects are important in terms of rationalizing and pooling IT resources. The continued development of the Réseau Interministériel de l’Etat (RIE), for example, is eagerly awaited, as interconnection will drive the opening up of ministerial information systems and data sharing. The RIE provides an opportunity to standardize architecture, standards, protocols and equipment. To generate the expected savings, the RIE should offer services that are as generic and standardized as possible. These savings will relate to operating costs, via the centralization and rationalization of teams, and to acquisition and operating costs, via the massification of purchases and the standardization of solutions. In this context, it will be particularly important to deal upstream with the future of the staff currently in charge of network management within each of the ministries, whose numbers will necessarily decrease. According to Jacques Marzin, Director of DISIC, last September1, the gains expected from this mutualization model are estimated at 30 to 35% compared with the cost of telecoms. The CIMAP has estimated that between 500 and 800 million euros will be saved annually between now and 2017/20202 thanks to mutualization (hardware and software) and better control of IT projects, particularly large-scale projects.

Beyond the RIE, there is considerable potential in other areas of management (accounting, management control, human resources, purchasing, etc.) and in the creation of a genuine “Cloud for administration”, enabling the State and all public sector players to consolidate the fundamental principles of continuity and universality of public service, while at the same time fostering the emergence of new values (efficiency, transparency, citizen participation).

This decree should lead to a common strategy, notably in terms of interoperability, more transparent and coordinated public policies, and greater efficiency at lower cost thanks to the pooling of resources. We can only be delighted.