Compliance Requirements Driving the Move to Government Clouds

The dramatic shift towards modern governance, smart cities, and a new digital economy is increasing the need for governments to upgrade their IT infrastructure. Cloud environments are the best way to ensure that data is securely and readily available. But until recently, cloud was not always an option for government entities due to strict compliance requirements. Now providers are catering to this need by setting up government clouds—sovereign data centers to employ local workers in the countries they intend to serve.

This is one of the top findings from Avasant’s Government Cloud Platforms 2021–2022 RadarView™ . The report is a comprehensive study of government cloud platforms, taking a close look at the leaders, innovators, and disruptors in this market.

It addresses the need for government agencies to accelerate their digital journeys, embrace the cloud, and identify the right government cloud platform providers. The report also highlights key trends in the government cloud platforms market and Avasant’s viewpoint on the market’s direction in the next 12 to 18 months.

We evaluated 15 providers using three dimensions: product maturity, enterprise adaptability, and future readiness. Of the 15 providers, five are recognized as having brought the most value to the market over the past 12 months.

The RadarView recognizes platform providers in three categories:

• • Leaders: AWS and Microsoft
  • Innovators: Google and IBM
  • Disruptors: Oracle

The following figure from the full report illustrates these categories:

Naresh Lachmandas, partner and senior fellow with Avasant, congratulated the winners noting, “Technology convergence is the key, combining cloud with emerging technologies such as blockchain, 5G, and edge computing to expand the scope and address local needs such as congestion monitoring, parking availability, and waste management.”

Some of the findings from the full report include the following:

• • Increasing compliance needs are accelerating the shift to cloud-based IT infrastructure.
  • Sensitive missions of specific communities, such as defense agencies and the intelligence community, require completely isolated regions with more stringent compliance standards for data use.
  • City technology leaders are increasingly adopting new technologies, like blockchain, 5G, and edge computing, while maintaining tight IT budgets and adhering to local compliance requirements.
  • Government cloud platform providers are expanding their services to comply with regional regulations and to serve the public sector worldwide.

“The emergence of government cloud platforms finally allow governments to take advantage of the cost and technology benefits of the cloud,” noted Henry Guapo, partner with Avasant. “However, compliance in this area is still important. Choosing the right government cloud is imperative.”

The full report also features RadarView profiles of the top five platform providers, including their solutions, offerings, and experience in assisting government agencies in digital transformation.

This Research Byte is a brief overview of the full Government Cloud Platforms 2021–2022 RadarView™ (click for pricing).