The great legacy escape: How government can finally break free
Guest blog by Aingaran Pillai, Founder and CEO at Zaizi #techUKdigitalPS
Aingaran Pillai
Founder and CEO, Zaizi
In the past month, we've kickstarted our initiative — "The Great Legacy Escape" — which shows how government can unshackle itself from its legacy processes and systems through digitisation, automation and AI.
The need to address legacy in government has always been present. But in recent years, the drumbeat to act has intensified.
Many government organisations still depend on unsupported, unpatched legacy systems. And the problem is growing.
The recent “State of Digital Government Review” said there are “deep systemic challenges” around legacy and under-digitisation in government organisations.
The number of high-risk, critical systems in central government increased by 26% from 2023 to 2024, according to the review.
Meanwhile, under-digitisation also persists. The review states:
only half of public services are digitised
very few services avoid manual processing altogether
many have a “digital veneer” but rely on inefficient and costly manual backend operations
It gives examples of how His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) handles 100,000 calls daily, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) processes 45,000 letters daily, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) manages over 500 paper-based services.
These aren’t just abstract numbers. For government organisations, they cause real-world frustrations.
Legacy processes — a barrier to a modern, joined-up digital government
The message is clear: clinging to legacy systems and making do with manual processes isn’t optional anymore. The costs, dangers and missed opportunities are too high.
Here’s what under-digitisation and legacy systems mean in practice for government departments:
High costs and inefficiency: If staff rely on physical forms, enter data by hand, or have cumbersome approval processes, it costs more, slows service delivery and increases error rates.
Unreliable and difficult to operate: They are challenging to maintain and rely on a shrinking pool of knowledgeable staff to operate, while the lack of software support leads to frequent failures.
Security and compliance risks: Outdated tech lacks basic security features, while paper-based processes are hard to track, secure, or audit— exposing agencies to data loss, theft, and security breaches.
Siloed, fragmented data and systems: Manual systems cause data duplication, inconsistencies, delays and ultimately poor data quality. The information also isn’t easily shareable between systems and teams.
Limited reporting and lack of data-driven insights: Low quality or locked-away data hinders effective reporting and prevents organisations from making data-driven decisions.
Frustrating user experience: Cumbersome and convoluted systems with poor usability and accessibility create a challenging experience for the end user.
Barriers to innovation: Legacy systems and manual processes prevent opportunities to use new and innovative technologies, like AI.
How suppliers can help with the government's legacy escape
Government can’t tackle the problem alone. The issues aren't just about the technical complexities around legacy — they’re also systemic, often tied to organisational culture, funding cycles, procurement constraints, and a shortage of specialist skills.
This is where organisations need support from industry, which can bring the necessary experience and expertise to navigate these complex environments.
We’ve helped several government agencies in the most sensitive national security areas digitise, automate and modernise legacy systems.
We found that success depended on really understanding their existing landscape, building alignment across stakeholders and picking opportunities based on impact and user pain points — something that we’ve been able to do relatively quickly with ourTransformation Day workshops.
A user-centred approach is key to ensuring solutions are used and effective for those who rely on them, while taking an agile and iterative approach allows the transition from legacy systems with minimal disruption to ongoing operations.
The benefits of modernisation are endless — streamlined operations, lower costs, stable systems, improved security, easier reporting and data-driven decision-making, seamless data sharing, a better user experience, and opening the door to innovation, such as AI.
The path to a modern, efficient and secure digital government is clear. It's just that some government departments need a little help to get started — and organisations like Zaizi are ready to do that.
The techUK Central Government Programme provides a forum for government to engage with tech suppliers. We advocate for the govtech sector, evangelise tech as a solution to public sector challenges, facilitate market engagement, and help make the public sector an easier market to operate in. Visit the programme page here.
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Associate Director, Central Government and Education, techUK
Heather Cover-Kus
Associate Director, Central Government and Education, techUK
Heather is Associate Director, Central Government and Education at techUK, working to represent the tech supplier community to Central Government.
She started as Head of Central Government at techUK in April 2022 and was promoted to Associate Director in August 2025 supporting both the Central Government and Education programmes.
Prior to joining techUK in April 2022, Heather worked in the Economic Policy and Small States Section at the Commonwealth Secretariat. She led the organisation’s FinTech programme and worked to create an enabling environment for developing countries to take advantage of the socio-economic benefits of FinTech.
Before moving to the UK, Heather worked at the Office of the Prime Minister of The Bahamas and the Central Bank of The Bahamas.
Heather holds a Graduate Diploma in Law from BPP, a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) from LSE, and a BA in Economics and Sociology from Macalester College.
Ellie joined techUK in March 2018 as a Programme Assistant to the Public Sector team and now works as a Programme Manager for the Central Government Programme.
The programme represents the supplier community of technology products and services in Central Government – in summary working to make Government a more informed buyer, increasing supplier visibility in order to improve their chances of supplying to Government Departments, and fostering better engagement between the public sector and industry. To find out more about what we do, how we do this and how you can get involved – make sure to get in touch!
Prior to joining techUK, Ellie completed Sixth Form in June 2015 and went on to work in Waitrose, moved on swiftly to walking dogs and finally, got an office job working for a small local business in North London, where she lives with her family and their two Bengal cats Kai and Nova.
When she isn’t working Ellie likes to spend time with her family and friends, her cats, and enjoys volunteering for diabetes charities. She has a keen interest in writing, escaping with a good book and expanding her knowledge watching far too many quiz shows!
Junior Programme Manager - Central Government, techUK
Charles Bauman
Junior Programme Manager - Central Government, techUK
Charles Bauman is a Junior Programme Manager in the Central Government Programme at techUK.
He supports the programme’s mission to represent the technology supplier community to the UK government and advocate for digital innovation to address public sector challenges. Charles helps facilitate market engagement, foster partnerships, and ensure that tech suppliers and the government work collaboratively to improve outcomes, deliver value for money, and enhance public services for citizens.
Before joining techUK, Charles gained significant experience in research, analysis, and strategic advisory roles. At H/Advisors Cicero, he specialised in public affairs and corporate communications, while at Verdantix, he supported sustainability research and advisory projects, focusing on regulatory and environmental challenges.
Charles holds an MSc in Theory and History of International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and an MA in Medieval History from King’s College London.
Charles enjoys volunteering with a think tank, reading, hiking, and spending time with his dog and family outside of work.
