Dimension Data has established a managed Cloud platform (MCP) in Canberra, purpose-built for the Australian government.
The ICT solutions and services provider said the MCP would be the first large-scale platform in Canberra designed solely for the government and will enable agencies to rapidly respond to meet community needs, departmental policies and future advances in technology.
The Canberra MCP is housed in a new TIA 942 design-compliant facility, under final construction by Canberra Data Centres, with full services to come on stream early next year.
Minister for Communications, Malcolm Turnbull, said Cloud infrastructure such as the MCP enables the government to benefit from cost savings, improved efficiencies and increased staff productivity offered by Cloud computing.
Dimension Data Australia chief executive officer, Rodd Cunico, said that the ability for government to use a Cloud platform located on Australian shores addresses data sovereignty concerns.
“Dimension Data’s Canberra Cloud platform will be tenanted exclusively by government agencies and their data will be held securely in Canberra,” he said.
The Canberra-managed Cloud platform will be DiData's third in Australia, joining MCPs in Sydney and Melbourne, and brings to 14 the number of MCPs it has deployed globally.
The company said it addressed the requirements of the Australian Government information security management protocol and the Attorney General’s Risk management guidelines to handle classified government data up to Protected level.
The National Disability Insurance Agency and the Department of Finance have already signed up to the Cloud platform. The Department will use the Canberra cloud to run its video conference booking Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).
Cunico said the Canberra MCP will connect to the Intra Government Communications Network (ICON), which is run by the Department of Finance, in order to help facilitate government Cloud adoption.
“We want to see the Australian government reap the benefits of Cloud computing in the same way that the private sector has. The Canberra MCP has been designed with the Government Cloud Computing Policy in mind, in order to allow departments and agencies to adopt Cloud services that not only provide adequate protection of Government data but also deliver value for money,” he said.
“The availability of Cloud services offers an opportunity for Government to deliver more efficient services that are also more responsive to business and community needs.”
Cunico pointed to the recent G20 Leaders’ Summit in Brisbane, where the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet used Dimension Data’s Cloud platforms to provide a host of end-user services and wireless connectivity during the summit.
He said Dimension Data ensured the high-profile event’s 7000 delegates received a seamless experience, regardless of the workload or device being used.
Cunico said the new MCP will provide capabilities available across Dimension Data’s global Cloud platform, including Infrastructure-as-a-Service, Microsoft solutions on the Cloud and support for enterprise applications like SAP ERP.
Dimension Data’s recent Oakton acquisition meant more government-specific solutions, which addressed key themes such as digitisation, open data, information management, collaboration and inter-connected Government services, would be brought to market in Australia as Cloud-based, as-a-service offerings – underscoring the company’s ongoing local investment, he said.
