Manila, Philippines – The Asia Cloud Computing Association (ACCA), in partnership with Microsoft, recently launched its white paper on cloud procurement, to help government and procuring agencies overcome hurdles in purchasing cloud services.
The report, entitled “From Vision to Procurement: Principles for Adopting Cloud Computing in the Public Sector”, addresses government concerns regarding the inherent ability of cloud technologies to safeguard their data and operations, align local regulations with global compliance standard, and enable government agencies to utilise cloud to achieve objectives such as environmental sustainability and improved access to government services.
In 2017, the Department of Information and Communications (DICT) issued Circular No. 2017-002, an initiative which prescribes government agencies and departments to consider cloud computing solutions as a primary part of their info-structure planning and procurement. The policy aims to reduce costs, increase employee productivity, and develop excellent citizen online services in the public sector by eliminating duplication of hardware and systems and fragmentation of databases.
“Cloud-based technologies will drive much of the public sector’s future transformation by presenting a secure and cost-efficient model for delivering citizen-centric services”, Microsoft Regional Attorney for Health, Education and Public Sector, and ACCA Chair for Public Sector Special Interest Group Jarom Britton said. “Cloud products differ in some meaningful ways from traditional IT resources, which presents governments the ability to drive better outcomes but also requires thoughtful policies and processes to ensure they can capitalise on the potential. As the government encourages its entities to adapt and seek opportunities to improve business operations, we hope to guide our stakeholders in their journey to secure the best suitable technology and cloud service.”
According to the report, the public sector should evaluate their cloud product based on its capability to provide high security, ensure the privacy of personal information, and guarantee technology reliability. Moreover, a good cloud product must be compliant with all regulations and must be aligned with the agencies’ duty of accountability. Government agencies must also look at technology that can support their societal goals and help improve environmental sustainability.
“Adopting cloud services will help government agencies to achieve greater efficiency and enhanced citizen inclusion,” ACCA Executive Director Lim May-Ann said. “The ACCA believes that there is a need for a forward-looking cloud procurement strategy to create a trusted environment for the public sector to utilise such services.”
The full report is accessible and can be downloaded at the ACCA website https://www.asiacloudcomputing.org.
About the Asia Cloud Computing Association (ACCA)
The ACCA is the apex industry association representing the stakeholders of the cloud and data ecosystem in Asia Pacific. Our mission is to accelerate the adoption of cloud computing in Asia through the creation of a trusted and compelling market environment, supported with a safe and consistent regulatory environment for cloud computing products and services. Drawing on subject-matter expertise from member companies, working groups and special interest groups, the ACCA constantly develops best practice recommendations and other thought leadership materials to achieve our mission. As a vendor-neutral industry association, we welcome engagement with all members and stakeholders in the public policy and government sectors.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.