Research

Exploring the questions shaping the future.

At Storm ID, we’re interested in how technology can make services work better - not just what new technology can do, but where it can make a meaningful difference, how the economics stack up and what it takes to turn potential into practical change.

Covers of two of Storm Id's research whitepapers

Asking questions, testing assumptions and following the evidence.

That means asking questions, testing assumptions and following the evidence.

We have people across Storm ID who spend time researching and analysing some of the challenges we encounter through our work. We bring together published data, evidence from real-world delivery and our own analysis and modelling to explore important questions in more depth.

Sometimes that starts with something we have observed repeatedly in our work. Sometimes it comes from a change in technology, policy or the wider operating environment. And sometimes it simply starts with a question we think is interesting and worth investigating.

Our aim is to produce research that is useful: grounded in evidence, transparent about assumptions, and focused on the practical implications for organisations responsible for delivering public services.

Our latest research

Breaking the Legacy Trap

How AI changes the economics of modernising Scotland’s public services.

Legacy technology remains one of the biggest constraints on public-sector transformation.

Our latest research explores whether AI is changing the economics of replacing it. Drawing on public-sector data and Storm ID’s own delivery evidence, it examines how AI-assisted analysis and engineering can reduce the effort required to understand and modernise legacy systems.

On one UK public-sector programme, Storm ID measured a 40% reduction in like-for-like delivery effort. The research considers what that could mean for the cost, pace and payback of modernisation - and what the opportunity might look like at scale in Scotland.

Breaking the Legacy Trap

Automate tasks, not jobs

The AI opportunity for Scotland’s public services.

AI is often discussed in terms of jobs. We wanted to look at the problem differently.

Our research analysed 50 high-volume public-sector services across Scotland to understand where skilled staff time is being consumed by administration, coordination and routine work - and how much of that capacity could potentially be released through AI.

The findings suggest a significant opportunity to reduce administrative burden, create reusable AI capabilities across services and give public servants more time for the work.

Automate tasks, not jobs

Research grounded in delivery

Our research is not separate from the work we do with clients.

Working across digital services, data and AI gives us the opportunity to see recurring challenges first-hand, test new approaches and measure what happens in real delivery environments.

We use that experience alongside external evidence and analysis to explore where technology can create the greatest value - and where the reality may be more complicated than the headline suggests.

We’ll continue to publish research where we think we can add something useful to the conversation.