SA Government Policy Shift Points Country to Cloud First

On 31 May 2024, the South African government published a new policy which sets out its approach to cloud services. The overarching message is clear: cloud is the future. With a view to overcoming Africa’s general lack of infrastructure, this fundamental shift away from traditional, expensive on-premise approaches offers a wealth of opportunities. With it comes the chance for government departments to find affordability and efficiency in IT applications.  

According to Carrie Peter – Managing Director at Impression Signatures and the Advocacy Committee Vice-Chair at the Cloud Signature Consortium – the entire policy can be encapsulated in two words; cloud first.

“In South Africa, infrastructure limitations severely hinder the government’s ability to leverage on premise solutions. Consider the sheer scale of what would be needed for every government department, office, service delivery hub, or municipality to have a fully functioning, on premise IT infrastructure – not to mention the cost of failovers, back-up power, or maintenance. Add to this the security risk of widespread, unmaintained on premise infrastructure, and cloud simply makes good sense,” confirms Peter.  

“Consider this. A single tier one data center in Europe holds 20 units in each block and has six blocks in the campus. Each unit has two electricity lines (main and failover), two water cooling lines, two back-up generators per electricity line, and two back-ups per water line. For each back-up generator, it has another back-up generator – 16 generators per data center, along with fuel tanks to run the generators when needed. All this just to have a 24-hour failover. It’s impossible to maintain this level in SA.”

Enter this new government policy, and the country is finally moving in the right direction. The policy clearly sets out guidelines on why procuring cloud first is paramount for the future of both an efficient and effective government, and business economy. From cost savings, to pooled data, higher visibility and availability, always on services, priority and support for cyber security, and the fostering of true digital trust – the rationale behind the policy is forward-thinking, driving enforcement and efficiency. Peter’s top six take-aways from these guidelines include:

Firstly, and quite simply, a cloud first approach must be chosen because the country’s infrastructure simply cannot support on premise for every department. As her second pick, Peter confirms that cloud first will give departments pooled and centralised data sets, eradicating siloed data. Third is the shift to cloud across the globe, leading to greater support for cloud computing – and offering the opportunity for a single cloud instance, which is far easier to secure than innumerable on premise instances.  

Here is where the real value shines through. Peter’s fourth pick is the support that this policy lends to the creation of a digital trust environment. “This will inevitably support economic development, by eliminating fraud. A lack of identity certainty or not being unable to verify identity (whether juristic or natural) opens the door for fraudsters. This is why many government grants are going to people who don’t deserve it,” she says. “This digital trust element must be applauded. When digital identities are irrefutably proven, the door for fraudulent activity is firmly shut.”

Fifth, Peter notes that the value of data that is consistently available, accurate, complete, unique, and valid cannot be overstated. Leveraging this value requires a cloud approach – especially considering South Africa’s energy challenges and constant threat of looming load shedding. “It is clear that African countries cannot provide 100% on premise uptime, and this is where cloud really comes into play. This always on cloud capability ties into the necessary ability to sign documents electronically; which is as important as being able to access electronic data at all times.”

When it comes to global interoperability, a cloud first approach will certainly empower Africa to do business effectively with the rest of the world. The policy covers the conclusion of the African Continental Free Trade Area, (ACfTA) and details how the African Single Digital market and digital identity will rely significantly on data-sharing within different jurisdictions.

This is a strong move toward continental interoperability and a massive opportunity for cloud-based identity solutions through Africa. Peter cites a 2022 CEBR report that confirms that a one percent point increase in digital trust results in an average $600 increase in GDP per capita – making it a key driver of economic growth.

Of course, this is just one of the opportunities presented by a cloud first approach. While each opportunity also represents an obligation, the ways in which this government shift will create efficiencies are endless. “From taking moments of consent when a person signs a document electronically and automatically converting it into an irrefutable digital document with a proven chain of custody; to the provision for the creation of a Cyber Security Commissioner – the intent is clear. Digital is the way forward,” adds Peter.

A critical consideration, according to Peter, is the necessity to roll digital services out with empathy for less tech savvy citizens. “Participating in this move to cloud demands putting citizens first. The technology must offer easy, frictionless processes. Impressions’ digital signatures, for example, can be run on a USSD system, ensuring citizens are empowered to use the technology with ease. While we are delighted at the idea of moving to a digital, cloud first world, it will remain the service provider’s duty to ensure none of the complexity is passed onto the end user.”

Peter concludes by confirming that the tech service providers that are perfectly positioned to address the needs created by this policy are those which: have a full understanding of the African environment; offer cyber security and privacy by design; already follow a cloud first ethos; hold security audits such as WebTrust or ISO; drive rapid digitisation and deployment; offer end-user empathy and inclusivity - even to those who don’t have sophisticated hardware; have a mobile solution; and don’t force users to have an email address to be able to prove their identity or sign a contract digitally.”

Issued by Perfect Word Consulting (Pty) Ltd

For more information, contact perfectword@trinitas.co.za

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About Impression Signatures

Founded in 2011, Impression Signatures (an iOCO company) is the leading provider of e-signature solutions in South Africa. Our patented approach is locally created whilst committing to making this innovative technology available to the public enabling true social inclusion to fully realize digital transformation in South Africa. For more information, visit www.impression-signatures.com.