Vol. 4, No. 4 April 2013 ISSN 2079-8407
Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences ©2009-2013 CIS Journal. All rights reserved.
http://www.cisjournal.org
377
E-Government Based on Cloud Computing 1 Kostandina Veljanovska,
2 Violeta Zdravevska
1 Associate Professor in Information Systems and Networks, Artificial Intelligence and Systems and Data Processing at the Faculty of
Administration and Information Systems Management, University “St. Kliment Ohridski” - Bitola, R. Macedonia. 2 Master student, Faculty of Administration and Information System Management,
University “St. Kliment Ohridski” -Bitola, Republic of Macedonia
ABSTRACT The concept of cloud computing becomes important for each government, facilitating its way of work, increasing its
productivity and all that leading to cost savings. Different country chooses different strategy for adoption of cloud
computing with a possibility to become better and more effective e-government. In this paper, the scope of our work is
oriented toward description of cloud computing, e-government and description of the way in which Australia implemented
cloud computing and where is Republic of Macedonia in these field. The analysis of the Australian cloud computing
adoption strategy for e-government helps to understand the process of implementation of cloud computing that both
Macedonian government and citizens will adopt it as soon as possible. Results show progress in Macedonian information
society and a good start in cloud computing pilot projects.
Keywords: cloud computing, e-government. Information and Communication Technology, pilot projects
1. INTRODUCTION Information and Communication Technologies
are the key factor for global society development.
Innovations in information and communication technology
are always there in order to increase productivity, to
change the way we work, to grow business economy, to
share global knowledge and to have automated business
processes and communications. One important innovation
in information and communication technology is cloud
computing. Over the past few years cloud computing made
revolution in the way of working in many areas.
In this paper we will see what is cloud computing,
the types of clouds, architecture of cloud computing and
how e-government is realized over the cloud computing
architecture. Also there is a description of the Australian
government strategy of adoption of cloud computing
concept and where is Republic of Macedonia in adoption
of cloud computing. At the end we analyze the possibility
of using the cloud computing for the e-government in
Republic of Macedonia.
2. CLOUD COMPUTING Cloud computing is a revolutionary concept for
many businesses, governments and citizens. Definition for
Cloud computing is that “Cloud computing is a new way
of delivering computing resources (network, services,
servers, data storing), not a new technology” [ENISA,
European Network and Information Security Agency] [1].
The users, like businesses, customers, governments or
others, can use an application without installation at any
computers and can access to the required data via Internet
access. Another definition is that “Cloud computing is a
style of Computing where scalable and elastic IT
capabilities are provided as a service to a multiple
customers using Internet technologies, on a pay per use
basis [Melbourne IT, Australia’s largest domain name
registrar] [2]. According to Gather, by 2012, 20% of
businesses will adopt cloud services and own no IT assets
[3].
Cloud computing can be classified into 4 types
based on the location where the cloud is hosted. These four
types have common traits, but they also have different key
features.
The four types of clouds on the basis of their host
location are listed below [4] [5].
Public Cloud: Cloud provider dynamically
allocates resources on a per-user basis through
web application. This type, public cloud, allows
unlimited access and unlimited data capacity for
the consumers.
Private Cloud: The private cloud is known as an
internal cloud. The private cloud computing is the
next generation of virtualization. This type allows
increased data security and customized IT
network control.
Hybrid Cloud: Usage of both public and private
cloud together.
Community Cloud: Organizations of the same
community share computing infrastructure. This
cloud may be managed by the organization or by
a third-party.
Cloud computing offers significant advantages,
some of them are [3] [5]:
Users pay according to the model “pay-as-you-
use”, avoiding capital investment
Scalability –access to the additional resources
when they are needed
Availability – high available application, CPU,
file system, network, storage space
Cost reducing – lower IT cost, energy cost and
carbon emission. By 2020, U.S. companies that
Vol. 4, No. 4 April 2013 ISSN 2079-8407
Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences ©2009-2013 CIS Journal. All rights reserved.
http://www.cisjournal.org
378
use cloud computing will be able to achieve
annual energy savings of $12.3 billion and annual
carbon reduction equivalent to 200 million barrels
of oil – enough to power 5.7 million cars for one
year (Based on Bureau of Transportation
Statistics average miles per gallon, Federal
Highway Administration average annual mileage
and the Energy Information Agency gallons of
gasoline per barrel of oil. Survey was made on
2,653 U.S. global companies with annual
revenues of more than $1 billion in the U.S.) [6].
Cloud computing software facilitates the
manipulation of large databases
Multi-tenancy
Virtualization
Service oriented software
Advances security technology
Businesses, governments and individuals benefit
from using the services offered by cloud computing.
3. ARCHITECTURE OF CLOUD
COMPUTING The concept of cloud computing would be clear
by describing the cloud computing architecture. Cloud
computing provides a set of services and can be
represented as layered architecture. There are three
architectural layers according to its provided services:
SaaS, PaaS and IaaS.
Software as a Service (SaaS): The capability
provided to the consumer is to use the provider’s
application running on a cloud infrastructure. The
applications are accessible from various client
devices, such as a web browser. The consumer
does not manage or control the underlying cloud
infrastructure including network, servers,
operating systems, storage, or even individual
application capabilities, with the possible
exception of limited user-specific application
configuration settings [7]. According to a Gather
Group estimate [8], SaaS sales in 2010 reached $
$10 billion and were projected to increase to
$12.2 in 2011. In the fourth quarter of 2011, only
17 percent of organizations have replaced or plan
to replace parts of their core business intelligence
functions with clouds/SaaS offerings. Almost a
third (27%) already uses or plans to use
cloud/SaaS option to augment their business
intelligence capabilities for specific lines of
business or subject areas in the next 12 months
[9].
Platform as a Service (PaaS): The capability
provided to the consumer is to deploy onto the
cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquired
applications, created using programming
languages and tools supported by the provider.
The consumer does not manage or control the
underlying cloud infrastructure including
network, servers, operating systems, or storage,
but has control over the deployed applications and
possibly application hosting environment
configurations [7].
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): The
capability provided to the consumer is to provide
processing, storage, networks, and other
fundamental computing resources where the
consumer is able to deploy and run arbitrary
software, which can include operating systems
and applications. The consumer does not manage
or control the underlying cloud infrastructure but
has control over: operating systems, storage,
deployed applications, and possibly limited
control of selected networking components (e.g.
host firewalls) [7].
The technologies behind the Cloud are:
virtualization, distributed computing, grid technology, free
and open source platform, service oriented architecture,
browser as a platform. Other technologies are: Service
Level Agreement (SLA), autonomic system, web 2.0, web
application framework and others [3].
4. E-GOVERNANCE OVER THE
CONCEPT OF CLOUD COMPUTING Cloud computing can be a choice of interest for a
government with a view to become e-government and to
be effective and proactive regarding to the change that
happens in the area of Information technology. E-
government is a process of reform in the way how
governments work, share information, engage citizens and
deliver services to external and internal clients while the
government and clients that they serve benefit from this
way of working.
Many governments worked on projects to adopt
the concept of cloud computing, for example: Australia,
USA where administration started a project related to
cloud computing for identifying services that can use cloud
computing, United Kingdom where a project for adopting
cloud computing was started with the objective to reduce
its administrative costs, Canada, New Zealand, Japan
which that work on project for various ministries to share
platforms and infrastructure. In Europe, countries that are
among the leaders in adopting cloud computing for e-
governance working are France, Sweden and Spain [4].
E-government realized through the concept of
cloud computing offers an effective way of sharing
information to the citizens and businesses, helps budget
management and decision makers, reduces its efforts of
providing services and effectively utilizes resources
provided by its services. The government’s ministries,
interested in the environmental pollution and involved in
the “Go green” projects, collaborate with each other
through cloud computing, using a common infrastructure,
platform and applications and delivering cost-effective
Vol. 4, No. 4 April 2013 ISSN 2079-8407
Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences ©2009-2013 CIS Journal. All rights reserved.
http://www.cisjournal.org
379
services to the public. All of these efforts can drive the
growth of the economy and government productivity.
E-government’s services provided over the
concept of cloud computing need to be automated. E-
government’s services fall into the following categories
[5]:
Government to Government (G2G): Interaction
between government organizations, departments
and ministries with the intention to exchange
information, to collaborate, to deliver services and
so on. Typically, when some services from this
category are provided, the level of message
passing across government organizations,
departments and ministries is really high.
Government to Enterprise (G2E): Services that
belong to this category are delivered to the
enterprises. Enterprises need to react according to
the policies implemented in those services and
those services are controlled by the government.
The high level of law enforcement is one of the
main characteristics for the G2E services.
Government to Business (G2B): Government
provides services for the businesses over creating
and managing contracts for business working.
Government to Citizens (G2C): Government
provides innumerable services from this category
for the citizens. In this category, different
government’s departments offer various services
for the citizens.
With the e-government adoption of cloud
computing, all government’s services are virtualized.
Because e-Government requires 24/7 hours infrastructure
availability, with cloud computing this can be achieved.
Also cloud computing application offers unlimited supply
of data storage, CPU, memory and bandwidth.
5. AUSTRALIA: COUNTRY THAT
DEVELOPED CLOUD COMPUTING
STRATEGY FOR E- GOVERNMENT The Australian Government has the US
Government’s National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) definition for cloud computing, and
that is: Cloud computing is an ICT sourcing and delivery
model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access
to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g.
networks, servers, storage, applications and services) that
can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal
management effort or service provider interaction [10]
[11].
The Australian government’s businesses activities
are dependent upon the Information and Communication
technologies. With cloud computing, services are delivered
to the end user’s devices on demand, but, when cloud
computing concept is adopted for e-government working,
there are different requirements concerning security and
privacy required for the government transactions and
services for the citizens [10].
Since 2011, Australian government’s agencies
investigated opportunities for cloud solutions and
implemented cloud solutions through a risk-managed
approach taking into consideration cloud computing
services for money, benefits, security requirements and
service level requirements. Australian government had a
vision to become government’s ICT ecosystem and to
satisfy the needs of businesses, citizens and enterprises by
using cloud computing. Using the strategy for cloud
computing, Australia tends to satisfy those needs in an
optimal way related to cost, flexibility and security. This
strategy is both, tactical and strategic and it’s based on a
risk-based approach [10].
6. PILOT PROJECTS FOR CLOUD
COMPUTING BY AUSTRALIAN
GOVERNMENT’S AGENCIES According to the Australian Government Cloud
Computing Strategy, Australian government’s agencies
seek innovative ways to deliver government services and
want to rationalize their ICT asset.
Some agencies have already commenced small
pilots and proofs of concepts to evaluate the potential of
application, platforms and infrastructure cloud computing.
The agencies are [10]:
Agency Pilots / proof of concepts /
implementation of cloud computing
West Australian
Department of
Treasury and
Finance (DTF)
DTF implemented private cloud.
This was announced in August
2010.
West Australian
Health (WA
Health)
WA Health implemented private
cloud. This was announced in
August 2010 and anticipated
competition for WA Health data
centers were in April 2011 and June
2011.
Department of
Immigration and
Citizenship
(DIAC)
DIAC implemented hybrid cloud
and important issue was centrality
versus distributed centers.
Department of
Human Services
(DHS)
DHC implemented public cloud and
this department is only in the stage
of the proof of concept.
Australian
Maritime Safety
Authority (AMSA)
AMSA implemented public cloud.
This department adopted cloud
computing of pilot-cloud based
application on a vendor platform
(Force.com).
Australian
Government
Information
Management
Office (AMIGO)
AMIGO adopted IaaS and PaaS
cloud computing delivered models.
The data sets on the data.gov.au
were migrated onto the public
Amazon cloud. The data.gov.au and
Vol. 4, No. 4 April 2013 ISSN 2079-8407
Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences ©2009-2013 CIS Journal. All rights reserved.
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380
govspace.gov.au websites were
migrated onto a private cloud.
The Australian Government Cloud Computing
Strategy is consisted of three streams [10]:
Stream 1: Started in 2011 with preparation to
adopt cloud computing (policies, principles,
contract guidance and knowledge sharing) for
agencies. Example: sharing information.
Stream 2: It’s parallel with Stream1 and started
in 2011 until onwards. Includes tactical adoption
of government’s cloud computing where public
and hybrid clouds are commercially available.
Using public clouds means low-risk
information/services dissemination. Example:
open government data, government websites and
portals.
Stream 3: Started in mid 2011 until onwards.
Includes strategic adoption of government’s cloud
computing integrated with Data center strategy
for public and community clouds. There is
advanced virtualization and/or community/private
cloud. Using public clouds mean low risk
services, outsourced private clouds mean medium
risk services and using community clouds for
government mean low, medium and high risk
services. Example: agency-specific applications,
shared business processes, citizen-driven service
delivery.
7. REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA AND
CLOUD COMPUTING The Republic of Macedonia has been making a
continual progress in the field of information society.
Projects have been realized for simulation and encouraging
development of innovative products and services.
Macedonian industry and society in general are actively
moving toward new achievements in all fields. The
Government of the Republic of Macedonia, through the
Ministry of Information Society and Administration,
already works on the realization of a pilot project for
evaluating the cloud computing potentials [Speech of
Marta Arsovska Tomovska – Deputy Minister of
Information society and administration at the 2012 Skopje
BizTech, the International business technology fair, 6th
February, 2012].
The Government and the Ministry of Information
Society and Administration (MIOA) are thinking about a
central provider of hardware and software for
government’s systems and applications. They are in the
stage to decide whether the cloud computing would be
adopted by the concept where the government will be the
provider or the project would be realized by the private
sector. A study about the cloud computing service cost-
effectiveness in the public sector will start soon, in order to
find appropriate model for the MIOA and governmental
institutions.
Cloud computing will change the manner of work
in all sectors, including public sector connecting it to the
“global IT migration” process. The process has enormous
influences on companies providing IT equipment,
software, IT support and services. This influences the
global savings in industry and initiates new wave of
technological revolution [Speech of Ivo Ivanovski -
Minister of Information society and administration at the
Conference 9th
SEEITA and 8th
MASIT Open Days,
Skopje, 18th October, 2011].
The adoption of cloud computing in Republic of
Macedonia would be facilitated after the acceptance of the
new law on public partnership. In 2011 the Government
and the Ministry of Information Society and
Administration (MIOA) started “open e-services” project
which was based on the public partnership including 138
services and 60 documents. According to this project, IT
companies get the opportunities to develop electronic
services that are offered by the public institutions to the
citizens and to provide fast access to them via Internet. IT
companies will make profit from this way of working and
citizens and the private sector will have new possibility for
getting electronic services without waiting at counter
desks. By realization of this project, Republic of
Macedonia would be the leader in the Europe by e-services
that are offered by the state. [12]
8. CONCLUSION The concept of cloud computing is widespread
popular because it offers all-in-one solution and can satisfy
the IT needs that grow all the time. We can conclude that
Republic of Macedonia noticed the importance of this
concept and declares that it will start realizing projects to
adopt it. Although Australia already started pilot projects
based on a risk-based approach, when we compare these
two countries we will see that Republic of Macedonia with
it potential in the field of information and communication
technologies and Macedonian government’s intervention,
is on the right scent at adoption of cloud computing.
REFERENCES
[1] ENISA, Cloud computing: benefits, risks and
recommendations for information security, 2009
[2] http://vcloudexpress.melbourneit.com.au/
[3] Andy Malone, The cloud Chronicles: Security over
the rainbow, page 4-9, 2011
[4] Australian Academy of Technological Science and
Engineering (ATSE), Cloud Computing:
Opportunities and Challenges for Australia, page 1-
3, 13-15, 2010
Vol. 4, No. 4 April 2013 ISSN 2079-8407
Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences ©2009-2013 CIS Journal. All rights reserved.
http://www.cisjournal.org
381
[5] International Institute of Information Technology
(IIIT), Cloud Computing for E-government,
Hyderabad, India, page 3-7, 2010
[6] Carbon Disclosure Project, Carbon Disclosure
Project Study 2011, Cloud Computing – The IT
solutions for 21st Century
[7] David C. Wyld, The cloud future of government IT:
Cloud computing and the public sector around the
world, Vol 1, Num 1, page 2-3, January 2010
[8] McHall, Tom. “Gather Says Worldwide Software as
a Service Revenue is Forecast to Crow 21 Percent in
2011” ,7 July 2011
(http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1739214)
[9] Petey Christy. “Gartner Says Nearly One Third of
Organizations Use or Plan to Use Cloud Offerings
to Augment Business Intelligence Capabilities”, 25
January 2012
(http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1903814
[10] Australian Government, Department of Finance and
Deregulation, Cloud Computing Strategic Direction
Paper, Opportunities and applicability for use by the
Australian Government, Version 1.0, page 5-10, 22,
31, April 2011
[11] Peter Mell and Thomoty Grance, The NIST
Definition of Cloud Computing, Recommendations
of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology, Special Publication 800-145, page 2-3,
September 2011
[12] http://www.mioa.gov.mk
AUTHOR PROFILE
1. Prof. Kostandina Veljanovska: Dr Kostandina
Veljanovska completed her education at the
University "Sts. Kiril i Metodi", Skopje (BSc in
Computer Science), at the University of Toronto,
Toronto (MASc in Applied Engineering) and got her
MSc and also her PhD in Technical Sciences at the
University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Bitola, R.
Macedonia. She worked as a Research assistant at the
ITS Centre and Testbed at the Faculty of Applied
Science, University of Toronto, Canada. Currently,
she works as an Associate Professor in Information
Systems and Networks, Artificial Intelligence and
Systems and Data Processing at the Faculty of
Administration and Information Systems
Management, University “St. Kliment Ohridski” -
Bitola, R. Macedonia
2. Violeta Zdravevska: Violeta Zdravevska received her
Bachelor’s degree in Information systems
management from the Faculty of administration and
information system Management, Bitola, University
“Sv.Kliment Ohridski”, Republic of Macedonia. After
graduation, the rector of the “Sv. Kliment Ohridski”
University awarded her an honorable mention and an
award for the best achieved success (10,00) on the
Faculty of administration and information system
management. Since 2011, Violeta Zdravevska has
been master student in the Faculty of administration
and information system management, Bitola,
department: Engineering and management of software
application, module: Computer engineering.