Overwhelming knowledge and skills deficit in central government is undermining progress of cloud adoption

The adoption of cloud services in central government is being undermined by an overwhelming knowledge and skills deficit, according to research from Eduserv, a government cloud services provider.

The research found that a lack of awareness of cloud and a lack of skills were the top two barriers to adoption in central government, far outweighing concerns around security or procurement.

Some 88% of civil servants said their department needed help in the form of additional training so they could understand how the cloud was relevant and only a quarter said the benefits of cloud were well-understood by stakeholders in their organisation.

Half of those questioned (51%) said they did not think their department had the technical skills to implement cloud initiatives and only 54% said project management skills were fit for purpose for cloud migration.

Commenting on the findings, Andrew Hawkins, Director of Government Services at Eduserv said: “The skills and knowledge gap highlighted by this research raises real concerns about the pace at which the government can progress its cloud-first ambitions.

Government is in a position where the technology and tools are available to improve efficiency and performance but it needs to take action to make sure it has the skills and knowledge to deliver the benefits it expects from its cloud-first programme.

A broad understanding of what, why and how cloud can support the delivery of government business is vital if cloud projects are to be prioritised and supported within government departments.”