Government adoption of Cloud is happening slowly, but is poised to accelerate according to a global study of public sector organisations by management consultancy KPMG.
KPMG quizzed 430 public-sector government executives from 10 countries to learn more about their Cloud strategies and expectations.
The survey results found that the progress of government entities significantly lags that of their for-profit counterparts by 9 to 13 percent. Countries leading the way in Cloud adoption are Australia, Italy and Denmark.
Key findings include:
- The public sector has modest expectations of Cloud
- Only 50 percent of government respondents expect to gain some cost advantages with Cloud; only 28 percent expect it to fundamentally change their model for operations; and just 39 percent expect it to change interaction with constituents.
- Security remains the biggest concern, but certification would help.
- Almost 80 percent said they would be more confident if Cloud services were certified by a government body.
Attitudes to the Cloud vary from country to country.
- Respondents in Canada (64 percent), the United States (57 percent), and the United Kingdom (56 percent) are the most concerned about security.
- Canadians (23 percent) are the most skeptical about whether the promise of Cloud can be realised
- Approximately a third of respondents from South Africa, Denmark, Australia, and Canada cited concern about IT governance.
- Almost two-thirds of respondents in Singapore, Canada, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and the United States cited security and privacy as a challenge, versus just 31 percent in the Netherlands.
- South Africa is the most concerned about challenges across the board: security and privacy tied with lack of resources/skills to assess or implement a cloud environment (59 percent), closely followed by lack of funding, and potential fraud and corruption (both 56 percent).
Based on the findings from the survey, KPMG offers 6 tips for government success in the Cloud.
Adopt a comprehensive approach
"In order to gain a stronger grasp of the challenges and potential of cloud, it becomes vital to think of the evolution of Cloud from the perspectives of three essential stakeholders: service providers, core process owners, and IT," advises KPMG.
Apply leadership
Government agencies tend to be risk-averse and want to maintain control and protect local resources. Some groups will be resistant to the changes in roles and responsibilities that Cloud will bring and need clear and visible top-level direction.
Balance risk and reward
Government agencies should be aware of risks, but they should not be using the mere existence of risk as an excuse for doing nothing.
Create centres of excellence
The more that governments can create centralised capabilities, the more rapidly Cloud concepts can be harnessed by a wider array of agencies, suggests KPMG.
Collaborate with providers
Key government agencies should engage with providers in comprehensive forums to improve understanding and guide the fundamental strategic and technical evolution of Cloud.
Collaborate with the private sector
Government agencies should actively collaborate with business as a means of understanding, responding to or influencing technological developments.
