Tech Giants’ Increase Dominance Government in New Zealand’s Cloud Computing Market: Raises Concerns Over Competition, Innovation and Data Privacy

As tech giants such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft continue to expand their presence in the government cloud computing market within New Zealand, concerns are being raised about the potential consequences of their increasing dominance. Only a few companies, including Amazon, Microsoft, and local firm Catalyst Cloud, authorised to provide cloud services to the government, it raises concerns about vendor lock-in, market competition and innovation. The government is taking steps to address these concerns, such as implementing new regulations and promoting the use of open standards, however the issue of tech giants’ dominance in the cloud computing market will remain a key challenge for New Zealand until the government provides an even playing field.

What is the Governance Cube?

We developed a framework called the governance cube a few years ago to help multi disciplinary teams build a common understanding of government systems. It looks at government systems as having 3 dimensions. These dimensions are:

Governance Domain: these are the places where constraints can be imposed on a system to influence the behaviour of the entities operating within it;

Governance Functions: these are the tasks that are carried out by governments to ensure the entities adhere to the rules;

Governed Entities: these are the entities whose behaviour we are trying to govern.

Business Model Canvas for Government ICT

Over the last few years we’ve spent time modifying the Business Model Canvas for use in the design and development of government systems. For those of you unfamiliar with the Business Model Canvas it is a strategic management tool that creates a shared language for describing, visualizing and assessing business models. The principles used by the Business Model Canvas provide a useful framework for government ICT projects which are notorious for high rates of failure with reports of 70%-80% rates of failure. However the Business Model Canvas was developed for the needs of business. We have spent several years modifying and battle testing the Government Business Model Canvas for use in the government context.

Strategy Development for e-Government using Wardley Mapping

Cynefin Framework

Before developing an IT Strategy you need to conduct a situational analysis of the the current landscape. An IT situational analysis involves understanding the current technological landscape and mapping out the value chains that will be required for delivering on the strategy.

When working with clients we help them to do this using a technique called wardley mapping.