[LINK] Fwd: [PRIVACY] [apfma] itN: Federal Govt ‘cloud fir st’

[Jan Whitaker]

>Federal Govt locks in ‘cloud first’ stance
>Author: Paris Cowan
>Published: October 8, 2014
>Source:
>http://www.itnews.com.au/News/396584,federal-govt-locks-in-8216cloud-first8217-stance.aspx
>
>
>Coalition cloud policy released.
>
>The federal government has stepped up cloud adoption by handing down a
>long-awaited ‘cloud first’ ultimatum to agencies.
>
>Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Finance Minister Mathias
>Cormann put their signatures to the Commonwealth’s new cloud policy,
>which demands agencies “must adopt cloud where it is fit for purpose,
>provides adequate protection of data and delivers value for money”.
>
>It becomes the second jurisdiction in Australia to adopt the ‘cloud
>first’ rhetoric first launched into the political mainstream by UK and
>US administrations.
>
>Queensland embraced a similar stance in May, which requires agencies to
>obtain approval to go with non-cloud options for new tech purchases.
>Turnbull has long hinted that he planned to follow suit.
>
>[http://www.itnews.com.au/News/386551,qld-orders-agencies-to-buy-cloud-as-default.aspx
>and
>http://www.itnews.com.au/News/353668,coalition-would-adopt-cloud-first-policy.aspx]
>
>In a combined statement, Turnbull, Cormann and Attorney-General George
>Brandis have complained that the public service’s cloud adoption has
>been too slow.
>
>“The Government procures approximately $6 billion of ICT services
>annually, but only a fraction of this is spent on cloud services,” they
>said.
>
>The policy itself describes “modest use of cloud services by government
>to date” with a total of just $4.7 million since July 2010, according to
>an analysis of published contracts.
>
>However Canberra has left itself a number of caveats in the new
>procurement stance.
>
>The new rules will only apply when:
>
>
> - Cloud solutions are fit for purpose,
> - The cloud option offers best value for money,
> - The cloud option offers adequate security as defined by the
>   Protective Security Policy Framework,
> - Purchasing bodies are central government departments or agencies
>   (not government corporations).
>
>The new policy also seeks to ride the newfound momentum gained when the
>Attorney-General’s Department dumped its unpopular offshore data hosting
>policy, which required procurement officials to obtain the approval of
>the Attorney-General and their own minister before they could send any
>citizen information overseas.
>
>[http://www.itnews.com.au/News/391678,govt-dumps-controversial-labor-offshore-cloud-policy.aspx]
>
>“Under the new arrangements, agency heads will be able to approve
>proposals to place certain information in either offshore or
>domestically hosted (onshore) public cloud.
>
>“The removal of this unnecessary red tape will promote productivity and
>the efficient use of Government resources,” the statement explains.
>
>The new cloud policy represents the formal dumping of Labor’s National
>Cloud Computing Strategy, issued in May 2013.
>
>[http://www.itnews.com.au/News/344919,govt-agencies-forced-to-consider-cloud-in-new-strategy.aspx]
>
>However it doesn’t stray too far from the plan’s original sentiment. The
>Labor strategy stated that:
>
>> "Government agencies will choose cloud services, where the service 
>> represents the best value for money and adequate management of risk,
>>  compared to other available options”
>> 
>> - National Cloud Computing Strategy
>
>It also made more explicit demands, requiring agencies to choose public
>cloud services as default for test and development uses and for public
>facing website information ­ whiich are echoed in the new plan.
>
>The Coalition strategy also hints at plans to follow their NSW peers
>down the path of a consolidated government computing solution. It sets a
>December 2014 deadline for the Department of Finance start to trialling
>the relocation of agency data to a “secure government cloud”.
>
>[http://www.itnews.com.au/News/391098,nsw-govt-data-centres-on-track-to-be-australias-greenest.aspx]
>


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