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This interview with Adrien Coussa, Managing Director of Abraxio, was originally published in the Archimag dossier. dedicated to “The digitalization of the public sector. How is the public sector steering its Digital transformation? “( April 2025)
What are the CIO challenges in the public sector?
The public sector is not a homogeneous group in terms of resources, but certain issues are common to all CIOs. The first challenge is to reposition the CIO function : beyond its technical role, they need to establish themselves as steers of digital transformation.
IS modernization is imperative to meet user expectations and regulatory obligations. Dematerialization, simplification of processes and optimization of public services are key priorities for a more efficient and effective administration, despite increasingly stringent budgetary and regulatory constraints.
The need to recruit and retain IT talent is a major challenge in a tight market and with competition from the more lucrative private sector.
To meet this need for modernization, infrastructure evolution is seen as critical: at stake are an ageing, heterogeneous technological heritage, dependence on historical software vendors, essential mutualization and interoperability, and the reinforcement of Cybersecurity in the face of constant threats.
In this context, adapting the means of managing these Resources (human, budgetary or technological) has become key to facilitating arbitration and decision-making, and ensuring that actions are part of a long-term vision.
What support do local authorities need?
Three key areas are essential:
- Above all, support for strategic management, to help structure roadmaps, prioritize investments and modernize infrastructures.
- Secondly, Organizational change management (OCM ) support: defining needs, acculturation to new methods and uses, training of agents and elected representatives, structuring of management resources in complex decision-making cycles.
- Finally,optimizing Resources and Budgets (pooling tools, streamlining supplier relations, etc.) for greater efficiency and cost control.
The underlying aim is to instill greater agility without denying the specific characteristics of the public sector.
Are public sector information systems up to the challenge of AI?
Not yet in technological terms, but the challenge lies elsewhere. Contrary to popular belief, AI does not necessarily require massive infrastructures, and sovereign solutions already exist. The challenges are above all ethical, regulatory (data hosting and models), functional (concrete use cases to improve services, working conditions and efficiency) and strategic in terms of our relationship with time: it’s not being late to the party if we invest public funds at the right time, in other words, for a stabilized technology, as soon as its value creation is proven.
Before taking the plunge, the public sector needs to modernize its information systems, ensure their interoperability and structure data governance. The role of CIOs is therefore to evangelize, to prepare the ground for integrating AI in a relevant, cost-effective and sustainable way.
Adrien Coussa
– Managing Director, Abraxio