Cloud Computing Trial to Be Launched in Australia

The Government of the State of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, will launch five pilot projects to test cloud-based IT solutions to improve government services. Greg Pearce, the Minister for Finance and Services, NSW, called for expressions of interest from the private sector. “We will test multiple cloud based systems across different scenarios and environments to ensure they are cost-effective, secure and efficient”, he said in a statement. “If successful we will look at how they can be rolled out across government.” The five projects planned are cloud solutions for email, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), shared service multi-tenanted email, ICT infrastructure and cloud-based desktop and collaboration services. “The trial will test technical and regulatory questions, as well as opportunities to reduce the Government’s annual ICT expenditure”, said Pearce. Government organizations such as Fire and Rescue NSW, the Department of Trade and Investment, WorkCover (agency working to ensure productive, healthy and safe workplaces in NSW) and Businesslink (a provider of outsourced business services) will be participating in the trial.