Overview of the cloud industry in Australia

Since 2003, Australia has taken the information and communication industry as a new source of economic growth and innovation as productivity levels have slipped.

In the past decade, the information and communication industry has contributed more than 50% per cent to Australian labour productivity, according to a study by the OECD. As a result, the Australian government realizes that a combination of cloud computing and high-speed broadband will have huge growth potential. KPMG has forecast that cloud computing will bring an additional 3.3 billion Australian dollar value each year.

Summary of present situation

The Australian government spends 6 billion Australian dollars annually on ICT to improve the quality of public services, while also introducing important initiatives in areas such as e-government and the digital economy. First, the government has launched an active policy to encourage the use of cloud services, more efficient use of funds, and better serve the people. At present, the relevant implementation rules are being developed, and the Australian Federal Communications Department will also introduce more robust policies to support the development of cloud computing, including the Government in the procurement of new IT services need to give priority to cloud computing.

Australia's banking and financial industries have been active in using cloud computing to reduce spending and improve efficiency. To promote best practices in cloud technology in the business world, the Australian government will form a cloud computing advisory board to draw advice on cloud technology from business leaders and technical experts.

The Government will also review it procurement by all government departments over the past three years and consider their input/output ratios. The goal is to find a waste of resources and achieve cost savings through shared cloud services. These shared cloud services will provide the same business applications for different government departments and improve productivity in a centralized manner.

Cloud computing and government

As governments become cloud service users, security and privacy issues are getting more attention. Some Australian government departments say the use of cloud computing is difficult, especially for small government departments. Therefore, the risk management of cloud computing is particularly important. The security of cloud computing should not be challenged in the first place, but should consider the security of existing cloud computing technologies compared to other alternatives.

As for security, the answer is not simply "yes" or "no", but risks and benefits should be taken into consideration. Public concerns about information security also show the importance of government data. Cloud services at different levels, such as public clouds, community clouds and private clouds, should be applied to different government departments.

Cloud computing and Small business

The Australian government realizes that cloud computing is very important for the private sector and that small and medium enterprises will benefit most from cloud computing. In a global competition environment, the government will be committed to helping small and medium-sized enterprises to enhance efficiency and to digital.

A survey of 1000 small Australian businesses shows that the likelihood of revenue growth using cloud computing companies is 106% higher than that of companies that do not use cloud computing. Small businesses in Australia hesitate to use cloud computing, mainly because of a lack of confidence and knowledge.

A recent survey shows that small businesses in Australia do not use cloud computing mainly because of the following two reasons: first, there is not enough information to make effective decisions, and second, lack of confidence. For these small institutions, cloud technology offers great opportunities. By using cloud technology, they can enjoy world-class information and communication technology services at a lower cost, and they do not need to purchase, run and maintain related hardware devices. Cloud computing can also effectively remove technical barriers, improve efficiency and drive innovation.

To build a small business confidence in cloud computing, the Australian Federal Communications Department has launched a series of projects to provide professional advice to companies using cloud technology, to promote the use of cloud computing, and to make Australia a natural haven for cloud services.

Government supervision

Australia is positioned as one of the ideal countries for deploying cloud services in the recently released cloud-Ready index (Cloud Readiness Index) report, with perfect legal framework, a sound workforce, government supervision and a good economic environment.

The Australian Government believes that there is no need for additional regulation of cloud technology. This is because, on the one hand, cloud computing is the emerging delivery service platform; Australia, on the other hand, has well-established regulations.

At present, the Australian Communications Department is reviewing the existing laws and regulations and cloud computing matching degree. It is also working with other government departments to help industry better understand the regulatory obligations of cloud computing. The Government has also introduced a deregulation programme, which applies to all sectors, including cloud computing, and is expected to cut its regulatory spending by $1 billion a year.

Technical Standard

Common technical standards not only encourage competition, but also enhance interoperability and security. The development of technical standards also relies on the unification of global technical standards.

Many of the industry's leading companies are actively participating in the Global Security Alliance, and the Australian Federal Communications Department is actively working with the Australian Standards Agency to align Australia's cloud computing standards with global standards. The success of the Australian government in the field of standards is largely dependent on the active participation of the private sector.

Australia has 2.5 million small and medium-sized enterprises, in the past two or three years, about 10% of enterprises have adopted various forms of cloud services. For the Australian government, the remaining 90% of the business is both a challenge and an opportunity.

All in all, the Australian government wants to encourage innovation and efficiency through cloud computing, especially in three areas such as government cloud, small business and small-agency cloud, and cloud services providers.

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Compiling: Center for international Economic and Technical cooperation, Ministry of Industry and Information technology Chen

(Responsible editor: Mengyishan)