MANILA – The technology sector has recognized the Philippines for its best practices in adopting cloud services, even though government agencies supposedly have a long way to go towards fully implementing its use in the delivery of services.
Asia Cloud Computing Association (ACCA) executive director May-Ann Lim urged the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to fast-track the accreditation process for cloud service providers in line with its cloud first policy that will mandate all government agencies to adopt cloud computing technology for the use and delivery of their online services.
“The Philippines has one of the most forward-looking governments in the adoption of cloud computing. The cloud first policy is a good policy,” said Lim in a press briefing held Monday in Makati City.
“However, we think that the accreditation policy limits cloud procurement. Because in other countries, the cloud accreditation process is very costly. Let’s say a provider wants to register with the government, an accreditation agency will be set up he needs to go to be checked by them. They need to make a form; they need to check everything is it OK? It takes a lot of time. These countries realize that this actually limits the number of vendors that government can buy from,” she added.
Lim stressed that the government must streamline the process for cloud procurement as she noted that the technology can provide affordable, secure and faster online services for the benefit of the public sector.
In 2017, the DICT has issued a circular calling on government agencies to adopt cloud computing technology to eliminate the duplication of hardware and systems and fragmentation of databases. The cloud first policy aims to reduce costs, increase employee productivity and develop excellent online services.
Microsoft Corporation regional lawyer Jarom Britton said the policy of the DICT is flexible and adaptive to the information technology (IT) demands of government agencies.
“It does not lock you in; even the encryption standards, it does not say that these are the encryption standards you need,” Britton stated.
He advised the department to develop a classification policy that will ensure the security of data being handled by the public sector while at the same time upholding the right of the citizens to be informed of vital government transactions.
Cloud computing utilizes a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage and process data rather than a local server or a personal computer.
The technology can be used by the government to provide a wide range of services in various sectors such as health care and transportation.
For instance, the volume of vehicles along major roads may be monitored through data analytics which will be helpful for implementing measures to mitigate traffic. Internet of Things services will enable health care providers to effectively diagnose and prevent the occurrence of diseases increasing wellness and healthy life expectancy.
A significant benefit of cloud in the public sector is the increased access of citizens to services.
“Cloud computing enables the smallest government with the smallest budget to have access to the same IT resources as the largest governments in the world,” Britton noted.
He likewise said that government agencies will be able to save on IT costs compared to on-premise infrastructure. It is also highly scalable and more secure than building an IT facility.
“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”, said Britton.
The ACCA, in partnership with Microsoft, launched its report entitled “From Vision to Procurement: Principles for Adopting Cloud Computing in the Public Sector”, to help government agencies overcome challenges in procuring cloud services.
The report stated that 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. (PNA)
