The one element that has transformed nearly all walks of life across the world is ‘information technology,’ also popularly known as ‘IT.’
The use of computers, software solutions, and digital applications is now considered essential everywhere from businesses, government sectors, and educational institutions. IT is necessary to maximize productivity, enable faster communication, and perform work more efficiently.
The IT field has evolved with time due to changes and demand in a competitive environment both in the private or government sector. The main purpose of hardware, software, and applications is to make it easy to store, retrieve, and send information.
The Importance of IT In The Government Sector
The private sector consists of single businesses focused on one aspect of the industry, for example, a consumer goods company, car manufacturer, or telecommunications company. Private businesses have a limited amount of manpower, budget and mostly look to satisfy the needs of consumers and maximize revenue.
The public or government sector, on the other hand, consists of large enterprises owned and managed by the government. The large organizations and enterprises are either partly or fully owned by the government and fall under different ministries such as healthcare, agriculture, commerce, and industry,
Information technology has tangible and intangible benefits no matter the size or extent of work in the various enterprises in the government sector. The widespread advancement of digital technologies means that government sectors have to implement digital solutions to use the information to solve people’s problems, reduce corruption, improve accountability and operational efficiency.
The main goal of government IT services is to serve the citizens in the best of manners and different areas where IT solutions are necessary to include health, manufacturing, electricity, education, transportation, agriculture, insurance, and telecommunication.
The one aspect that has become quite common in the last decade is ICT (Information and Communication Technology), which focuses on integrating computers and digital devices with telecommunications.
ICT is a fundamental factor of e-governance that provides cost-effective services and allows the public to access information easily. The ICT also helps the government to keep an accurate check of things and make people more accountable. The advantages of ICT implementation includes
- Improved management of information
- Continuous alignment and communication with business stakeholders
- Achieving departmental strategic goals
- Proper security measures to prevent misuse of information
Importance of Cloud Computing in Government
We live in a digital age where everyone has access to all kinds of information, thank to fast internet connectivity and smartphones. The widespread advancement of digital technology gave way to cloud computing, delivering databases, storage options, servers, software, and analytics over the internet.
Cloud computing has been implemented in nearly every private business company and government enterprise due to its massive utility, flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and adaptability.
Government enterprises require cloud computing more than anyone else as it needs to provide not only information but also protect data and constantly update information and that too while keeping the costs down. The advantages of cloud computing for government organizations are
- Cost Savings
One of the most crucial tasks for the government is to prevent substantial financial losses, which are quite common. The use of cloud computing helps to cut additional costs on physical hardware and servers. The modern computer hardware and servers not only cost money, but there is also money required to run, repair, and upgrade them.
- Flexibility
Cloud computing gives more flexible options to government enterprises as compared to the conventional IT infrastructure. With an efficient cloud computing service, there is no hassle of buying and managing large physical servers, updating software, and data protection. Another advantage is easy to modify and change cloud settings which are quite valuable when managing heavy workloads and risk.
- Collaboration
The government enterprises are owned and managed by the government, but there is always the possibility of collaborating with private businesses. The government can also easily communicate and collaborate with the public, and names and credentials can be assigned to documents that only authorized personnel can access. The cloud also gives ease to government and contractors to access the documents remotely as long as there is an internet connection available.
More and more government-run organizations are moving to the cloud as not only is the data secured and easily accessible, but it is saving cost, time, and effort.
Need of Digital Transformation in Government Sector
All across the world, government enterprises are implementing digital transformation programs and solutions for a myriad of reasons which includes
- Enhancing efficiency and transparency
- Help to simplify complex tasks
- Introducing smart software and applications that are easy to use
- Easy access to information
- Clear record of things
- Meeting the needs and demands of rapidly changing demographics
- Improving public satisfaction on the delivery of value-added services
- Balancing costs and achieving overall efficiency
Adapting to digital transformation has become vital for both private and public sectors, and it is due to domestic and international economic shifts. For example, the Covid-19 pandemic has altered the regular lifecycle and disrupted the normal flow of nearly everything.
Due to the novel Coronavirus, there was immediate closure of schools, businesses, airports, cinemas, sporting arenas, and big retail stores. Today, the world has recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic, and restrictions have been eased, but the most pertinent role was of the involvement of digital technology in human lives.
Businesses and government enterprises have managed to continue work and provide service to people because of digital transformation. With digital technology, the government designed and developed user-friendly online portals that allowed people to access government services without much hassle.
Conclusion
The rapid advancement in technology has allowed the government to develop and provide value-added service models for citizens. There is still further need to accelerate digitization in all government-managed enterprises.
The key digital aspects include cloud computing, cybersecurity, data analytics, and mobility. Data analytics helps to provide insights into citizens and other business stakeholders. Digitization helps to adapt to the changes, and other factors that drive digital integration are workforce enablement, operational agility, and public satisfaction.