E-Govt Objectives Can Be Achieved By Cloud Adoption

According to IDC Government Insights study, most public sector agencies are widely dispersed operational silos and have an urgent need to coordinate and integrate the various egovernment functions. The challenge is that these agencies face varying policy and operational restrictions which translate to different needs and scales on their IT capacity. As the business case for the traditional data center is no longer sustainable in the long run, the adoption of cloud computing technologies in the public sector has become a viable option.

In the report, “Looking Ahead: Articulating Cloud Competencies for the Asia/Pacific Public Sector,” IDC Government Insights discussed the trends driving the adoption of cloud technologies, whether public, private or a hybrid of both models, and the concerns over the use of cloud computing technologies in the public sector such as security, reliability and regulatory compliance.

More from Biztech

Future Group - Reliance Retail Deal approved by CCI RBI ban on cryptocurrencies takes effect; prohibition could force investors to tap the black market

“In general, the Asia/Pacific public sector is still apprehensive about the adoption of cloud computing especially in agencies that handle sensitive information. Most of the initiatives today are still at an experimental stage as the public sector tries to determine the return on investment (ROI) and weigh the risks involved in the adoption of cloud computing technologies,” said Gerald Wang, Senior Market Analyst, IDC Government Insights, APAC.

“Governments should take an active change management stance to address the people and process aspects of cloud implementations, such as revolutionising traditional workflows and facilitating interoperable standards to bring about greater inter-agency coordination. All the stakeholders involved need to internalise the value and application of the cloud model so as to truly realise a continued and successful egovernment transformation,” said Wang.

IDC Government Insights notes that the global recession has increased public scrutiny and accountability demands on the IT budgets of government organisations. Paradoxically, these organisations are increasingly under pressure to raise service competency and productivity. This cost and performance management irony has propelled public agencies to look to other technological alternatives, such as cloud computing solutions.

IDC Government Insights also expects data protection and security solutions such as ‘rights-management-as-a-service’, and integrated business intelligence and analytics applications to feature strongly as key technological innovations that lead the adoption of cloud computing for the public sector.

Wang concludes, “Inevitably, apart from cost management agendas, public sector agencies will need to define their own set of business requirements for cloud computing solutions. This means they have to explore and gather distinctive proficiency and awareness towards building a specialised enterprise-grade cloud services model that fits the unique environment it serves. Thus, the eventual adoption of cloud technologies whether public, private or a hybrid of both models, lies fundamentally on the operational requirements it seeks to address.”