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The Malta Independent | Thursday 14 April 2016
The Malta Independent ICT Feature
Cloud computing – The way forward! by Daniela Chetcuti
computing event include Dr. Tobias Höllwarth a founding member of EuroCloud Austria and editor of the book “Migrating to the Cloud” and Maurice van der Woude general director of EuroCloud Europe. Participants hailing from a myriad of different sectors believed that such an event proved to be very useful in ways to help them make the necessary steps towards pushing their businesses into the future.
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artner defines the concept of Cloud computing as “a style of computing where massively scalable IT-enabled capabilities are delivered as services to external customers using internet technology”. From the way users can now share and store their data files to the way these can be accessed, from any terminal at any time is all possible thanks to Cloud Technology. This dismantling of the traditional relationship between physical devices and content has become significant and will become increasingly important over the next few years. With the further advancement of technology and the introduction of mobile technology, the cloud will play an important role within businesses. Cloud Technology offers a number of benefits; some of which include: reduced costs by paying only for the services and infrastructure being used; reduced capital investment; on-demand processing and storage resources; and the enabling of entirely new innovative business services.
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The Malta Independent | Thursday 14 April 2016
The event was concluded by the Hon Dr Josè Herrera Parliamentary Secretary for Competitiveness and Economic Growth who launched an e-book titled “Cloud Computing Guidelines for SMEs”. The e-book can be accessed via http://www.mca.org.mt/not i c e s - a n d announcements/cloud-computi ng-guidelines-smes-andmicroenterprises-1
MITA Communications and PR Team With the ascension of cloud computing and with the work of developers at Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Apple who are all working towards revolutionising how businesses organise and conduct themselves, it has become imperative for businesses to understand and appreciate the benefits and challenges presented by this new technology. To this effect, the Malta Information Technology Agency (MITA) in collaboration with Malta Communications Authority (MCA) organised a half-day
seminar for all interested companies and focused on the benefits and challenges in cloud computing, implementations and deployment and the latest cloud computing technologies. The aim of the seminar was to convey practical insights on how cloud technology can become a powerful tool for all companies. The seminar was a great opportunity for SMEs to meet technology vendors and receive first-hand experience and exposure to the entire world of the cloud. Keynote speakers for this cloud
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loud Technology offers a number of benefits; some of which include: reduced costs by paying only for the services and infrastructure being used; reduced capital investment; on-demand processing and storage resources; and the enabling of entirely new innovative business services. The National Digital Strategy (2014 – 2020) sets a clear understanding of how Malta can become a digital economy and
Digital Malta - Our commitment for a better digital society
by Joseph Fedel Cutajar
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he National Digital Strategy (2014 – 2020) sets a clear understanding of how Malta can become a digital economy and digital-enabled society. It focuses on three strategic themes: Citizen, Business and Government. As the country accelerates in this fast lane of technology, new challenges arise and the objective is to have all members of society on board this route towards a digitally enabled nation. The latest figures published by European and National official bodies show that Malta is doing well when compared to EU average scores. In its third year of action, one can look at what has been achieved, the pace at which targets are being addressed and subsequently, plan the way for-
ward. Addressing the changing lifestyles, initiatives aimed at the general public have been implemented using internet technology. Whilst dissemination of information was the first goal, today this technology is used to offer many governmental services online. To further improve public services, the One Stop Shop project has been initiated and will continue to develop and address the changing demands of the population. Also, specific initiatives such as the inclusion and the One-to-one Mentoring Call for Volunteers aimed at spreading the digital transformation to the elderly and those with special needs respectively, with the aim to reach all sectors of the population. The drive to transform public administration processes and services to become more digital is a challenge where a good balance between security, privacy, openness and efficiency needs to be reached. One major initiative is the national cyber security strategy with which the government shall address security issues which evolve as society changes in this dynamic technological dimension. Government is investing in free wireless access in various public buildings and spaces, to promote and encourage use of internet services by the general public. The public sector, often assisted by the government’s main IT arm – MITA, will continue this digital progress. Infrastructure and sys-
tem upgrades continuously add electronic services and bring about higher efficiency in health services. The One Tablet Per Child project is expected to boost the benefits of technology in education. Additional initiatives combining the digital game dimension to education use portable devices and specific games to enrich the teaching and learning experiences. This year will also see the proliferation of mobile services. Several government entities will aim at reaching citizens and businesses through mobile applications. This can be an interesting challenge to achieve the 24x7 government, enabled by mobility. The business community con-
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The One Tablet Per Child project is expected to boost the benefits of technology in education
National Cyber Security Strategy Green Paper consultation session
All ICT Features are available on www.mita.gov.mt/ictfeature
formation. Moreover, start-ups and innovative business proposals in the digital sphere were supported through initiatives and programmes and by the allocation of human, physical and financial resources to help businesses engage in new technologies. The education sector is also gearing to industry needs as more specialised courses are addressing the digital transformation. Sector specific and technology specific training are two other examples of initiatives showing the drive to bring the nation into digital mode. Government initiatives are organised on an ongoing bases and often include public consultations. Participation of the general public is healthy especially because, technology impacts everyone. Moreover, the public is welcomed to propose ideas to the Digital Malta Governing Board through its portal digitalmalta.org.mt
Educating elderly citizens using digital transformation
National Cyber Security Strategy Green Paper consultation session
digital-enabled society. It focuses on three strategic themes: Citizen, Business and Government. As the country accelerates in this fast lane of technology, new challenges arise and the objective is to have all members of society on board this route towards a digitally enabled nation.
tributes to and benefits from this digital transformation. Communication service providers, IT businesses and software houses invest and promote their services enabling a transformation in the business sector. Today, business organisations know that a digital transformation is a challenge, but also an opportunity. In order to encourage and promote a greater shift to digitally enabled businesses, the Digital Malta Governance Board identified the need and will be monitoring the uptake of ICT technology by Malta’s small and medium enterprises. Business specific initiatives in areas such as cloud computing, ecommerce and the spatial dimension were designed to encourage this digital trans-
Educating elderly citizens using digital transformation