The Cabinet Office was unable to reveal the costs of these purchases, citing that it could withhold the information “because it is exempt under section 43 (2) of the Freedom of Information Act. Section 43(2) protects information which would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person (including the public authority holding it).”
However, it would reveal just how many devices it had issued to staff. In 2020, the Cabinet Office issued 2,088 laptops or tablets in Q1, 2,226 in Q2, 967 in Q3 and 1,422 in Q4.
Meanwhile, an FOI to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) revealed that department had spent £260,466.35 on devices between September 1, 2020 and December 2021 – purchasing 865 android phones, 405 iPhones and 6 iPads. It did note that, “From 1 October 2020 DCMS has undertaken an upgrade programme for all laptop devices.”
Ioan MacRae, CEO at Maintel, said: “Over the past couple of years most government departments have been undergoing a digital transformation process – and investment into new devices is clearly an important step in this. BEIS, for example, has invested nearly £11.4m (£11,393,750) in laptops, computers, tablet and mobile phones since 2018.
“However, the pandemic is likely to have accelerated this process, with departments taking steps to ensure that staff can continue to work from home. This roll out of new mobile devices is likely to continue long after the pandemic, with the government having to adapt its own practices to enable a hybrid workforce – with staff splitting time between their own home and the office.
“A hybrid workforce does promise many benefits, but an ever-growing IT estate also increases the risk of cyber-attacks and data breaches. As this digital transformation speeds ahead, these departments must ensure that their cyber security practices keep pace.”
