The Government of Ireland has established a high-level, cross-Government implementation group focused on ensuring the State is seen as a leader in deploying cloud technology and an integral step towards securing the 8,600 local jobs that could be created in the cloud computing space.
It is proposed that this group will include representatives of all departments and agencies responsible for all aspects of cloud computing policy: expenditure, IT procurement, security, infrastructure and industrial strategy.
The announcement was made by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton, TD, during a keynote address at a Public Affairs Ireland cloud computing conference in Dublin.
Bruton said that Government, as a major user of IT in the economy, needs to take a lead in the cloud computing area to provide opportunities and economies of scale for growing businesses in the sector.
He pointed to a recent report by Microsoft that estimates that by 2014 the cloud computing industry in Ireland could be worth €9.5bn and could employ 8,600 extra people.
“These jobs will not be created automatically, and government must act decisively and urgently if we are to position Ireland as a world leader in this high-growth sector. In May, I announced the establishment of a €5m applied research centre in cloud computing, which will bring industry and researchers in this sector together in order to turn good ideas into good jobs.”
Irish Government to take a lead in cloud computing
Bruton continued: “However, it is also crucial that Government, as a major user of IT in the economy, take a lead in this area in order to provide opportunities and economies of scale for growing businesses in this sector, and the Programme for Government contains a commitment to implement an ambitious series of policies to achieve this.
“That is why I have written to Government colleagues proposing the establishment of a cross-Government implementation group to support the implementation of the Programme for Government commitment.”
