Queensland government goes online to cut costs

The government of Queensland in Australia is moving its ICT operation to the cloud, in a bid to reduce costs by a reported AUS $13.7 million over the next three years.
The government has agreed a deal with Microsoft for its employees to use cloud-based software including Office 365 and Yammer.
According to the minister for information technology, Ian Walker, this is the first whole-government contract of its kind in Australia. It reflects a move from a government-owned and operated model to an online solution, provided by the private sector.
Governments throughout the world are making a similar transition, with cloud computing becoming the new norm for many public sector workers. The benefits of the technology include a per-user-per-month charging structure, enhanced opportunities for collaborative working, and the chance to do away with expensive on-site servers.
Talking about the deal, Microsoft Australia’s Queensland state director Sharon Schoenborn said it would “transform” the government’s digital ecosystem. She added that it would help the government become a “leader in the innovation space.”