The push for cloud computing in the Commonwealth public service
is growing, with the Department of Finance, having successfully
trialed a panel contract for delivering cloud-based data centre
services for contracts up to $80,000, now completing a round of
industry consultation before launching a new federal cloud
procurement model, expected to come into force by October.
This comes on the back of the National Commission of Audit
Report that noted that public cloud computing could deliver savings
of 20-30% when compared to buy-and-install computer infrastructure.
The Commission recommended that government adopt a
"cloud-first" approach at least for low risk, generic IT
systems.
The advantages of cloud computing are well known, with savings
as well as scalability, allowing new e-government services to be
rolled out quickly, economically and with lower risk.
