It is a widely acknowledged truth that the public sector is, at all times, subject to the watchful eyes of the millions that it serves. In an emerging and energetic democracy such as South Africa, media platforms, citizens and investors alike are constantly on the lookout for suggestions of misconduct or transgression on the part of state officials.
As a result, many public departments are considered laggards when it comes to technical progression. The task of moving strictly controlled national or provincial entities forward in terms of IT adoption is slow and demanding. It can often appear that the state is simply uninterested in embracing new platforms or technologies - often to the frustration of South Africa's constituency.
The good news is that we are now witnessing a marked change in government attitudes towards cloud platforms in South Africa - particularly in reference to Software as a Service (SaaS) and managed hosting platforms.
State-orientated departments are increasingly seeking out new ways to store, manage and access official data, often opting for cloud platforms as the best way to reduce cost and increase efficiency.
In the last year, we at Mimecast have documented considerable growth in this environment. Departments at both a national and municipal level are becoming more open to accessing critical daily functions, such as email and file sending, via cloud-orientated infrastructures.
This often has more to do with education than necessity. The biggest obstacle to growth in this market is the assurance that state information will not fall into the wrong hands. By observing domestic and international data storage and compliance standards local technology vendors are now finding it easier to attract the interest of government departments.
This attitude also suggests a newfound sense of responsibility towards confidential information at a state level. It is clear, through both the introduction of the Protection of Personal Information Act and an amplified interest in formally vetted cloud storage models, that the government is taking its role as a custodian of public data very seriously.
As a result there is significant opportunity for responsible vendors to partner with public entities and parastatals. Those who can provide a reliable service offering will surely benefit.
It is also worth noting that the South African government is actively in search of technical providers that are able to store data locally. Although services such as Microsoft Office 365 have already proven appealing to the state, they must be managed correctly via a locally represented partner.
It is an exciting time for cloud service models within the public sector. While it can be argued that government is less agile than the private sector when it comes to technical adoption, this newfound openness towards innovative ideas is inspiring. Now it is up to us to transfer the necessary knowledge and trust required to partner with these entities. The interest certainly exists. Success will ultimately rely on confidence and trust.
