In 2026, public sector digitalization is not a desirable innovation topic, but a path defined by regulations, investments, and precise deadlines. The Italian public sector has, in fact, now entered the era of digital maturity, and attention has shifted from (only) the digitalization of the front-end, that is, citizens’ access to public services, to rethinking the functioning of institutions themselves and their processes, however complex and regulated they may be.
Key Points
-
Public sector digitalization is an obligation, not an option: CAD, PNRR, the Cloud Italia Strategy, and new European regulations have imposed targets, deadlines, and compliance requirements.
- Cloud, interoperability, and AI are the three major trends in public sector digitalization in 2026.
- The real challenge is managing organizational and technological complexity: overcoming fragmentation, modernizing legacy systems, and ensuring security and digital sovereignty.
Public sector digitalization: where we stand
The modernization path of public administration did not begin today. It is a process that started more than twenty years ago, accelerated in successive phases by regulatory interventions, strategic plans, and investment programs. If in an initial phase the objective was to introduce IT tools into existing processes, today the challenge is to integrate technologies and data into a coherent and interoperable ecosystem, benefiting the State, economic operators, and citizens.
The regulatory context: from CAD to PNRR
The digital transformation of public administration finds its main regulatory reference in the Digital Administration Code (CAD), introduced in 2005 as the first comprehensive framework aimed at defining digital rights, obligations for administrations, and guiding principles for innovation in the public sector. With the CAD, digital is no longer considered a simple support tool, but the standard mode of operation of public administration.
Over time, the Code has been updated several times to keep pace with technological evolution and European regulation. From this, derive some of the pillars of public sector digitalization:
- Digital identity, with the introduction of SPID, the Electronic Identity Card (CIE), and federated authentication systems;
- Electronic and digital signatures equivalent to handwritten signatures. The electronic signature has been strengthened at the European level by the eIDAS Regulation, which has extended its recognition and effectiveness beyond national borders;
- PEC, digital domicile, and certified electronic communications;
- Digital document preservation, with precise regulatory requirements regarding integrity, authenticity, and validity over time;
- The digital-first design principle, according to which public services must be designed primarily for digital use.
Alongside the CAD, an increasingly structured regulatory ecosystem has developed. The Agency for Digital Italy (AgID) has defined technical guidelines on interoperability, accessibility, security, and data management, while the Department for Digital Transformation has promoted the adoption of so-called enabling platforms, such as SPID, PagoPA, the IT Wallet system, and the IO app, designed to create common standards among administrations.
The decisive acceleration came with the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), which has turned digitalization into a strategic priority, allocating funds for investments aimed at cloud migration, strengthening cybersecurity, expanding digital services, and developing interoperability. With the PNRR, public sector digitalization has been accompanied by binding targets and deadlines, linking the disbursement of funds to the achievement of concrete results.
Cloud and AI: the innovation reshaping public administration
If the CAD and the PNRR have defined the regulatory framework, the cloud represents the main enabler of public sector modernization.
The turning point came with the Cloud Italia Strategy, which defines operational guidelines for the migration of public data and services to qualified cloud environments. The plan provides for a progressive path to support approximately 75% of Italian administrations in migrating applications and data assets to secure, certified, and reliable cloud infrastructures.
At the same time, public entities are exploring and implementing concrete applications of artificial intelligence. These initiatives mainly concern improving process efficiency through automation, analyzing administrative data, supporting decision-making activities, and providing digital assistance systems for citizens. The adoption of AI takes place within a strict regulatory framework, based on principles of security, traceability, and human oversight, principles now reinforced by the new European framework defined by the AI Act.
The challenges of public sector digital transformation
The digital transformation of public entities is not strictly a technological issue. Platforms exist, the regulatory framework is defined, and financial resources have been allocated. The real complexity lies in the ability to translate these elements into concrete, sustainable, and scalable changes over time.
Overcoming fragmentation
The Italian public system is composed of central administrations, local authorities, agencies, and territorial bodies with high levels of autonomy. The emblematic example is healthcare, organized on a regional basis: each healthcare system has developed its own platforms, processes, and models over time, making integration at the national level complex. The challenge of digitalization, therefore, lies in building models capable of enabling different entities to interact, ensuring service uniformity without eliminating territorial specificities.
Creating a truly interoperable public administration
One of the most ambitious objectives of digital transformation is overcoming the logic of information silos. Interoperability is not only a technological evolution, but a paradigm shift: data becomes a shared infrastructure that makes it possible to simplify procedures, reduce bureaucratic burdens, and enable increasingly integrated public services. In this direction fits the National Digital Data Platform (PDND), designed to enable secure and standardized information exchange among public administrations.
Security, resilience, and digital sovereignty
The increase in digital services and the growing centrality of data make security and resilience strategic for the functioning of the State. Digital transformation exposes public entities to new risk surfaces, making it necessary to integrate cybersecurity and cyber resilience from the design phase of architectures and services.
The theme of digital sovereignty also emerges strongly, referring to the country’s ability to maintain control over data, infrastructures, and critical technologies. The initiatives launched in recent years, from the Cloud Italia Strategy to the implementation of the National Strategic Hub, move precisely in the direction of reducing fragmentation and ensuring that strategic data and services are managed within ecosystems compliant with national and European regulatory requirements.
Governing the digital transformation of public entities: the Kirey approach
The digital transformation of public entities is a journey that requires vision and the management of complexity in a context where security and regulatory compliance are non-negotiable.
Kirey supports administrations and public entities at every stage of the transformation, acting in a coordinated way across infrastructures, applications, and processes, with an approach focused on sustainability and long-term evolution. The objectives are: building secure and scalable digital services, improving operational efficiency through automation, and fostering integration among heterogeneous systems. At the same time, we pay particular attention to designing accessible and truly effective digital experiences, capable of making public services easier to use for citizens and businesses.
Thanks to an integrated approach that combines technological expertise, delivery capabilities, and deep knowledge of the regulatory context, we support public entities in transforming regulatory constraints and investment programs into concrete, measurable, and sustainable results over time.
Contact us to find out how we can support your organization in its digital transformation journey.
