The Department of Internal Affairs of New Zealand has launched a tender for an all-of-government Desktop-as-a-Service contract.

Desktop-as-a-Service, the outsourcing of desktop infrastructure to an external cloud provider, will make government workplaces more flexible by allowing employees to access their own desktop and applications from different locations and on different devices, instead of being tied to a single machine.

“It improves security by storing data centrally rather than on individual devices, and will enable standardised services across government”, said Chris Tremain, Internal Affairs Minister. “Desktop as a Service is a cloud-based service and part of the Government’s wider cloud computing programme.”

The minister stated that cloud technology is revolutionising the way the government thinks about ICT, and improving collaboration, efficiency and cost savings.

“Four government agencies have indicated they want to use the service as soon as it becomes available, and a further nine intend to implement it over the next two years”, Tremain continued. He did not specify which agencies have agreed to use this service.