Technology as catalyst for government cloud transformation
In response to increasingly vocal citizens well-versed in using tech and social media, many governments have taken to e-government services as it is often more efficient, helps save costs and provides better citizen engagement. With e-government initiatives, government entities are using web properties and mobile applications to better engage with citizens and increase the reach and accessibility of various government services and applications.
However, governments should rethink e-governance as a transformation tool that spans beyond basic e-services. According to the 2012 United Nations e-government survey, there is a need for governments to transform themselves to better meet the needs of their citizens. Technology can propel this, even serve as a catalyst to revitalize lagging economic and social sectors.
Hybrid cloud computing is a powerful technology concept and could be an ideal platform to take e-governance to new levels and drive government transformation.
Hybrid is the future
According to a 2013 report from research and advisory company TechNavio, the global cloud computing market for government is expected to grow at an annual compound rate of 6.2 percent from 2012 to 2016. This adoption rate is a signal that governments worldwide are recognizing clouds as an enabler of e-government services, from platforms that manage citizen requests and transactions to those that handle massive data sets.
A well-defined cloud road map offers a great way for governments to use the scalability and agility of cloud to provide inexpensive, accountable e-services for citizens. It also can remove the costs and complexity of integrating and managing traditional on-premise server-based systems.
In particular, hybrid clouds can be an efficient tool for governments to achieve these desired results. Hybrid clouds are clouds that amalgamate the best of both public and private clouds. A well-designed hybrid cloud road map takes advantage of the low-cost efficiency, scalability and agility of public cloud resources, yet provides the high security and data governance of private cloud that governments demand. This can mean faster, more responsive e-services can be delivered to citizens.
As citizens continue to expect quality public services, governments that do not keep up may diminish the public’s trust in them. In order to fully play their roles as guides and catalysts to societal change, governments should strive to continually improve themselves, their offerings, and the methodology in which they provide their services. In today’s digital age, the solution could very well come from hybrid clouds.
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