The role of cloud computing in government operations: Kapil Makhija, Oracle India

The role of cloud computing in government operations has become increasingly important in recent years. Cloud computing enables government agencies to store, manage, and access data and applications through remote servers, rather than relying on local infrastructure. This enables governments to take advantage of the scalability and cost-effectiveness of cloud computing while maintaining strict security and compliance standards. Along the same lines, Kapil Makhija, Vice President-Technology (Cloud), Oracle India tells us more. 

DQ: What are the key cloud environments that the government sector can leverage?

Kapil Makhija: Every sector’s requirements are varying and within those sectors, each organisation’s goals are uniquely different too. Cloud environments or architecture ranging from private or public to more sophisticated ones including hybrid or multicloud can provide innumerable benefits basis the primary goals of an organisation. Particularly for public sector, hybrid cloud is noticeably the environment that is most suited and can help achieve meaningful results. Government or defence sector holds data that is extremely critical for any country and even a minor breach can be highly catastrophic. Additionally, the sector has many regulatory compliances and requirements which are imperative for efficient public service delivery. While a responsible cloud provider would always have security offerings that can help mitigate the risk and would also keep focus on regulatory compliances but in order to add a more robust layer of security, a hybrid cloud environment can be leveraged. Not only will cloud help automate non core workloads but it will also allow these organisations to focus on critical processes.

DQ: What are other cloud related technologies that the government sector can benefit from?

Kapil Makhija: A cloud first organisation can leverage many other relevant technologies especially in the public sector. AI/ML, data analytics, blockchain, chatbots, IoT amongst other technologies can prove to be highly beneficial in automating, deriving meaningful results out of data and also in overall innovation for the sector. Additionally, each individual technology can potentially garner better results if it is allowed to be brought together with another complementary tech. This in return will not only disrupt the public sector but also strengthen the possibility of having a tech first nation.

DQ: How are you enabling skilling for India?

Kapil Makhija: India’s goals for digitization has led to a massive demand for skilled workforce which can assist in achieving the goal efficiently. India currently requires project managers who can lead the way and therefore the country needs to train these project managers as well. Some higher education institutions have already started to leverage Primavera Professional Project Management software which is licensed to Oracle Academy institutional members. For example Lady Irwin College leverages Primavera and prepares women for careers in planning and scheduling roads, railways, digital networks, water, power and waste management systems.

DQ: How can governments device their cloud strategy? 

Kapil Makhija: Any cloud strategy begins by identifying the right cloud provider along with understanding the organisational cloud goals in advance. The sector and the organisations within it must evaluate the type of cloud architecture they would want to leverage along with understanding the costs associated with each. All of this and more can be simplified with the help of a cloud provider that is open to be a strategic advisor. Additionally, particularly for public sector a hybrid cloud environment can be a good point to start considering it can address many security compliances, data residency and other regulatory requirements.

DQ: What are the recent cloud based trends in the country and how do you foresee the same expanding in the current year?

Kapil Makhija: India is embracing cloud like never before and it is a testament of organisations learning to accept technology as a part of their business plans. This is also supported by a recent IDC research which states that the overall Indian public cloud services market is expected to reach a significant $13.0 billion by 2026. As we move towards such a massive acceptance, it is important for each organisation to achieve a competitive edge within its cloud strategy. This edge could vary from having a multicloud environment to leveraging a hybrid cloud one. Organisations will also learn to identify potential benefits of various cloud related technologies including AI/ML, Blockchain, chatbots, data analytics etc. Another trend cropping up is the need for customers to have more control over their cloud environments. At Oracle, we understand these and therefore our offerings including dedicated region cloud@customer are aligned with public demand and offers significant control over their cloud choices.

An example of cloud revolutionizing the public sector can be of the energy and power space where the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme is implemented. Through this all meters are to be replaced with autonomous meters. This will ensure that there is better efficiency in the sector along with simplifying energy auditing and making it much more accurate, faster and convenient. Oracle has been at the center of this movement towards modernizing smart metering in the country.

With such examples and implementation, it is evident that cloud will only move towards further growth. At Oracle too, we will continue to prioritize digital transformation of the sector and add more ‘zvalue to their goals with cloud environment such as hybrid cloud and multicloud.