Digitalisation is both an opportunity and a risk. Finland must lead with quality, not just speed — getting it wrong at scale is expensive and hard to reverse.
Public sector digitalisation specifically requires interoperability, open standards, and accessibility for everyone — not just those comfortable with digital interfaces. Vendor lock-in is the largest long-term risk: when public services are built on proprietary platforms, the public sector loses negotiating power and flexibility. As a software professional I have seen many times how procurement decisions made without technical consideration create dependencies that cost more to exit than anyone is prepared to pay.
The human dimension matters too. Digitalisation must not exclude people who struggle with online interfaces — GP appointments, benefit claims, and permit applications must remain accessible through non-digital channels. Efficiency gains should not be achieved by forcing the most vulnerable to adapt to the most convenient channel for the provider.
Start here
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Who owns public sector data?
Portability in public procurement decides who owns public sector data. eVaka shows that an open, shared model survives a change of supplier.
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Digital independence is built one step at a time
Digital independence and resilience are built in every procurement decision. Helsinki chose Finnish UpCloud as the platform for its core public services system.
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AI cannot do everything
AI has been presented as a solution for improving public services. It may have a role, but cannot replace people or clear strategic planning.
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Frequently asked questions
Why does vendor lock-in cost taxpayers so much?
When the supplier cannot be replaced, the price stops being set by the market. The supplier knows the customer cannot leave, and the negotiating power shifts to the supplier for good. When public administration builds its systems on one supplier's closed platform, switching becomes more expensive and difficult over the years. The data is then locked in, and control over it has in effect been handed away.
What does portability in public procurement mean?
Portability is a property of the procurement that guarantees the system's data, processes and integrations can be moved to another supplier at reasonable cost. It only exists if it is written into the contract and the technical specification before the procurement decision. In practice it needs publicly documented data formats, integrations built on well-known interface standards and an exit clause in every contract. Without these, switching supplier is possible in theory but often too expensive in practice.
Why does digitalising public services require long-term planning?
Because digitalisation and AI do not replace a clear plan. Poorly defined processes or objectives only lead to bad outcomes faster with AI. Municipalities first need to identify which services they want to develop and design them for automation, and only then bring in the machine. There are no quick wins; it is a long-term investment that requires money. A small municipality cannot do it alone, but Konnevesi succeeded in collaboration with seven other municipalities.