Thailand gears up toward full-scale cloud government next year
Top exec says NT ready to facilitate the transition
National Telecommunications Plc (NT) is preparing to expand its support for government agencies transitioning their systems to cloud platforms under the "Go Cloud First" policy of the Digital Economy and Society Ministry, which aims to migrate all government systems to the cloud by next year.
Speaking on the Public Sector Day Thailand 2024 event on Friday, NT managing director Colonel Sappachai Huwanan said that currently its GDCC (Government Data Centre and Cloud) service provides infrastructure as a service (IaaS) with over 40,000 virtual machines, supporting more than 800 government agencies and over 3,000 systems.
“This setup involves data storage that is segregated by agency, with siloed usage,” he said. “This means some of the data can only be accessed by specific groups, and multiple parties are unable to access the same dataset.”
Sappachai said that to address this limitation, NT aims to elevate its system under a "Cloud First" approach, combining private and public clouds with cutting-edge, limitless technology. This will encompass services in infrastructure (IaaS), platform (PaaS), and software (SaaS) to support the development of digital government and enable more efficient use of big data.
“The modern global public sector is embracing cloud technology to develop convenient, one-stop services for citizens, and Thailand cannot afford to miss this trend,” he said. “The key to this transformation lies in the integration of government data through Open Data on the cloud, which will pave the way for the use of AI technology.”
Sappachai pointed out that Open Data will enable the training of AI systems for the public sector using data specific to Thailand. Advancements in technologies such as AI, blockchain, and smart city platforms will follow once all government agencies are ready to move their data to the cloud and collaborate on data integration, he added.
To enhance the comprehensive capabilities of the central government cloud system, NT has developed the CMP (Cloud Management Platform), which serves as a connector between the GDCC and the new cloud systems that support Open Data.
The platform was developed in collaboration with global cloud service providers such as AWS (Amazon Web Services), as well as other hyperscale cloud providers. The CMP will provide government agencies with greater flexibility in selecting the most suitable cloud services based on the specific needs of each project.
"After all government agencies have moved their data to the cloud, Thailand can fully advance its technology in governance. Each province will have cloud-based systems with interconnected APIs, allowing other agencies to access and utilise Open Data for mutual benefit. This will enhance the efficiency of data analysis, address the country's development needs across various dimensions, improve the quality of life for citizens, and increase the nation's long-term competitive capabilities,” said Sappachai.
