3 Reasons Why The Government Isn't Cloud Computing Yet

This week the government have been criticized again for delays in their G-Cloud project plans to adapt its IT infrastructure to a cloud-service approach. http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/cloud/2011/09/13/g-cloud-project-is-alive-and-kicking-40093920/

Below are several PESTLE factors which I believe explain why delays have occurred in the execution of these plans to move the government from their existing IT infrastructure and onto a cloud-service approach.

Social

According to Ministry of Justice official Martin Bellamy, Civil service IT professionals who grew up sourcing hardware and software as a technical solution are left a little lost when dealing with public cloud providers. It's related to people who grew up in IT in the 80's and 90's, where putting IT in place meant a specified solution in terms of business outcome," Bellamy told ZDNet UK. "The cloud model is driven by standards." http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/cloud/2011/09/13/g-cloud-project-is-alive-and-kicking-40093920/

Political

There are three political factors which I also believe contribute towards why government are delayed moving from their existing IT infrastructure and onto a cloud-service approach.

Firstly Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google may have identified a political contributing factor. During an interview with Marc Benioff he said; “Our cloud industry is going to have a much bigger impact on government than we thought….. Terrorists will have the same access to the tech as the government will use ” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDl5hb0XbfY&feature=youtu.be&t=50m51s

Secondly, According to Ministry of Justice official, Martin Bellamy the delays were also due to the 2010 elections; “The G-Cloud project, which was delayed following the general election in 2010, enjoys the support of government ministers” http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/cloud/2011/09/13/g-cloud-project-is-alive-and-kicking-40093920/

Finally a journalist for IT-Pro called Tom Brewster also wrote; “All this confusion surrounding the Government’s cloud work hints at problems in Whitehall .” http://www.itpro.co.uk/636178/why-benioff-was-right-about-government-cloud-sluggishness

Technological

Marc Beinoff, CEO of Salesforce.com seems to be referring to the governments G-Cloud solution as an example of what’s known as the ‘false cloud’. Inevitably, if this insinuation from Marc Beinoff is true then the government will undoubtedly be questioning its G-cloud plans as a valid cloud-service approach altogether. The sources below give reason to this technological conclusion.

“At the end of the briefing, Marc Benioff was explicit and straightforward about the way Cloud was to be employed and how the false vendors should be fired from the team of cloud computing development. This will only give a back seat to the false vendors and also they will be able to hand over their data to reliable vendors. I’m sure Salesforce has disclosed the concerns of the UK government, providing them with an opportunity to deploy cloud more frequently” http://cloudtechsite.com/blogposts/salesforce-uk-government-%E2%80%9Cway-behind%E2%80%9D-than-others-in-cloud-computing.html

“Attempts to get into the cloud business when he spoke of what he called the False Cloud, when major IT vendors tied their cloud offerings to particular hardware: it’s not efficient; not democratic; not environmental and not economic, he said” http://www.cloudpro.co.uk/cloud-essentials/public-cloud/1723/uk-government-still-dragging-its-feet-cloud-says-salesforce-boss

“Salesforce.com chief executive (CEO) Marc Benioff had some harsh words for the UK Government this week. During CloudForce 2011 in London yesterday, he said the adoption of cloud services was not happening fast enough and the G-Cloud was not the right way to go. “The UK Government is way behind and is far too interested in the G-Cloud and visualization,” Cloud-Pro reported. Regardless of whether Benioff was right about the G-Cloud model (whatever that now is), he made a fine point about the sluggish pace of Government in moving to the cloud . http://www.itpro.co.uk/636178/why-benioff-was-right-about-government-cloud-sluggishness

Annette Willoughby
Wates Group, UK
         & 
Hywel Ap Buckler
Founder
Trusted Office / Wave Telecoms