Crown Hosting Implementation Guide

A practical guide for public sector organisations moving legacy IT out of inefficient on-premises facilities and into Crown Hosting. It sets out the case for action, the policy context, an outcome-based approach, a four-phase migration framework and the governance needed to deliver it at scale.

Around 28% of central government organisations' technology estates are classified as legacy, according to the State of digital government review. Moving that IT into efficient, shared colocation releases savings that can be redirected to frontline services, while reducing risk and energy use.

What the guide covers

• Why legacy hosting matters, and what moving to Crown Hosting delivers
• The case for action across public finances, growth, net zero and resilience
• The policy context, from Cloud First to the designation of data centres as Critical National Infrastructure
• What success looks like: five outcomes and how to measure them
• An outcome-based approach, starting with relocating and rehosting
• A four-phase migration framework, with the discovery and planning sprints in detail
• Incentives for action, governance and key recommendations
• Annexes: modelling based on DWP's results, KPIs and targets, a RACI matrix and governance rhythm, and the DWP case study

Key figures

• DWP saves around £150 million a year and paid back its £108 million investment in around nine months
• Previous customers typically cut their data centre operating costs to less than a third of what they were
• Electricity use typically falls by 75% for IT relocated from inefficient facilities

Who it is for

Senior leaders in departments and arm's length bodies responsible for digital, estates and spending plans, and the teams who would run a migration or consolidation programme.