Technological trends and the accompanying regular renewal of established procedures and IT infrastructures are fundamental components of the efficient design of work routines - also in the field of public administration! Without any doubt, one of these trends is encapsulated in the term "Cloud".
But: can the Cloud philosophy be implemented unconditionally in the public sphere? Are there any restrictions? Which surrounding conditions must be observed or even created, and is the use of public or private Clouds always associated with cost reductions? Answers to, and food for thought regarding these and many other questions from the point of view of the public IT service provider are contained in the Whitepaper of Euritas. It summarises the perspectives and the wealth of experience of public IT service providers concerning the opportunities and risks of Cloud computing. Accordingly, the paper provides support to decision-makers in the public sphere, offering them a summary of potential Cloud services, indicating risks, identifying any need for action, thus facilitating the exchange of knowledge and experience throughout Europe.
The Whitepaper is the result of the work of a Euritas working group of top-class technical experts. The experts consider the lack of non-manufacturer-specific Cloud standards that are applicable throughout Europe to be the biggest obstacle on the way towards comprehensive permeation of the sector of public administration. According to the authors' opinion, such standards will be of major importance with respect to future investment decisions. Depending on how quickly such uniform standards and guidelines will be developed, it will be possible also for Cloud technologies to become widely accepted in public administration.
Important impulses and pioneering results with respect to standards are expected from the EU co-funded "Cloud for Europe" project initiated in June in which Euritas is also involved. For the first time, an international consortium consisting of 24 partners from 11 countries is jointly working on the development of tried and tested Cloud computing solutions for public administration that have proven their worth throughout Europe.
Thomas Dickmann, member of the Cloud expert group: "The Euritas Whitepaper is meant to provide guidance. For, it is not least due to different starting points, e.g. the perception of tasks by various sovereign states or certain political restrictions and interests of the various European public IT/telecom service providers, that different Cloud scenarios are applied. Accordingly, it is all the more important to counterbalance the Cloud euphoria with sustainable and expedient considerations. The results that are summarised in the Whitepaper provide a perspective as to what kind of requirements will apply on the markets in future and which surrounding conditions are required to be able to implement Cloud solutions in an economically efficient manner. And of course, the paper is also based on practical approaches. For instance, it presents selected Cloud services already implemented by Euritas members."
But: can the Cloud philosophy be implemented unconditionally in the public sphere? Are there any restrictions? Which surrounding conditions must be observed or even created, and is the use of public or private Clouds always associated with cost reductions? Answers to, and food for thought regarding these and many other questions from the point of view of the public IT service provider are contained in the Whitepaper of Euritas. It summarises the perspectives and the wealth of experience of public IT service providers concerning the opportunities and risks of Cloud computing. Accordingly, the paper provides support to decision-makers in the public sphere, offering them a summary of potential Cloud services, indicating risks, identifying any need for action, thus facilitating the exchange of knowledge and experience throughout Europe.
The Whitepaper is the result of the work of a Euritas working group of top-class technical experts. The experts consider the lack of non-manufacturer-specific Cloud standards that are applicable throughout Europe to be the biggest obstacle on the way towards comprehensive permeation of the sector of public administration. According to the authors' opinion, such standards will be of major importance with respect to future investment decisions. Depending on how quickly such uniform standards and guidelines will be developed, it will be possible also for Cloud technologies to become widely accepted in public administration.
Important impulses and pioneering results with respect to standards are expected from the EU co-funded "Cloud for Europe" project initiated in June in which Euritas is also involved. For the first time, an international consortium consisting of 24 partners from 11 countries is jointly working on the development of tried and tested Cloud computing solutions for public administration that have proven their worth throughout Europe.
Thomas Dickmann, member of the Cloud expert group: "The Euritas Whitepaper is meant to provide guidance. For, it is not least due to different starting points, e.g. the perception of tasks by various sovereign states or certain political restrictions and interests of the various European public IT/telecom service providers, that different Cloud scenarios are applied. Accordingly, it is all the more important to counterbalance the Cloud euphoria with sustainable and expedient considerations. The results that are summarised in the Whitepaper provide a perspective as to what kind of requirements will apply on the markets in future and which surrounding conditions are required to be able to implement Cloud solutions in an economically efficient manner. And of course, the paper is also based on practical approaches. For instance, it presents selected Cloud services already implemented by Euritas members."
