Dubai Smart Government Department (DSG) has launched CloudOne, a smart infrastructure cloud service for Dubai government entities, during its participation at this year’s edition of Gitex Technology Week 2015. 

 

The initiative follows the vision and directives of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to prioritise government integration and provide optimal leverage of government resources, said a statement.

 

The launch falls in line with Dubai’s current quest to transform into a smart government and become the smartest city in the world, it said.

 

The shared smart infrastructure will allow all Dubai government entities to easily access Information Technology (IT) resources - saving them money and effort from establishing these resources individually.

 

Ahmad Bin Humaidan, director general, Dubai Smart Government Department, said: “The platform offers a flexible, virtual operating environment to serve every government entity instead of having to own separate IT infrastructures. 

 

"The launch of CloudOne is a practical step amongst many, which DSG is taking to achieve its strategy of offering world-class, innovative enablers for government entities to achieve successful smart transformation and efficient internal operation management through the optimal use of the latest ICT smart solutions, which have always been a key source for innovation across the private sector.”

 

“DSG has made tremendous progress in developing the smart government infrastructure, in line with the fast-paced smart transformation that involves taking guaranteed actions to facilitate the shift into a smart government and city. This is widely reflected in the recent expansion of the Government Information Network and the launch of the Shared Disaster Recovery Site (SDRS). CloudOne complements the government infrastructure cycle,” he added.

 

CloudOne enables the required capacity to be obtained in a record time of no more than 24 hours, saving the time and effort of government entities and helping them focus on innovation in government services without the need to wait for purchasing, supply and operating procedures. 

 

The government entities will benefit from DSG’s distinctive experiences and the updated components of CloudOne, which DSG will continue to update in line with technology cycles.

 

CloudOne is a pool of computing devices including CPUs, RAM, HDDs space, network services and security systems and firewalling. It represents a robust, secure, flexible, highly reliable, scalable and agile infrastructure which provides IT services as per the needs of government entities, such as multi-tenant processing of data, memory, storage and networks.

 

It will offer a shared smart service and a fully automated environment for all government entities, including the hosting, approval and provision of resource requests in order to save the time and effort for government entities and provide them with prompt services to enable them to manage without manual IT requirements, which take a long time and are prone to many errors without involvement of IT specialists.

 

Through CloudOne, DSG will be providing the same IT infrastructure for interested government entities - where all data processing, storage, network services and other IT resources and capabilities will be shared by various entities at the same time. This is poised to reduce cost of IT management in the government entities.

 

A key feature of CloudOne is that it provides on-demand access and control of network, servers, storage, and security, in addition to maximum asset utilisation.

 

The launch of CloudOne complements the smart infrastructure that DSG currently offers to Dubai government entities as shared services for everyone to leverage, such as Government Information Network, which acts as a cornerstone of Dubai Government’s smart and electronic infrastructure, offering a unified network for all departmental systems to transfer and share information and e-transactions at a high level of protection and security; thereby ensuring information reliability and invulnerability to any errors or outside involvement.

 

The network contains the latest switching and firewalling solutions, led by a specialised team whose tasks involve development of integration policies between departments and the network, network supervision and follow-up to ensure continuity of work and immediate response in case of any emergences. Until now, the network has managed to connect 58 points of contact with government entities.

 

The Shared Disaster Recovery Site (SDRS) embraces systems of 28 local government entities so far, to ensure safe management of government information security and maintain continuity of work, thus contributing to Dubai’s sustainable development, said the statement.

 

SDRS aims to reduce government expenses by reducing the high costs of establishing such type of sites for every entity and reducing the operational costs and maintenance expenses. It also offers high-quality and highly efficient services for everyone to promote optimal use of government resources, it said.

 

The Messaging & Collaboration System is an integrated system of unified messaging and collaboration services across Dubai government entities--turning mutual work amongst these entities into a seamless and agile experience where all individuals can access the same work tools and applications. 

 

The system enables secure communication via emails online or through smart phones. It aims to set up Outlook emails for all government employees in accordance with the highest standards of safety and security. Through online hosting, the system offers website hosting services for every government entity to increase its online presence and establish channels of communication with the public and businessmen.

 

The system further offers real-time messaging (audio-visual chat) services for employees in virtual meetings, from any place around the world, with the ability to document all meetings and chats.

 

Currently, the system connects 36 government entities and hosts 26 government sites online, serving around 6,600 users of messaging and collaboration tools and 4,100 users of mobile-based email services. - TradeArabia News Service