In Government departments under the NeGP program are experimenting with several cloud based models to empower citizens and improve service delivery models.
While the industry has witnessed the governments lackadaisical attitude towards absorbing new technologies, there have actually been positive strides towards cloud vision: experts say that government departments across India, including Central and State, have evolved a cloud vision.
While there have been an umpteen number of technological challenges, the bureaucrats responsible for Cloud initiatives have successfully devised cloud strategy and have worked out a suitable framework. The testimony to this fact is that government departments have ushered in a shared vision for ICT and adopted a cloud vision with a strategy to migrate towards a shared private cloud environment.
According to R Sri Kumar, Vigilance Commissioner, Central Vigilance Commission, the key questions before the government are: How are IT solutions impacting and empowering the lives and livelihoods of Indian citizens (email, web services, mobile services, social NWs) and what are the risks to citizens from these new technologies (spam, phishing, scams, rumour mongering, terrorism, etc)? How can technology be used for providing greater safety and security to the citizen, and controlling unethical behaviour? What are the technological, policy, ethical and privacy challenges in implementing the requisite monitoring, control and safeguards?
According to Sri Kumar, CaaS, citizen as a service, is gaining prominence with IT empowerment of the citizen getting to be critical.
What are the key aspects of the Cloud today? This would include Infrastructure as a service, platform as a service, software as a service, data as a service and network as a service.
The future of the Cloud would include content as a service, value added as a service, analytics as a service, public cloud versus private greed.
Government of Indias Cloud Strategic Direction
The Government of India has already established various ICT initiatives under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) which has led to the build-up of ICT infrastructure both at the centre as well as state level. The infrastructure thus created will further provide the baseline for adoption of cloud computing for the government with an aim to optimally utilise the existing infrastructure, re-use of applications and efficient service delivery to citizens and increasing the number
of e-transactions within the country, thus addressing one of the major goals of the NeGP.
To harness the benefits of the Cloud, DeitY has embarked upon an ambitious project termed GI Cloud. The GI Cloud is the Government of Indias cloud computing environment that will be used by government departments or agencies at the centre and states. In other words, it will enable the government to leverage cloud computing for effective delivery of e-services. The entire initiative is being carried out in two parts. Part I, named Rapid Replication of Applications on Cloud, comprises replicating some of the successfully implemented applications across the country.
How can cloud computing assist governance and empower citizens?
Five reasons why Apps.gov should become a trendsetter for Good Governance in India:
? Vendor neutral IT service catalog
? Core categories of citizens services available from a single window
? Automation to improve efficiencies and/or removal of bureaucratic red tape
? "Adopt at your own pace" syndrome to make inclusive growth possible
? Cloud not defined by who runs it, but by the quality of service provided
Business Considerations--Better Profits/RoIs
The implementation of the Cloud model would help in reduced ongoing and life cycle costs; it means more profits, being always on and available, value for money, having a competitive advantage, a platform for easier and faster information sharing, mobile and empowered workforce, inexpensive disaster recovery options and pay-as-you-go, play in advance and try before you buy.
Governance policies - TEAM INDIA PLUS
* Reduced ongoing and life cycle
*Transparency and technology leveraged
* Efficiency and empowerment
* Audit trail and accountability
* Metric and mutual assistance
* Democratic decision making support system
So what is happening in India? Are we anywhere near all this and more?
How does the Cloud help in profit and governance? Take the case of Namma Bengaluru. Brihat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has collected funds and processes and made payments totalling Rs10 billion in 2012-13, received in January 2013. Bengaluru citizens have received payment receipts from the BBMP cloud after depositing-house tax, building cess, conservancy charges and fees for birth and death registration etc. Project Vigeye is another cloud intiative from CVC, a citizen centric programme to blow the whistle on corrupt and underhand deals.
GI Cloud Vision
1. Cloud computing platforms National and State Clouds
2. A common platform to host and run applications - eGov Appstore
3. GI Cloud Services Directory will act as the single window or portal for GI Cloud service delivery
4. Integrated infrastructure acting as a backbone for delivering cloud services
5. A common set of protocols, guidelines and standards for GI Cloud
6. Governing body for policy creation and enforcement, overseeing of the overall initiative and providing strategic direction
7. Agencies responsible to operate cloud environments and provide cloud services
8. Centre of Excellence for cloud computing for awareness building, creation of best practices, providing advisory services to the departments on cloud adoption, showcasing cloud technologies, international collaboration and research and development.
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