Modernising the Public Sector through the Cloud

Information Communication Technology (ICT) is recognised as a key enabler of economic growth and development in South Africa. Progress towards modernising ICT in the public sector has been slow and the government lags the private sector in terms of ICT adoption, including cloud computing. The ICT policy environment remains fragmented and ICT adoption in the public sector has been hampered by protracted policy processes and stalled decision-making and generally there is a gap between what is stipulated in policy documents and implementation of these policies and guidelines in practice. Negative macro-economic conditions have necessitated the need for the public sector to look for ways to meet the increasing demands for service delivery within a limited budget. Cloud computing, which falls under the domain of ICT is viewed as having the potential to promote greater efficiencies, integration, coordination and cost savings within the public sector. Cloud computing is also expected to enable the government to meet the objectives set out in the National Development Plan and SA Connect, including achieving better coordination between government departments and enabling the delivery of e-government services, yet the use of these services have been limited within the public sector.