Modernising Public Sector Infrastructure: Why It’s Time to Move Beyond Legacy Thinking
The conversation around digital government is shifting. We’re no longer talking about if public sector organisations should modernise their IT infrastructure, we’re asking how fast they can do it.
At DigiGov 2025, one message came through loud and clear: government ICT isn’t just about systems and servers anymore. It’s about creating the digital foundation for better, faster, and fairer services. And that means one thing, modernising the infrastructure that sits behind it all.
The Reality Check: Legacy Isn’t Leadership
For years, public sector teams have done heroic work keeping legacy systems alive: patching, integrating, and coaxing them to do things they were never designed for. But as digital demand accelerates, those systems have become anchors, not engines.
They slow delivery, inflate costs, and limit innovation. More importantly, they make it harder for government to respond to citizens’ needs with the agility and speed people expect today. Modernisation, then, isn’t an IT project. It’s a public service mission.
Building the Backbone of Digital Government
At the heart of this shift is the recognition that robust, flexible infrastructure is the enabler of everything else, from data-driven policymaking to citizen-centric digital experiences.
Modern, cloud-ready, interoperable systems unlock possibilities that simply aren’t achievable with monolithic, siloed architectures. Departments can share data securely, scale services quickly, and deploy new applications without waiting months for hardware procurement. It’s not about technology for technology’s sake. It’s about agility, resilience, and better outcomes.
Cost, Agility, and Interoperability: The New Non-Negotiables
Public sector leaders are realising that the cost of standing still often outweighs the cost of change. Maintaining legacy estates consumes budgets, drains talent, and introduces operational risk. By contrast, cloud-enabled infrastructure drives efficiency and resilience, not to mention environmental sustainability through optimised energy use. And interoperability is fast becoming the secret ingredient of success. When systems talk to each other, departments can collaborate seamlessly, services become connected, and citizens don’t have to repeat their information ten times just to access what they need.
The TXP Perspective: Making Modernisation Real
At TXP, we’ve seen first-hand how strategic infrastructure modernisation can transform how government operates.
A powerful example is our collaboration with the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) in Queensland, Australia. The agency engaged TXP to take over third-line support and ad-hoc development for its CA Gen-based TRAILS system, the backbone of driver licensing and vehicle registration for millions of citizens.
To de-risk delivery and maintain service continuity, we implemented a “follow-the-sun” support model, combining UK and Australian expertise to provide 24-hour coverage. Within just one month, we had transitioned from in-house delivery to a fully managed model without disruption.
The outcome? Reduced operational risk, optimised costs, and streamlined management through a single trusted supplier. TMR gained access to a global pool of CA Gen specialists, retained critical in-house knowledge, and secured long-term service assurance through a fixed-price, multi-year arrangement.
It’s a living example of what modernisation really means: not just replacing old systems, but creating resilient, flexible infrastructure that empowers teams to focus on delivering value.
Why the Moment Is Now
Digital transformation isn’t slowing down. AI, data analytics, and automation are rewriting the rules of public service delivery, but they all depend on one thing: strong foundations. Without modern infrastructure, these technologies can’t thrive. With it, the possibilities are limitless.
So, as DigiGov 2025 made clear, now is the time to accelerate, to build the kind of digital backbone that lets governments innovate at the pace of change. Because in the end, modernising public sector infrastructure isn’t just about IT.
It’s about trust, agility, and delivering the kind of responsive, reliable services that citizens deserve.