Cloud, BPO key govt IT trends for 2011 in Asia

MELBORUNE, AUSTRALIA: The cloud and business process outsourcing (BPO) will be two of the key trends aimed at driving efficiencies in central government IT in 2011, according to analyst Ovum.

In a new report, the technology analyst also added that the government agencies will become more open to a cloud-based approach to service delivery and outsourcing in the coming year, as the need to cut costs comes to the fore.

“Asian governments will continue to invest in local cloud computing capabilities to boost the competitiveness of their ICT industries in the region. However, Australia stays asleep at the wheel on the need to link the government procurement and industry development agendas,” said Dr. Steve Hodgkinson, research director, Ovum.

Jessica Hawkins, Ovum analyst and author of the report, said: “We expect to see consumption-based and shared delivery models gaining momentum in 2011, as agencies become more open to the efficiencies that a cloud-based approach can offer. However, issues of privacy and security will mean some governments will remain cautious.”

Hawkins added that the public sector agencies should look beyond cost-cutting and implement changes that would drive greater efficiencies.

She added, “They should push beyond knee-jerk cost-cutting measures and adopt a long-term vision of how fundamental changes to the way they deliver services will bring efficiency.”

Hawkins reiterated that many government bodies will look to their IT vendor to guide them through the new technologies that can help them achieve this and vendors should be ready to do this.