Canadian Government Executive - Volume 24 - Issue 07

February/March 2019 // Canadian Government Executive / 27 tive, and how can we provide IT services to our stakeholders differently. These are all key areas to identify before putting a foot in the cloud. It’s all well and good to see the pilot or proof of concept before- hand, but you need to know why you’re getting into cloud. Think about the strate- gic outcomes you’re trying to achieve and how it’s going to make the citizen’s experi- ence with government online better. Q: Security is one of the obstacles to adopt technology. How secure is the cloud? Very secure. When deployed properly, cloud is far more secure than any single or- ganization’s data centres. Just in terms of resources alone, AWS, Microsoft or Google each have a security bench that is deeper and more experienced than the largest private or public entity, and they are con- stantly working on improving security. Even the U.S. military announced recently that it is accelerating public cloud adop- tion to maintain its technological edge. Security in the cloud uses a shared re- sponsibility model with responsibilities above the line and below the line, in terms of what you’re expected to look after and what the providers will look after. Be- low the line, providers offer a hyperscale cloud. Hyperscale cloud is at a size and scale that was unachievable before, even for the largest of private sector companies. To get to hyperscale, you have to funda- mentally rethink how IT services, includ- ing security, are delivered. Today, cloud security far outpaces what’s available in traditional data centres. And, as we get further into the cloud journey, security is getting easier. It’s almost becoming a com- modity. Q: When we talked about cloud, clearly the technology is there, and it can be made secure, but it’s also people, tools and processes. What’s your take on that? In 2019, it’s not a technology problem any- more, it’s more about people, tools and processes. It’s about understanding the platform and the paradigm shift in this new world of cloud. Cloud at scale can be deeply disruptive and is very different from the way tradi- tional IT services have been delivered. To maximize its value, a cultural shift must take place in IT and throughout the orga- nization that embraces the new approach- es to IT infrastructure and application development. That’s the only way to truly benefit from all that cloud technology has to offer. Communication is key, and so is having a communication plan in place. When cloud initiatives fail, it’s almost never a technol- ogy failure, but one of communication. There’s not a single IT problem that cloud technology cannot solve. For the greatest advantages of cloud to be fully realized however, it must be seen through the lens of how it transforms and impacts the en- tire organization. AI and machine learning are where we’re seeing some of the most impactful change for our customers. INTERVIEW