Cloud Services in the European Public Sector – Moving Beyond Fragmented Adoption
March 28, 2012
More than a year ago, Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Agenda, claimed that she wanted to create a cloud-friendly and coud-active Europe. The use of cloud computing should bring benefits to large and small companies and individuals. Since then, the European Commission has launched a consultation on cloud services involving cloud solution providers, cloud users and consumers. The consultation highlighted some key challenges such as security, interoperability, lock-in, certification and standardisation. It also brought attention to the topic, particularly from national governments and local authorities across Europe. Such organisations see cloud services as a way to optimise their resources and offer better services for citizens…
Cloud Services in Europe – At the Core of Political Agenda, but Fragmented Adoption
Despite current economic conditions and subsequent restrictions on budget, European governments have generally tried to invest in the modernisation of public service delivery through the use of information and communications technologies. Broadband deployment and cloud computing have been two of the key areas in which governments have focused their efforts. The recently launched new UK budget has placed emphasis on these two technological areas. The new Italian government has committed to the use of cloud services across the public sector. Similar approaches have been adopted in other European countries. Despite these efforts, the adoption of cloud services across the European public sector is at an early stage. There are some interesting cloud projects at national and local levels in various European countries, but these are more single initiatives within specific government departments, rather than part of an overall strategy. Certainly, new budgets are clearly moving towards a more systemic approach to cloud services.
The Role of European Union – Investments and Harmonisation
Current fragmentation with regards to public sector demand for cloud services is also a key reason of a new EU initiative in cloud computing in the public sector. At the last World Economic Forum in Davos, Neelie Kroes launched the European Cloud Partnership. The raison d’etre of the Partnership is well explained on the EU Digital Agenda webpage:
“The public sector collectively is the largest buyer of IT services in the Union, but its impact is very limited today. More harmonisation and integration of this buying power, notably through common requirements across different areas (e.g. eHealth, eGovernment) will bring benefits to the public sector via new efficiency gains.”
The European Cloud Partnerships will go live in July 2012, with an initial investment of approximately €10 million. The immediate task of the Partnerships is to create a strong common basis for Cloud procurement for public authorities. This Cloud procurement platform should address all the concerns (interoperability, data security, lock in and so forth) that the consultation strongly highlighted as barriers to the adoption of cloud services.
The European Cloud Partnership re-emphasises how cloud computing is a key feature of the EU’s Digital Agenda vision. And this emphasis has been supported by investments. Within the Seventh Framework Programme, the EU has invested €382,925,070 in research projects in the area of cloud computing. This effort will continue during the new research programme, Horizon 2020.
Cloud Computing for a Radical Change of European Public Sector
It is too early for a detailed mapping of cloud service adoption in the European public sector, but throughout the last year a strong number of political initiatives at national level and EU levels leave few doubts that a rapid evolution of cloud services in Europe is occurring. In fact, in the coming years we expect rapid adoption of cloud services at all levels of public administration in European countries. We also expect an increasing effort to create a pan-European cloud. The Helix Nebula-the Science Cloud is an example in that direction, while the European Cloud Partnership also follows a similar path. It appears clear that the EU is moving towards a Single European Cloud as main component of a Single European Information Space. All this evolution will happen rapidly because, as Neelie Kroes claimed in her speech in Davos:
“Cloud computing will change our economy. It can bring significant productivity benefits to all. It promises scalable, secure services for greater efficiency, greater flexibility, and lower cost.”