Profile of respondents

The Survey The Big Data opportunity has been constantly highlighted by many public sector leaders but what does Big Data actually mean for local authorities today? According to a recent report by Civica, many councils are sitting on what is effectively an 'untapped goldmine' of data, which could offer valuable insight into understanding the needs of UK residents.this includes data concerning when a child enrols in school or the offering of family vouchers for leisure facilities. Many organisations are now looking at which IT solutions are required to turn big data into a competitive advantage. Our survey considered how Big Data is currently used across local authorities, the importance placed on it within each organisation and the barriers and challenges faced by those charged with overseeing it. This document contains the key findings of the report and recommendations going forward. Profile of respondents In total, 88 individuals fully completed our survey representing a range of parties involved in use of Big Data in local authorities. For the purposes of this report, we will focus solely on these responses. However, please note that a summary of responses at the end of this report represents all those who accessed the survey. The following three diagrams illustrate the breakdown of respondents by seniority, job function and responsibility for Big Data within each organisation. 1

Chief Head Manager Director Other 20% 3% 9% 30% 37% Figure 1: Profile by seniority level IT Business 38% 63% Figure 2: Job function - IT versus other departments 2

Wider departments Senior management IT Other 23% 24% 27% 26% Figure 3: Responsibility of Big Data in organisations Summary of Key Findings Big data in local authorities 16% of organisations surveyed state they have a Big Data Policy with 20% unaware of one in existence. Of those who do have a policy in place, just under 10% of organisations have a standalone policy, with 29% stating it is part of the overall ICT strategy. As indicated in Figure 3, 27% of organisations view it as the responsibility of IT followed closely by senior management (26%). However, the majority of organisations (77%) do not have a team dedicated to Big Data and just 15% have fully embraced Big Data, as can be seen in Figure 5. However, of those who have embraced Big Data, the main benefits cited were the ability to answer questions quickly and greater understanding of citizens. 3

This demonstrates that local authorities are not yet fully on board with the concept of Big Data and/or the potential benefits it can deliver as highlighted by the Civica Report published in late 2013. There are others who are already reaping the rewards and delivering more effective services tailored to user needs. This report will now go on to discuss the perceived barriers to introducing Big Data as highlighted by survey participants. Yes No Don t know 20% 16% 64% Figure 4: Do you have a Big Data Policy? 4

Yes No Don t know 24% 15% 61% Figure 5: Has your organisation as a whole embraced Big Data? Barriers to introducing Big Data Organisations cited many barriers to introducing Big Data but the most commonly cited barrier was the fact that current infrastructure was not fit for purpose (27%). Of the 20% who selected other, the main reasons raised were the lack of understanding around what Big Data is and how to use it; the fact that it is neither perceived as a benefit or the lack of, a problem, within organisations; perceived lack of resources and that the term Big Data is overhyped. 5

Internal processes Wider employee buy-in Other Senior management buy-in Current infrastructure not fit for purpose 20% 15% 18% 27% 19% Figure 6: If you said No to embracing Big Data, which of the following are the main barriers to introducing it? Stage of implementation None of the organisations surveyed have fully rolled out use of Big Data to the wider organisation. In fact, the majority of organisations were still in the Concept stage (31%) or Early Adoption (23%). The fact that the biggest barrier was with regards to current infrastructure issues and, as indicated in the following diagram, the most quoted barrier to embracing it was fear of data misuse, highlights a potential hesitancy of many local authorities in fully getting on board. Other barriers cited related to Data Protection, the question of cost versus perceived value, and the fact that some organisations are not far enough along the process to come up against barriers at this stage. 6

Fear of data misuse Fear of culture change Other Fear of data loss Lack of senior management buy-in 21% 28% 15% 17% 19% Figure 7: Which of the following would you consider to be barriers to embracing Big Data in your organisation? 7

Organisation concerns around use of Big Data The main concern for organisations was lack of systems integration (26%) followed by Information Governance (24%). Of those who selected Other, cultural readiness was raised as was once again, the lack of understanding. Speed Lack of systems integration Information governance Accuracy Lack of staff expertise Other 11% 5% 14% 24% 19% 26% Figure 8: Organisation concerns around use of Big Data 8

Biggest challenge for organisations regarding Big Data This question allowed participants to give a personal view on what they perceive to be the biggest challenge for their organisation. Below are some examples cited by those who took part. Understanding how big(ger) data can be used to inform service delivery. Working out what questions it could help us answer or outcomes it could help deliver and then establishing how to get data out of the systems. Cultural readiness. It really has little to do with Big Data, but rather the introduction of such as far reaching disruptive change. Creating full organisational buy-in for ongoing management of Open / Big Data. Firstly, convincing managers and staff that this is important, and then finding the resource to make data accessible in a meaningful way. Building trust that it is safe to share data. Making sure we can bring it altogether as systems have grown organically over a period of time with no strategy of bringing it all together. However, one area that was cited here as a challenge and also as a barrier in other responses was the fact that some smaller organisations feel that Big Data is only for larger organisations and this demonstrates that the term Big Data can be quite misleading to some. IT hardware and software requirements The majority, over 50%, could not tell us what percentage of the ICT budget has been invested in improving IT hardware and software in the last twelve months and just under 20% felt their organisation did not have the right hardware and software in place to maximise the opportunities Big Data represents. However, the majority (69%) had assessed the current storage infrastructure through a Storage Assessment or other means. Below lists the areas highlighted through this assessment. De-duplication was cited as the main choice of storage optimisation. 9

Potential security risks Unused storage capacity Identified data users Identified how active info is Data integration issues Identified data origins Identified how data is used 15% 18% 12% 12% 24% 9% 9% Figure 9: Individuals who answered Yes to assessing storage infrastructure The future of Big Data Going forward, 68% felt Big Data would play a very important or important role going forward. Despite the fact that the percentage of organisations who have a Big Data Policy or are actually embracing Big Data is relatively low, this is something that is likely to change should we revisit this area in twelve or eighteen months time. 10

Conclusion Survey partner: IBM Big Data promises to open doors through improving business knowledge, enabling an enhanced view and more intimate relationship with the customer and by improving operational efficiency. This report demonstrates that getting to the threshold of that door can be a challenge in itself: from getting the right infrastructure and resources in place and managing all this information through to to understanding how Big Data can transform services and contemplating how that may transform your organisation. IBM provides the hardware, software and services to help companies and public sector organisations get the most value from all of their information. IBM Business Partners bring their wealth of expertise and experience to deliver your Big Data solution. Acknowledgements The survey team at igov Survey would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who were kind enough to take part - and especially to those who found the time to offer additional insight through their extra comments. We would also like to thank our partner, IBM, for their assistance in compiling the survey questions, scrutinising the responses and analysing the results. Big data usage survey 2013/14 copyright Unless explicitly stated otherwise, all rights including those in copyright in the content of this publication are owned by or controlled for these purposes by igov Survey Except as otherwise expressly permitted under copyright law or igov Survey s Terms of Use, the content of this publication are owned by or controlled may not be copied, reproduced, republished, downloaded, posted, broadcast or transmitted in any way without first obtaining igov Survey s written permission or that of the copyright owner. To contact the igov Survey team: Email: dcross@ingenium-ids.org Tel: 0161 482 7890 Address: FAO David Cross, Ingenium IDS Ltd, Mansion House, Wellington Road South, Stockport, Cheshire, SK1 3UA 11

Big data usage in Local Authorities survey 2013/14 Quest ion: What would best describe your role wit hin your organisat ion? Chief 7 4 % Director 16 8 % Head 45 23 % Manager 79 40 % Other 51 26 % Question: What are your primary job responsibilities within your organisation? Please tick all that apply. CEO 6 2 % Director 11 3 % Finance 13 3 % IT 54 14 % Corporate services 49 13 % Strategy 61 16 % Policy 45 12 % T ransformation 49 13 % Procurement/purchasing 12 3 % Operations 30 8 % Other 48 13 % Quest ion: How many people work in your organisat ion? 1-50 2 1 % 50-249 14 7 % 250 499 41 21 % 500 2499 40 20 % 2500 10000 67 34 % 10000+ 34 17 % Question: Does your organisation have a big data policy? Yes 24 15 % No 86 52 % Don't know 54 33 %

Question: Does this form part of your overall ICT strategy or is it a standalone policy? Overall ICT strategy 41 25 % Standalone strategy 13 8 % Don t know 110 67 % Quest ion: In your organisat ion, is Big dat a considered t he responsibilit y of: IT 32 25 % Wider departments 37 29 % Senior management 28 22 % Other 29 23 % Question: Does your organisation have a team dedicated to Big Data? Yes 15 12 % No 88 70 % Don't know 23 18 % Quest ion: Has your organisat ion as a whole embraced Big Dat a? Yes 24 19 % No 63 50 % Don't know 39 31 % Quest ion: If you answered Yes, which of t he f ollowing benef it s have you experienced? Reduction in paperwork 8 19 % Ability to answer queries more quickly 11 26 % Ability to help people find and claim benefits 3 7 % Greater understanding of citizens 9 21 % Ability to deliver services tailored to individual needs 10 24 % Other 1 2 %

Quest ion: If you said No, please t ell us which of t he f ollowing are t he main barriers t o int roducing it? Internal processes, i.e. sign off procedures 15 15 % Senior management buy in 19 19 % Wider employee buy in and support 20 20 % Current infrastructure not fit for purpose 25 25 % Other 20 20 % Question: At what stage is your organisation at in terms of Big Data? Concept 29 30 % Early adoption 23 23 % Implementation stage 10 10 % Fully rolled out 1 1 % Not being considered 21 21 % Other 14 14 % Question: Which of the following would you consider to be barriers to embracing big data in your organisat ion? Fear of data misuse 48 29 % Fear of data loss 32 19 % Fear of culture change 30 18 % Lack of senior management buy-in 22 13 % Other 36 21 % Quest ion: What are your organisat ion s main concerns around use of big dat a? Speed 11 6 % Accuracy 26 13 % Lack of systems integration 50 25 % Lack of staff expertise 38 19 % Information governance 50 25 % Other 22 11 %

Quest ion: In t he last 12 mont hs, what percent age of your ICT budget has been invest ed in improving IT hardware & IT software? Less than 10% 7 7 % 11-24% 17 18 % 25-49% 13 14 % 50-74% 7 7 % More than 75% 2 2 % Don t know 48 51 % Quest ion: Do you f eel your organisat ion has t he right IT hardware & IT sof t ware in place t o maximise the opportunities Big Data presents? Yes 19 20 % No 32 34 % Don't know 43 46 % Quest ion: If you said Yes, have you assessed your current st orage inf rast ruct ure via f or example, a St orage Assessment? Yes 12 67 % No 5 28 % Don't know 1 6 % Quest ion: If you answered Yes, which of t he f ollowing areas were highlight ed? Any potential security risks 6 16 % Any potential data integration issues 9 24 % Any unused storage capacity 3 8 % Identified origins of data 4 11 % Identified who uses the data 5 14 % Identified how data is used 4 11 % Identified how active information is 6 16 %

Quest ion: If you answered yes, please t ell us which of t he f ollowing st orage opt imisat ion opt ions you have or plan t o use? Deduplication 8 42 % Compression 4 21 % Archiving data tiering 5 26 % Automated data tiering 0 0 % Other 2 11 % Quest ion: Going f orward, how import ant a role will Big Dat a play in improving service delivery? Very important 19 21 % Important 43 47 % Not very important 19 21 % Not important at all 11 12 % Quest ion: Would you be int erest ed in f inding out more about Big Dat a solut ions? Yes 31 34 % No 44 48 % Don't know 17 18 % Organisat ions Aberdeens hire Council Angles ey y Council As hford Borough Council Babergh Dis trict Council Bas s etlaw Council BFC Bols over Dis trict Council Bracknell Fores t Borough Council Brighton and Hove City Council Broxtowe Borough Council Cam bridges hire y Council Central Bedfords hire Council Chelm s ford City Council Chorley Borough Council City of Edinburgh Council Clackm annans hire Council Cornwall Council Craven Dis trict Council Darlington Borough Council Daventry Dis trict Council Dover Dis trict Council Durham y Council Eas t Ham ps hire Dis trict Council Eas t Staffords hire Borough Council Eas tleigh Borough Council Epping Fores t Dis trict Council Fife Council Graves ham Borough Council Halton Borough Council Havant Borough Council Hertfords hire y COuncil Ingenium Leeds City Council Leices ters hire y Council London Borough of Barking and Dagenham London Borough of Hackney London Borough of Havering Maids tone Borough Council Merton Council Adur & Worthing Borough Council Ards Borough Council Ayles bury Vale Dis trict Council Barrow Borough Council Bath and North Eas t Som ers et Council Birm ingham City Council Bos ton Borough Council Brent Council Bris tol City Council Burnley Borough Council Cas tle Point Borough Council Ceredigion y Council Ches terfield Borough Council City and y of Swans ea City of York Council Com hairle nan Eilean Siar Cots wold Dis trict Council Dacorum Borough Council Dartford Borough Council Dors et y Council Dundee City Council Eas t Dunbartons hire Council Eas t Renfrews hire Council Eas t Sus s ex y Council Eden Dis trict Council Fareham Borough Council Glas gow City Council Gwynedd Council Ham ps hire y Council Herefords hire Council Huntingdons hire Dis trict Council Kent y Council Leices ter City Council Lincolns hire y Council London Borough of Bexley London Borough of Ham m ers m ith and Fulham London Borough of Sutton Manches ter City Council Middles brough Council

Milton Keynes Council Newport City Council North Down Dis trict Council North Lanarks hire Council North Warwicks hire Borough Council One Connect Lim ited PCC Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council Royal Borough of Kings ton Upon Tham es Ryedale Dis trict Council Sefton Council Sheffield City Council Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council South Cam bridges hire DC South Norfolk Council South Staffs Council Southam pton City Council Southend-on-Sea Borough Council St Albans City and Dis trict Council Staffords hire y Council Sunderland City Council Swindon Borough Council Tes t Valley Borough Council Thurrock Council Torfaen y Borough Council Tunbridge Wells Borough Council Wes t Berks hire Council Wes t Linds ey Dis trict Council Wigan Council Wirral Borough Council Newcas tle Under Lym e Borough Council Norfolk y Council North Eas t Lincolns hire Council North Lincolns hire Council Norwich City Council Oxfords hire y Council Ports m outh City Council Rother Dis trict Council Royal Borough of Winds or and Maidenhead Salford City Council Sevenoaks Dis trict Council Shepway Dis trict Council Som ers et y Council South Lakeland Dis trict Council South Staffords hire Council South Tynes ide Council Southend on Se Borough Council Southwark Council St. Edm unds bury Borough Council Stratford-on-avon Dis trict Council Surrey y Council Tam worth Borough Council The Moray Council Torbay Council Trafford Council Waverley Borough Council Wes t Dors et Dis trict Council and Weym outh and Portland Borough Council Weym outh and Portland Borough Council Wilts hire Council Wyre Council