MoJ: Cloud adoption is a ‘no-brainer’

A senior IT professional from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has become the latest high-profile civil servant to back the Government's G-Cloud project.

Cloud is NOT about technology, and it isn't complicated. It is simply the change from a product-based to a service-based delivery model.

Writing on the Government blog, Adrian Scaife, IT Account Manager at the MoJ, said using cloud computing was a no-brainer' thanks to all the benefits it provides.

"Cloud computing is so easy to understand that even simple folk like me get the idea," he wrote, but he warned the amount of "cloud-washing" and the number of definitions "ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous" had made the issue more complex than it needed to be.

"Cloud is NOT about technology, and it isn't complicated," Scaife added. "It is simply the change from a product-based to a service-based delivery model."

"Just remember that cloud is not about computers or technologies, it is about ICT services or ICT enabled business services supplied on a utility basis, just like electricity, water or telephony."

The IT manager continued to tout the high points of cloud computing to readers, including the lack of capital expenditure, the pay as you go nature of billing and the flexibility, all coming together to create a cheaper but more productive solution.

However, he admitted security was still a fear for Government IT departments and was holding many back from adopting.

"[The] Government is in a unique position in that it must both protect assets of national security, and that it must provide adequate protection of the personal data entrusted to it," said Scaife.

"Separate and parallel ICT infrastructures will always be required for some highly sensitive government business, but it is not necessary for the vast majority of data processing that government departments undertake."

He added: "Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about playing fast & loose with people's personal data, [but] most cloud services are at least as secure, if not more secure than on-premise systems.

The IT manager concluded, with the likes of the CloudStore, the technology was well on its way into Whitehall.

"Our job now is to seize the opportunity to capitalise on that," said Scaife. "Cloud is a no-brainer', but we need to avoid getting into a tiz about how scary it sounds to us and how special' we think we are."

This praise from the department comes as no surprise to us as sources close to the situation have informed Cloud Pro the MoJ is working on two projects to deploy from the recently launched CloudStore. We are following up on this information and will bring you the MoJ's response as soon as we get it.