Australian Minister for Broadband, Communications, and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy has unveiled plans strengthening the government’s National Cloud Computing Strategy. This revamped strategy enables agencies to make informed decisions and choices about the use of cloud services.

The Australian Government’s Cloud Computing Strategy Cloud Strategy offers a comprehensive roadmap to developing world-class cloud services – at the same time, maximising the use of the National Broadband Network (NBN).

The NBN delivers high-speed, fast-access communications to homes, businesses and service delivery agencies.

The Australian government, under Prime Minister Julia Gillard, faces an election during September 2013. Industry analysts note this revitalised cloud and broadband strategy offers a chance to showcase high-profile ICT projects – while fast-tracking core policy reforms.

Among these reforms, the National Cloud Computing Strategy seeks to “realise the promise of cloud computing,” while working closely with industry and consumer groups.

The Department of Finance and Deregulation is “enhancing” its procurement practices, ensuring that agencies actively consider public cloud services for new ICT procurement.

Agencies can transition public-facing websites to public cloud services as their refresh cycle allows, and where these services represent the “best value for money.”

Canberra’s peak agency, the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO) will continue advising decision-makers about the pros and cons of cloud services and how to procure and manage them.

AGIMO and the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE) are also setting up information-sharing initiatives.

These initiatives pool examples that draw on practical case studies and the experiences of other agencies. The focus is on taking a risk-management approach to cloud roll-outs.

Plans are underway to develop a business case by year’s end that analyses the benefits and drawbacks of a more centralised approach to providing cloud services to federal agencies. The administration is actively promoting cloud computing to small businesses, not-for-profits and consumers.

The DBCDE and the Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education will team with intermediaries and member associations to promote informed decision-making about cloud computing.

The brief is to tailor information to particular industry segment needs, and enhance the online information available to small business and not-for-profit organisations about using the cloud.

The government’s cloud strategy notes that Australia is well placed to take advantage of cloud computing for various reasons. These include a stable socio-economic system, a “strong rule of law,” and a highly -diverse and skilled Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector.

Among the benefits, cloud computing boosts agency-wide efficiencies, generates greater value from ICT investment, delivers better services and supports a more agile public sector.

More broadly, in Australia, slow communications traffic speed restricts access to infrastructure that supports more sophisticated cloud services. These include Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), platform-as-a-service (PaaS) and software-as-a-service (IaaS). Cloud services are also often managed off-shore — with a need for real-time download and upload speeds.

Cloud computing is not being adopted more widely because there is limited awareness about making the best use of cloud computing.

Some organisation and individuals also lack the confidence to embrace the cloud. This is compounded by a limited access to information, and making the right decisions about technologies-of-choice.

As the cloud services market evolves, users and providers of cloud services need to respond to change, the strategy notes.

Likewise, the administration will continue adapting its strategy in response to a dynamic and fast-changing marketplace.