Queensland government goes online to cut costs

By on 20/04/2014 | Updated on 01/05/2014

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.”

 

About Kevin Sorkin

I am the Founder and CEO of Pendragon International Media Ltd, publishers of Global Government Forum. This portfolio also includes research services and important world leading events for public servants such as the Global Government Summit, the Global Government Finance Summit, the Global Government Forum Innovation conference, Global Government Digital Summit and Putting Citizens First. I am also the founder of the Civil Service Awards and Civil Service Live, established industry leading brands and extremely important events for government. I also launched and published Civil Service World. Over the years I have established relationships with the most senior officials in government and the private sector and have built a very strong and positive reputation across the industry.

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