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Government In The Cloud: Myths That CIOs Must Be Aware Of

Case Management, Inspection Management, Tips

Government CIOs have a lot on their hands. Busting myths about cloud adoption is one of them for better or worse. Debunking myths requires their understanding. Even though it sounds like a minor thing to fix, there are myths that can slow down governments and enterprises on their road to digital transformation.

1. “Saving money is the only cloud adoption motive”

Cost-efficiency is important and cloud adoption is the best long-term direction to achieve it. However this is not the solely reasons that enterprises and government are turning to cloud. For decades there’s been stereotypes about the government that everything that happens there is slow and outdated. Cloud adoption is a key not only to cost-efficiency, but also to agility.

Government CIOs must look not only at financial cost-optimisation sheets, they must be looking beyond that. For this they need to analyse different use cases of cloud. In order for cost goals to be achieved, the usability of the cloud solution must be explored.

How to ensure that the cost optimisation goals will be achievable?

CIOs and digital transformation leaders must be aware of the importance of proof-of-concepts (PoC). This is a demo software that covers predefined use cases.

Example:
If you’re a CIO that is exploring opportunities for cloud adoption in government agency for food safety, you don’t just buy a software through online checkout. You run some meetings with the supplier of the cloud service and then you ask for PoC that can recreate a specific experience. This experience might be running an inspection management process with the supplier’s cloud software. This is one of the best ways to ensure that the cloud solution can actually deliver the cost-optimisation that is promised.

Contact Canalix now if you’re looking for inspection software demo that can deliver specific use case.

2. “Cloud is the end goal”

Formulating a cloud strategy is important. Governments and enterprise that haven’t adopted cloud yet, must look at their strategy first. However, when the stage of implementing the cloud comes, the functional leaders must be aware of the end goal. And they must be educated that the cloud is just a means to achieving the goal. The goals may be agility, cost savings, resource utilization, improving the user experience for citizens, public servants, inspectors, etc.

Implementing cloud solutions in governments is not a single warrior effort. It’s a group effort. That’s why CIOs must invest some time in making everyone involved in the implementation phase to understand the benefits that cloud will bring to the organization’s processes.

3. “Migrating to cloud is one-time effort”

Let’s say that a local government adopts cloud by using case management software. This is one path to cloud. But there are also many other different paths. If the local government has a successful use of the cloud case management software, it means that they should adapt cloud for other processes as well. This is the moment where CIOs must prepare the organizations to go along a new cloud transformation road.

Example:

Once the operation process of case worker is optimized via cloud solution, then it’s natural for the organization to optimize the rest of the processes. As a next step in this example it would be strategically smart to transform the work of inspectors by adopting inspection management software to fully leverage the cloud principle. This is a good example for long term digital transformation planning, that is designed to bring gradual improvements.

It other words it means that once a government successfully moves a process in the cloud, doesn’t mean that the work is finished. It means that work begins. This is a complex process. It means that the CIOs must be careful when choosing cloud supplier, because the supplier must be not only a service delivery entity, but also a great consultant and partner.

Get in touch with Canalix if you need to book a consultation for adopting cloud in the inspection management.

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4. “Cloud is overrated, companies are moving away from cloud”

Companies are not moving away from cloud. On the contrary. Today the migration to cloud is safer than ever. This can be confirmed by data from a single google search. Actually we’ve written a dedicated blog post about the cloud adoption being a key player in the post-pandemic new normal.

Read it here: Cloud – the new normal of regulatory compliance (with insights from IT decision makers for cloud adoption)

5. “Our cloud strategy is to move one of our processes on the cloud”

Strategy is a big thing. It should set a long-term direction with end goals. CIOs in governments and enterprises are responsible for formulating the cloud adoption strategy. Along the way for achieving these goals, there must be strategic plans. These plans have the objective to set the right priority for cloud migration and to form a cloud implementation plan. They must not be mistaken for cloud strategy.

Summary

Setting apart myths from facts is a key step for ensuring that everyone understands the benefits of cloud. It all starts from the IT leaders in governments and enterprises, they formulate the strategy, they debunk the myths. The second figure next to them are the functional leaders of the different departments – inspectorates, financial departments, human resources, etc. Together with the IT leaders they must share a common understanding of the benefits of cloud. Ensuring that all levels of the organization – whether it’s public or private organization – understand the reality behind myths will enable organizations to fully leverage on the benefits of the cloud.

August 20, 2020/by Boris

How Governments Should Prepare For The Post Pandemic Scenarios?

Inspection Management, Resources, Tips

Just as almost everywhere in the world, governments in EU are facing wave of strategic decisions designed to help government agencies to be prepared for new global outbreaks of covid-19. The functional leaders within government agencies and enterprises are engaged in planning activities that are supposed to fix the damages that the pandemic inflicted not only on the social and economic life, but also on the work process within their own functions. The good post pandemic plan start with looking at certain possible scenarios.

What do we mean by “possible scenario”?

Since the global pandemic is still not well known from the science, there are hundreds of possible outcomes for the next few months. When we describe those possible outcomes, then we have a possible scenario for the future. Describing a few different directions for the future is what would mean to have a possible scenario. As we already mentioned in our previous blog post, researches made among IT decision makers are already indicating that the changes induces by the pandemic are more likely to be permanent.

The promise for permanency of the new normal is what drives the major wave of rethinking and reshaping strategy in enterprises and governments. The adoption of cloud technology is what seems to be one of the major directions to go with for government agencies. The government CIOs have the hard task of driving these conversations and preparing their organizations to respond in the most optimal way to these possible future scenarios.

What’s the plan for the government agencies?

Let’s check what data we have so far. There are possibilities of new waves of covid-19 infections, new lockdown and social measures to slow the spread of the pandemic. Researches are saying that the new work models are likely here to stay. Based on this data we can assume how the next months and years are going to look like.

However, having a possible scenario doesn’t mean that we can forecast the state of financial sheets. It only means that we can plan a transformation model that will:

1) Allow the workforce to operate remotely

For example:
In case of another regime of strict measures, the workforce must be able to work from home by using an electronic workspace. This is why it’s important for every government agency to have a well formulated cloud adoption strategy.

2) Allow the organization to save costs in the long run

For example:
Cost-efficiency must be a priority when the organization transitions to cloud. The new solution must allow the company to cut costs. For example if we talk about digital transformation of regulatory agency, then the agency may have to change to using cloud inspection software. With the use of AI and data automation the software can optimize the allocation of resources and therefore cut on costs.

What makes a good strategic decision?

The bottom line is that when CIOs plan for the future, they must look at new directions and do it with the understanding that these directions are new realities. They must come up with strategy that will allow the organization to be fully functional for the times ahead. No matter what scenario rolls out, the CIOs decisions’ outcome must be sure win for the organization. That’s what makes the decision strategic. Do you want to know more about strategic decisions in the field of e-government solutions such as case management and inspection management?

Contact us now.

August 5, 2020/by Boris

Government CIOs: How to approach cost-efficient cloud adoption?

Inspection Management, Tips

The “new normal” today has many faces. But it sure has one common face for the public and private sector – cloud adoption in the IT infrastructure. CIOs of enterprises and government agencies are busy with the task of making digital transformation decisions, induced by the global pandemic. In this new cloud-centric normal, cost-optimization is the driving force behind the decisions of government CIOs.

So how should be approached cost-efficient cloud adoption? Here are our three advices.

1. Set a cloud strategy

Cloud in the public sector offers variety of benefits – flexibility, agility, scalability and cost efficiency with time. However, not following a clear cloud strategy may lead to increased costs at different stages of cloud adoption across the government departments in the future. This is not something a CIO would want. So a little effort to formulate a foundation of cloud strategy for the whole organizations is needed. Luckily we have a whole article that can shed some light on this matter.

2. Look into the IT financials

The cloud adoption plan must involve a dedicated team of functional leads within the organization. CIOs could use a great help from the financial leads to understand the associated costs for IT operations. This kind of synergy in the implementation stage will help CIOs to deliver more value to the government agency he works for.

3. Focus on AI (Artificial Intelligence)

Technologies like AI are meant to make things smarter. When looking for different cloud services providers, CIOs must definitely keep AI technologies on their checklist. For example a cloud software can bring more agility and flexibility within the operations of the National Labour Inspectorate. But if the software has leveraged on AI technologies to analyze and identify, for example, the most optimal routes for inspection, then in the long run the AI optimized inspection software will be more cost-efficient than a regular inspection management software. Simply because the AI will cut costs in travel expenses.

Are you looking for e-government cloud service that can transform organizations with cost-efficient approach? Contact us here and we will consult you for free.

July 31, 2020/3 Comments/by Boris

CIOs: Understanding Cloud Strategy in Government Agencies

Case Management, Inspection Management, Regulatory Compliance, Tips

Cloud adoption is on the rise. The best moment for government CIOs to start asking questions about how to include cloud in their strategy was few years ago. The next best moment for government CIOs is now.

What is cloud strategy in regulatory agencies?

Let’s start with what is not a cloud strategy. Cloud strategy is not a road that will solve all of the existing problems within the government agency. The strategy must be focused on transforming specific activities. The digital transformation may include only the inspection management processes in food agency for example, or case management in social care institutions. It’s crucial for CIOs to understand that cloud strategy doesn’t have to capture everything in the long term IT plan of the government agency. In a perfect world it’s good to have planned everything upfront, but this is rarely present in reality. That’s why it’s important for government CIOs to understand that they should not give up on cloud strategy just because their strategy doesn’t touch every process within the organization.

Who must be involved in the efforts of setting a cloud strategy in government agency?

We already talked in our blog about the best way to find good cloud software for government agencies. It outlines a step-by-step guide for finding good egovernment cloud software online. But when it comes to strategy there are also steps that should be outlined.

The formulation of cloud strategy is a group effort. A key part of the strategy is to form a dedicated team. Most of the organizations engage variety of IT roles in this team (people responsible for IT security, operations, etc.). But the cloud strategy team must not be limited only to IT roles. For example, HR leads in the team can help the workforce transition in the cloud at later point, the finance leads can advise on costs and savings, etc.

After cloud strategy comes cloud implementation

After the CIO has a cloud strategy it’s time for cloud adoption (or implementation). The implementation part is where the team actually starts to act toward adopting the cloud. The difference between cloud strategy and cloud implementation plan is that the strategy is clear and concise and serves as a foundation for adopting cloud for all activities within the organization. If we talk about cloud implementation for inspection software then the implementation plan must be aligned with the cloud strategy. If we talk about cloud implementation for case management, the implementation plan must aligned with the cloud strategy.

It can be presented with this Gartner figure:

Not having a cloud strategy in 2020 is not a thing that government agencies in EU should be proud of. This is why government agencies and their CIOs should start working on their cloud strategy now. Being late for the cloud party creates additional layer of urgency for CIOs to understand the meaning of cloud strategy and why it is different from implementation plan. If the government agencies follow clear cloud strategy, then they will avoid the unplanned ad-hoc costs that may emerge in the cloud implementation of different activities at different point in time. Last but not least, by having a clear strategy at hand, every functional lead involved in the cloud adoption team will be able to use his own imagination on how cloud can be used in their operations.

Are you a CIO looking for help with cloud strategy and cloud implementation in government agency?

Contact us now.

July 30, 2020/2 Comments/by Boris

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