Private lessons from the public sector

PFIKS’s Rob Smitten highlights the true value of information for businesses today.

“Getting tools that delivery the right information and swiftly translating that into meaningful knowledge is a key challenge for today's managers.”
-Rob Smitten

What's your view on information usage in business today?

Rob Smitten. In many ways information is the most important business currency of our age. Getting the right information to the right people at the right time is crucial to effective decisions and the success of your business. Decisions based upon incomplete or obsolete information will be costly!

The last few years has seen Web 2.0 and social media making an enormous impact, with tools such as Facebook and Twitter demonstrating business value. The problem is now information overload. Getting tools that deliver the right information and swiftly translating that into meaningful knowledge is a key challenge for today's managers.

How do we realise the value of information for our businesses?

RS. PFIKS has worked with clients for 10 years to provide workplace collaboration solutions. As a result we developed Intelligus as a platform that provides a secure environment where teams and colleagues share information and knowledge to collaborate successfully. It overcomes organisational boundaries that prevent collaboration.

Intelligus utilises information from the myriad sources available today - from enterprise data, to expert web sites and newsfeeds. It has the power to blend this with knowledge and conversations contained in less formal social media tools in a meaningful way.

So how does Intelligus deliver real business value?

RS. Imagine the social networking aspects of Facebook, the recommendation element of travel website Tripadvisor, and the value for money comparisons of moneysupermarket.com. Add value-added applications such as the iPhone apps and a suggestions feature like that used by Amazon. Intelligus brings these elements together around your business information.

As well as this single view of information, Intelligus includes collaboration tools including, web conferencing, blogs, forums, wikis, messaging and document management. Users choose the tool(s) that they feel most comfortable with to collaborate productively.

Information doesn't have to be lost in 'the system'. Its easy style encourages people to share their knowledge and thoughts. Previously considered random piles of data are transformed into a valuable resource easily accessible via a powerful search facility. Ultimately the value of Intelligus is that it enables individuals to share ideas and knowledge within a framework that drives innovation.

Where is Intelligus being put to work?

RS.  PFIKS has won a major competitive tender with the Local Government Association (LGA) to deliver Knowledge Hub (KHub) with Intelligus. KHub is pivotal for the transformation of public services across the UK whilst also reducing costs. It will be a truly innovative and world-class solution that will lead to major cultural change in the public sector.

KHub brings people together in one place online to share ideas and information. Users can find peers and experts that share interests so they can help each other. It will even signpost where you may find valuable information or contacts that you may not have been aware of.

With KHub, users will easily gather data from multiple sources and "mash" it together to provide a new innovative solution to an issue. For example, if you were examining trends in youth unemployment you could graphically display relevant socio-demographic data such as crime statistics and schools league tables to understand any relationships. The possibilities are virtually limitless.

Why was Intelligus chosen for such an important project?

RS. Intelligus already delivers results for private and public sectors organisations, including Department for Business Innovation and Skills, Technology Strategy Board and Humberside Police.

Our agile approach to development also provides the flexibility the customer was looking for. Steve Dale, LGA Project Leader, identifies reasons for Intelligus' selection. He says, "It ticked all the boxes. It delivered the cost benefits of open source software; the inherent flexibility to integrate new web services and applications quickly; and it's a highly secure and fully supported technology platform. It will help us to realise our vision for a truly innovative product that can adapt and evolve to the changing technology landscape."

About

Rob Smitten leads Business Productivity Solutions at PFI Knowledge Solutions, leading UK specialist in applying Knowledge Management technologies for business transformation.