Infront Welcomes Government ICT Procurement Reforms

Canberra ICT company, Infront Systems, is well positioned to assist agencies in driving the productivity and innovation potential that cloud offers, following the government’s launch of its cloud-first strategy and IT procurement reform initiatives.

The move comes in response to the assistant minister responsible for digital transformation, Hon Angus Taylor’s announcement to focus on building SME capability and applying appropriate governance models when agencies procure over $9 billion of new ICT capability.

Infront has invested four years in developing its Innovation Exchange, a management framework that helps accelerate innovation and enable continuous delivery of digital services across private and public clouds.

Infront’s MD, Allan King stressed that agencies, in planning for and consuming cloud in a hybrid cloud operating environment, need to address the complexities of adopting a hybrid cloud model including identity management, data disaggregation and the differing ‘as-a-aervice’ financial structures of multiple cloud vendors.

The Innovation Exchange addresses a range of challenges associated with consuming cloud computing services, whilst providing the agency a single view of its multi cloud operations. In particular, the framework assists in the mitigation of risks associated with the adoption of a cloud strategy including financial, operational and security as well as providing adherence to an agencies governance framework.

King recognises the pivotal work the Digital Transformation Agency has undertaken in driving the government’s cloud agenda. He welcomes the Assistant Ministers ‘Reform to IT Procurement’ announcement (August, 23) and believes that it will lead to innovation and operational benefits to agencies through providing MBs the opportunity to bid for components of large projects.

The reform package were recommendations from the ICT Procurement Taskforce Report, covering issues as diverse as developing ICT-specific procurement principles, building strategic partnerships, data-driven reporting, enhancing the Australian Public Service’s procurement skills, and new procurement methods. Importantly, as a local SME guiding public and private sector clients on the journey from hosted ICT infrastructure environments to the cloud, Infront believes this report has correctly identified that this transition needs a policy framework. King stated that we are excited that a local company can assist the government on their journey.

“Our clients know that they need to have a cloud first policy and a strategy to get there but they are struggling to manage the cultural and operational changes required to make the transition,” King said.
“The Taskforce Report shines light on the barriers to government innovation including how agencies can successfully manage its transition to the cloud. We believe that cloud first is the right strategy but agencies need to be able to carefully manage the process, otherwise agencies will blow their budgets and be unable to manage outcomes. Agencies absolutely need appropriate policy and governance settings in moving to the cloud and as a local SME supporting Commonwealth agencies, we have the technology, processes and people and look forward to helping the government deliver efficient and innovative ICT services into the future.”