Shared services are gaining popularity among government agencies as a way to improve efficiency and reduce costs. The document summarizes that 39% of Canadian government agencies surveyed in 2005 had already implemented or were implementing shared services. It describes shared services as a business approach that allows agencies to share infrastructure, applications, and business processes. The benefits outlined include economies of scale, higher constituent satisfaction, focus on core competencies, and knowledge transfer. HP provides solutions to help agencies implement shared services in areas like ERP, payroll, procurement, and IT consolidation.

1. Shared services for government agencies
Solution brief

2. Shared services are gaining momentum within
government agencies. In a 2005 IDC report , 1
it was noted that, in Canada, 39 percent of
those government agencies responding to the
IDC survey had already implemented shared
services within their organization or were in
the process of rolling out shared services across
their organization.
“Customer Needs and Strategies: The Impact of Shared Services on the Canadian Government Sector's IT Consumption,” March 2005, IDC #CA400GOV.
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3. Shared services
Government agencies today are facing many of the Optimizing business processes—such as HR, payroll,
same challenges as enterprise organizations—limited purchasing and finance—is another important part
budgets; the need to modernize, consolidate or optimize of shared services. Shared services can increase your
IT infrastructures; and the need for improved processes. organization’s performance by helping you to identify
Additionally, government agencies are under pressure to IT and business performance problems and understand
provide secure access to information to other government the potential impact of those problems. This optimization
agencies and to the public at large. can help you to demonstrate measurable improvements
in business performance and to communicate those
By implementing HP shared services solutions, government
enhancements back to your department teams.
agencies can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of
their processes by sharing best practices, enhance Although the adoption rate of shared services varies by
collaboration by making inter-agency communications country and region, some countries have aggressively
easier, make more informed decisions and improve embraced shared services and are moving from initial
access to information and government services. HP shared deployments to implementing more sophisticated financing
services solutions also enable agencies to share data and approaches such as pay-per-use models. And many
applications, fostering inter-agency cooperation and the governments are evaluating how shared services can
creation of a single view of government data. benefit their organizations and their constituents.
Shared services Benefits of shared services
Shared services are a business approach and an IT Economies of scale—Shared services can help minimize
architecture designed to allow agencies to share key parts capital and operating costs and encourage inter-agency
of their infrastructure, applications and business processes cooperation by achieving economies of scale by sharing
within their own organization, with other agencies and services within your agency and across agencies.
with the general public.
Higher constituent satisfaction—Sharing of expenses across
Consolidation of IT systems and infrastructure—including agencies allows everyone to take advantage of the latest
hardware, applications and network services—helps technology without incurring substantial capital expenditures
agencies and their partners to make the best possible use as costs are spread across all of the agencies utilizing the
of their resources. IT consolidation eliminates redundancy, resources. Services and information can be made available
reduces system complexity, lowers costs and frees up to the public and other agencies, creating higher levels of
resources to be used elsewhere within the agency and constituent satisfaction.
across agencies.
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4. Focus on core competencies—Government agencies that • E-mail—Share e-mail services to create a singular view
participate in shared services are able to spend less time of government employees and reduce processing costs.
and fewer resources on their own IT infrastructures, focusing • Electronic fund transfers (EFT)—Use a common payment
instead on core competencies needed to better serve or EFT gateway to provide strengthened security and
constituents. better ease of use.
Knowledge transfer—A skill gap can occur when • IT datacenters/information management—Consolidate
employees leave an agency, either through retirement or IT assets and datacenters prior to incorporating additional
general attrition. When employees leave their positions shared services. This allows for the most streamlined and
they take with them knowledge of specific processes or cost-effective infrastructure to be in place when shared
technologies; and those hired to replace them often do services are implemented.
not have the same knowledge. In agencies that utilize • Document management systems—Share document
shared services, individuals are no longer relied upon as management processes so that government agencies
the single source of information—more than one person can automate, standardize and improve specific work
has the knowledge required to maintain infrastructure processes and content and records management. This
and processes. also helps to ensure regulatory records retention and
archiving compliance.
Shared services can be leveraged in a number of different
business areas, including: • Printing services—Centralize printing infrastructure of
government agencies so that individual departments
• ERP—Share common back office applications such as
do not have to purchase their own printing devices.
general ledger or accounts payable to reduce cost per
Sharing printing services can help reduce printing costs,
transaction and streamline transactions that need to
achieve economies of scale and increase the efficiency
span multiple agencies.
of printing processes.
• Payroll/HR—Use a common payroll service to help
• Helpdesk—Centralize IT support to help reduce complexity
reduce errors that stem from re-entering employee data
by providing a single point of accountability for service
when they move from one department or agency to
delivery and vendor management. Benefits include
another, and reduce the cost per paycheck.
lowered costs, consistent levels of service and support
• Procurement—Share procurement services for indirect solutions that are organized around an agency’s
or non-critical items to achieve volume discounts not business needs, rather than its existing technology.
attainable by individual groups.
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)—Implement a
common base geofile that provides consistency and
savings for all agencies and improves citizen service by
having consistent views of properties, district, county,
building locations, borders, highway easements, etc.
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5. HP solutions for e-Government
A framework and approach e-Government framework e-Government framework
for e-Government The foundation for HP’s solutions for civilian agencies is the
Citizen access portal HP e-Government Framework. This framework provides a portfolio
of pre-tested, pre-integrated hardware, software and services.
It leverages portals, integration technologies and Web services,
along with proven implementation methodologies and HP’s
Pre-integrated hardware, best practices from around the world. The HP e-Government
Integration layer
software and services Framework enables you to design, build, deploy and manage a
collaborative environment that brings together data, people and
processes. It helps drive efficiencies within and across agencies
while allowing citizens to access services in a seamless manner.
Back office and legacy systems
Solutions to design, build,
deploy and manage infrastructure
and services
Shared services
HP’s shared services strategy • IT management consolidation—manage and monitor
dynamic workloads holistically across the IT environment.
HP’s shared services strategy is to offer constituents a
wide range of services—from conducting feasibility studies, • IT utility consolidation—adjust storage and server
to evaluating possible working models to managing capacity instantly to meet increased business demands.
outsourcing arrangements—all of which may be tailored • Mainframe alternative—create a more flexible IT
to meet an agency’s budget and business needs. infrastructure by migrating and consolidating
mainframes and the applications that run on them.
And with its broad portfolio of solutions and proven
expertise, HP can help agencies implement shared services • Servers and storage consolidation—combine rapidly
within their organizations. Following is a selection of key proliferating servers and storage devices into a simplified,
solution offerings within the shared services portfolio. flexible IT infrastructure.
• Workplace consolidation—simplify processes and
IT consolidation technologies to better manage the lifecycle of end-user
In order to improve access to government data and services, technologies.
agencies need integrated systems that make it easy to
collaborate and share information. HP’s IT consolidation Enterprise integration
solutions offer industry-leading technologies, flexible Agencies face the challenge of making different applications
service plans and financing options to help reduce the and devices work together—not only within an agency but
complexity of managing diverse IT environments. And across agencies. HP helps guide government agencies
whether your project is consolidating constituent data, from complex or legacy systems to consolidated, open
disparate application servers, network infrastructures or systems that are designed for interoperability. HP helps
other consolidation work, HP will partner with first-rate agencies achieve results quickly, so they can align their
agencies throughout the entire IT lifecycle to ensure the IT infrastructures with their business needs.
work is done properly.
Examples of IT consolidation solution areas include:
• Application and database consolidation—reduce
redundancies by consolidating multiple applications
and databases into a cohesive IT environment.
• Datacenter consolidation—gain greater control over
data systems and reduce costs by centralizing IT
facilities and operations.
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6. Security Flexible business models
Using shared services across multiple agencies or bureaus HP offers flexible business models that allow agencies
requires a robust security implementation to ensure that to share the cost of services in an equitable manner.
the shared services are continuously available to the right These offerings span from creative financing and leasing
people at the right time. Security policies must be inclusive programs to managed services and public-private
of multiple and sometimes conflicting requirements—and partnerships. HP’s flexible business models help you
those policies must be deployed consistently throughout obtain and deploy the solutions you need, when you
the entire government environment. HP’s security offerings need them.
span productivity devices, datacenters, as well as wired
LAN and wireless LAN. HP’s services help agencies meet HP Financial Services
In some situations, the most economical and efficient
ESDlife portal short-term needs and long-term goals—in such areas as
infrastructure is for you to host and operate the solution
security training, policy definition, ethical hacking,
Hong Kong Special Administrative yourself. In other instances, a pay-per-use model provides
Region Government has imple- trustworthy infrastructure design, platform hardening
mented the world’s first bilingual and secure and managed IT infrastructure. HP also offers the most benefit to your organization. Either way, HP can
public and commercial services
multi-vendor support for market-leading security products. accommodate your needs. HP Financial Services offers
portal for their community— flexible financing models, including leasing and transaction-
ESDlife (www.esdlife.com).
The portal provides 6.8 million Proven methodologies based pricing, to enable your organization to gain the
Hong Kong citizens with the HP offers standardized, repeatable methodologies to solutions you need on terms that are right for your
convenience of accessing public, help you assess your needs and define and implement circumstances.
private and cyber-community
services. The ESDlife portal is your e-Government solution. When you work with HP,
the result of a joint effort by you gain access to proven best practices for managing Managed Services
Hewlett-Packard HK SAR Ltd., complex integrations of information, processes and HP Services offers a comprehensive portfolio of managed
Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. and
people across organizations. services, including strategic outsourcing and innovative
the Hong Kong SAR Government,
taking advantage of a state-of-
utility pricing solutions. These services help you simplify
the-art network infrastructure IT Services Management management and facilitate the ongoing alignment of IT
that enables 20,000 transactions Government processes are rapidly changing. HP IT Services with your overall business strategy. You gain improved
per hour-from payment of govern-
ment bills, appointment bookings,
Management (ITSM) solutions bring you the technology business agility that responds quickly to change and
service applications, information and expertise you need to align IT with changing business opportunity.
lookup, change of personal needs. HP’s best-practices approach bases your ITSM
particulars, general inquiries
and more.
implementation on the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL), the
de facto standard for IT Service Management.
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7. Why HP? Integration and consolidation expertise
HP can help you integrate new and legacy systems
Proven methodologies, repeatable solutions while enabling secure access to information, data and
HP’s end-to-end portfolio offers shared services solutions applications from different agencies. Streamlining resources
that can help your organization become more productive, and applications result in lower shared costs and a more
gain access to a wider breadth of services and share adaptive IT infrastructure—one that can quickly respond
information and resources across agencies. HP understands to and capitalize on change. Through the use of ITSM
that each agency’s needs are unique and provides and ITIL standards, migration standards and proven
implementations tailored to meet your individual shared solutions, HP partners with you to enable agency-to-
services requirements. agency interoperability.
World class support Open standards, best practices
HP’s first-rate support and services can help cut the cost HP embraces open systems, standards-based technology
and complexity of supporting hardware, software and and heterogeneous environments. By developing solutions
network environments across agencies. HP offers a based on open technology standards, HP helps ensure
comprehensive portfolio of services for diverse IT that your processes, applications and IT infrastructures
environments including 24x7 rapid response coverage work within your agency and across agencies. HP’s IT
and flexible service plans to suit your needs and budget. consolidation best practices and standardized, repeatable
HP also supports products from a variety of other vendors, methodologies allow you to maximize the value of your
resulting in just one service contract to maintain, a shared services investment by providing secure access
single point of accountability, lower costs and better to the resources you need, when you need it.
overall service.
For more information
To learn more about HP’s shared services solutions, please
contact your HP sales representative or local HP partner,
or visit www.hp.com/go/government.
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8. For more information, please visit: www.hp.com/go/government
© Copyright 2005 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to
change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty
statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an
additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.
4AA0-2075ENW, September 2005