read about it here:Â Cyber Command Chief: DoD Moving to the Cloud -- Tech Insider
This is definitely the way it is all heading--it just makes sense. JIT computing. Have a new office or .gov project you need to roll-out? No problems just have the data centre allocate a chunk of data, cpu and business apps and you’re off and running. When it’s all done all those resources can be rolled back into the pool. It means no more money wasted on depreciating hardware, service plans, desktop licenses (I’m talking cloud apps here) siphoning away important program money. Create your own servers, DMZ’s, approved firewalls via point and click, customise to allowed limits for any special circumstances …fast …fast ….fast.
I understand the legacy environment that has led to every agency running it’s own payroll, HR system, finance systems I just don’t see it as our future. It’s not that we don’t need the people to administer those systems--we do. But the duplication and administration overhead, the time wasting “work about work” that we all spend too much time on administering contracts, attending to upgrades etc. means less time spent on line tasks.
And why should it stop there? Imagine being able to work from anywhere whether you’re an HR officer, data entry clerk or programmer. As a public servant why can’t I handle tasks for the ATO one day and Centrelink the next? Why can’t I be in a job pool with project managers able to review my job tank hours status, knowledge skills and abilities, previous project involvement, performance reviews and availability for their tasks. If, as a country we are really concerned about housing affordability, living standards, wage pressure etc. then distributed job pooling means workers can be anywhere in Australia rather than forcing the commons dilema of capital cities.
“Yeh …ummm what about data security?” I hear you say. Why not have DSD approved diskless thin internet clients with no external ports--all the data is in the cloud remember--no need for local storage? These client’s run point-to-point encrypted comms and two part authentication including biologics to ensure you’re who you say you are. Let’s face it, that’s probably more data security than most departments have to begin with. What do you think? Can it happen? Looks like it already is.
