TRENDING flexibility , and improved scalability . But it is near to impossible to prove any of the benefits of moving to the cloud if there is no baseline against which to measure progress .
Faith Dombo , Senior Industry and Value Advisor , SAP Africa
Public sector organisations that are ready to adopt the cloud , or preparing to do so , should keep certain key considerations in mind to ensure the success of their migration , including :
Review enterprise strategy
The cloud is not a magic wand for dispelling an organisation ’ s IT or business challenges . It is a powerful tool that can accelerate the pace at which the business achieves its strategic objectives . But for that to happen , organisations first need to be clear about the strategic objectives and outcomes that they want to achieve , taking particular care of the core elements of people , processes , and technology .
Once the strategic objectives are clear , organisations should seek the most cost-effective and efficient way to achieve those objectives . In the public sector , the answer inevitably lies in the cloud : the Department of Public Service Administration has even recently communicated a directive that public sector organisations consider cloud solutions as a first choice prior to any investment into on-premises solutions .
Data classification strategy
Once the decision is made to move certain processes to the cloud , public sector organisations must determine what data needs to be migrated . Developing a comprehensive data classification strategy that aligns with the requirements set out by the DPSA will help organisations identify and classify the data that is most at risk .
An effective data classification strategy will help ensure that each data category is stored according to prescription , which is an essential element in unlocking cloud opportunities and far more effective than applying a blanket approach for all data in the organisation .
Cloud ’ s value case
Cloud migrations are full of promises of greater business agility , lower total cost of ownership , greater
Prior to any cloud deployment , public sector organisations should set a baseline for aspects such as total cost of ownership , the actual business value of key applications , revenue potential for key processes , efficiency gains and risk reduction . During and after the migration , public sector organisations need to keep close track of these metrics to objectively measure business value and determine whether the deployment is meeting organisational objectives .
One of the most attractive aspects of cloud services is that they are provided over a set period , so public sector organisations can seek a different vendor should their current provider not offer the most costcompetitive or value-adding service . Without the ability to refer to a clear business case , however , there is no way for organisations to accurately measure whether the migration has been successful or not .
Eliminating shelfware
One of the perennial challenges identified in the Auditor-General ’ s annual reports is that of unused software , or so-called shelfware . Shelfware refers to software tools and licenses that the organisation is paying for , but that is lying dormant and unused .
In some cases this may take the form of organisations buying on-premises software with the intention to implement , but that end up unused due to budget cuts , skills challenges , project overruns or other complexities . For public sector IT leaders , the issue of shelfware calls for a reimagining of existing software roadmaps and the ruthless elimination of perpetual licenses and unused software .
Here , the cloud offers tremendous benefits . Public sector organisations could replace shelfware with cloud subscription licenses that have a clear termination date and quicker deployment roadmap . This will assist with compliance to Auditor-General requirements to avoid wasteful and fruitless expenditure .
While the capital investment in previous on- premises technology is a sunk cost , public sector organisations should take a forward-looking approach . The focus should turn to how the organisation can use its operational budget more effectively to meet citizen service delivery needs in the most efficient way possible . p
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