Modernising government services with cloud: Srikanth Doranadula, Oracle India

Modernization through Cloud Computing has become a key priority for many governments around the world. Cloud computing offers numerous advantages to governments, including cost savings, scalability, agility, and improved citizen services. By leveraging cloud computing technology, governments can reduce the costs associated with traditional IT infrastructure, while also enabling them to scale services up or down depending on demand. Cloud computing also allows for greater agility and flexibility, enabling governments to quickly respond to changing citizen needs and requests. Overall, modernizing government services through cloud computing has the potential to significantly improve government service delivery, making it faster, more efficient, and more citizen-centric. In an interview with Dataquest, Srikanth Doranadula, Group Vice President, Technology and Systems, Oracle India tells us more about the role played by cloud in delivering Government services.

DQ: Can cloud really have a role in government or government agencies, with all the security hassles that are associated with cloud?

Srikanth Doranadula: Cloud and related technologies have become the defining factor of any organisations or sector’s fruitful business experience. Even with this massive cloud wave, public sector needs to be extremely cautious of how they approach cloud considering they hold the country’s most mission critical data. Regulations and efforts such as having a MeitY empanelled cloud provider are a priority for the sector as they move towards selecting a cloud provider. While security on cloud is always a shared effort between the cloud service provider and the customer however, a responsible cloud provider will always go an extra mile to ensure that any organisation’s data is secured from potential threat by have End -to- End Encryption. 

Additionally, the sector must identify a cloud provider that is ready to be a strategic partner and the one that also understands that the partnership doesn’t end when the migration is completed but begins with it. With all these aspects addressed, cloud can prove to be revolutionary as well as safe for the public sector.

DQ: What are the ways in which government can improve citizen service or drive their own internal efficiencies or save on costs as they look to modernise with new technologies, why should cloud become important consideration for them?

Srikanth Doranadula: Technology acceptance as well as advancement has become the primary requirement for any business across sectors to achieve scalability, continuity, and resilience. In a scenario where the world leverages cloud and related technologies to sustain, not accepting it will be a dampener for the growth of any sector. This also includes one of the most important pillars of any successful economy, the public sector. At Oracle too, we have witnessed that as government agencies constantly deliver on their responsibility of ensuring societal wellbeing at large, having an added assistance from cloud can be game-changing.

As the Indian public sector extends an effort towards a cloud first world, citizen services as well as internal processes can be largely improved by creating better standardization of operations with the help of technology. This will also define how any service across the sector is running seamlessly and add some level of automation enabling key resources to focus on critical activities. All this combined can create better opportunities and in return will also result in improved service delivery including that of large-scale projects. Beyond this, the sector can open itself to much more critical projects which can add a layer of efficiency to public service delivery at large.As the applications of cloud and cloud related technologies become more defined in the sector, there should also be an understanding of concepts such as egress costs or hidden costs to improve the overall ROI. The responsibility largely lies on the cloud provider to ensure that such concepts don’t become hindrances in ensuring a seamless cloud experience for any customer. 

DQ: As cloud grows, there are many public sector organisations wanting to proceed with their digitization. How do you perceive this helping the sector?

Srikanth Doranadula: In the recent past, we have witnessed cloud establish itself as a unique force ensuring business essentials such as continuity and business differentiators including innovation. As these have worked for private sector, public sector too can benefit from this in a very similar manner. The right type of cloud provider with the right type of cloud strategy can result in overall improved efficiency. 

Additionally, modernizing IT infrastructure and applications can help achieve better security, cost effectiveness, and improve flexibility in processes. Cloud and related technologies can easily assist in deriving actionable insights from tactical data which in return can lead to efficient completion of mission critical projects and programs. With cloud’s many capabilities, organisations can also predict challenges and tap into data derived intelligence to find the right solutions in advance. Technology in public sector can ultimately improve lives with effective public healthcare, improved education for students and smarter cities. Additionally, automating processes, reimagining public service and achieving unique milestones can be simplified with  AI, ML, blockchain, chatbots, IoT and other related technologies.

An example of cloud assisting the sector is NITI Aayog’s engagement with Oracle to help modernize vital IT infrastructure. The Aspirational Districts Programme, a significant project for the Indian Government, has the primary purpose of improving the life quality of people from 112 districts of the country which are also one of the most backward ones. Through this programme, information is collected on five themes and 49 key performance indicators. This required thousands of data points to be put together from multiple sources which are also checked for accuracy and then integrated for analysis. The data is fed back in real time to administrators, district collectors, government officers along with general public. With a legacy of improving businesses’ technology experience, Oracle Autonomous Database is at the base of this programme. 

DQ: How can the sector easily transition to a cloud first world? What is Oracle’s role in the same?

Srikanth Doranadula: The sector’s cloud transformation journey must be initiated with the thought of choosing the right cloud provider that offers scalability, security along with regulatory compliance. All of this combined can be the recipe of an easy cloud transition with an added touch of cloud economics. Post that migration should be simplified given the cloud provider’s service efficiency. At Oracle, we understand that cloud migration is the first step towards a cloud journey and can set the tone for rest of the deployment. Therefore, we offer Oracle Cloud Lift Services which allows customers to engage with cloud specialists from the start. Getting guidance from cloud engineers on planning, architecting and even prototyping has proved to be extremely beneficial for many customers. This has allowed customers to move their critical workloads in weeks or even days.

The sector must also analyse and select the cloud architecture that meets their demand. A hybrid cloud architecture offering which allows the customers to experience cloud at their own pace, comfort and understanding can be ideal for the sector to initiate their cloud journey. At Oracle we offer, OCI dedicated region to allow the customers to host their applications with strict data residency, control and security. Additionally, for security the organisation must ensure that its strategy protects data in transit and at rest. A cloud security approach which can detect possible threats should be critical.

At Oracle, our approach is also aligned with the public sector and we will continue to localise our products and solutions to assist in digital transformation. For many decades now, Oracle Database is being utilised by the public sector for securing data for many critical government applications. Organisations accepting Oracle Autonomous Database along with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and Oracle Blockchain are witnessing improved overall results. Oracle’s initiatives and partnership with the government are reflected under various projects including Prime Minister’s Gati Shakti Program, Metering Infrastructure modernisation under the RDSS scheme of Ministry of Power, upgradation of Finance Planning and Budgeting Infrastructure of state and central governments amongst many others.

Ultimately it is important to select a cloud provider that offers capabilities for the organisation’s business goals to be achieved.

DQ: What’s been oracle’s history of serving governments around the world

Srikanth Doranadula: Globally, Oracle’s focus on serving the government sector globally is as robust as it is in India. The US department of defense, intelligence community and federal civilian agencies rely on Oracle Cloud for Government. The trust they have developed on Oracle globally is primarily due to our security first principles, high performance and the ability to adhere to mandates. Additionally, Oracle Cloud is the first and only sovereign, dedicated dual-region cloud for UK Government and Defence customers. Another key element for Oracle’s government partnership in the area lies in how Oracle’s dual region, designed in collaboration with multiple UK Government and Defence ministries, adhere to the security principles outlined by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

DQ: What have you done to support digital India or make in India?

Srikanth Doranadula: India is a key market for us, and we are constantly expanding our reach into multiple sectors to ensure further growth of cloud in the country. Having doubled our customer base in the past few years, we are also foraying into sectors such as e-commerce and retail, professional services, and the start-up space - be it EdTech, Fintech, or HealthTech which will prove to be a huge part of digital India. Additionally, country’s top three telcos rely on Oracle and near all state govts and UTs rely on Oracle. We are also involved in so many critical projects that are shaping India’s digital agenda on the world stage including PM Gati Shakti, ONDC, SLDE, UPI, Income Tax modernisation, energy conservation through smart metering.

Also, to support the rising demand of cloud in the country, we expanded the India West (Mumbai) region capacity with Nxtra by Airtel. This region complements Oracle’s existing MeitY-empanelled cloud regions in Hyderabad and Mumbai. Oracle’s MeitY empanelment has paved the way for many organisations in regulated space to leverage cloud efficiently which further strengthens the country’s digitization agenda.