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ICT Cloud and the Public Service

WCG Cloud Computing Vision and Goals
The WCG Cloud Computing Vision and Goals were approved in 2017, and signed post
the province’s journey in migrating to a cloud-based environment. They represent a stra-
tegic intent to invest in cloud computing to provide citizens and businesses with the best
possible service experiences. Precisely, the cloud computing vision captures the goals
of improved speed; cost efficiency; improved information security; and operational risk
reduction that are expanded on below.

Goal 1: Improved Speed and Agility Goal 2: Cost Efficiency
The Department’s e-Innovation’s (Be-I) ability to Under the constraint of an increasingly shrinking
be responsive to its client’s needs is severely con- fiscal envelope, departments are continually look-
strained due to the rigid and onerous governance ing to cut costs while being required to deliver
processes around the procurement and manage- more, and therefore ICT is an area that can effect
ment of ICT services and infrastructure. The pri- efficiencies. The Cloud strategy aims to improve
mary goal, therefore, is to improve the speed and cost efficiency in the delivery of services to clients
agility with which the WCG can deliver services to by:
citizens, and the objectives of this goal are there- § Providing affordable access to process-
fore to: es that require significant computing
§ Provide on-demand capacity within power for a defined period without incur-
short turnaround times – provisioning of ring a capital investment.
service within hours, not months, sub-
ject to WCG processes being adapted to § Providing the ability to adopt a pay-as-
align with this provisioning strategy. required or subscription model.
§ Improve responsiveness to the changing § Providing a higher degree of predictabil-
business needs – available as soon as ity in expenditure patterns by shifting
clients are ready for it and can be scaled from fixed to variable costs for specific
down when required. services and products.
§ Provides flexibility to experiment with § Reducing cost by leveraging supplier
services without necessarily incurring economies of scale.
long-term and ongoing costs. § Lowering unit prices through supplier
negotiations.

§ Moving funding models from capital ex-
penditure towards operational expendi-
ture.

Goal 3: Improved Information Security Goal 4: Operational Risk Reduction
One of the primary concerns of managers when The current IT environment poses various opera-
considering moving to the cloud is whether their tional risks concerning disaster recovery, mainte-
information will be secure, so any shift to the nance and technology refresh, and IT asset man-
cloud must maintain or improve the level of infor- agement. To reduce operational risks, the WCG
mation security from an on-site data centre. The aims to:
strategy aims to achieve the following objectives § Enhance the robustness of the Disaster
as it pertains to information security: Recovery capability.

§ Improved information security. § Reduce the control of system mainte-
nance and upgrades.
§ Compliance with the POPI Act and other
information security legislation. § Significantly reduce audit risks of
non-verified assets.
§ Improved availability of IT services.

SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW | Volume 15 • No. 1 of 2022 23