Opening Remarks by Mr. Victor Lam, JP, Government Chief Information Officer, at “The 7th Cloud Forum” (with photos)
Distinguished speakers, honourable guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning! It is my honor to address you at today’s 7th Cloud Forum. This Forum, gathering so many business leaders and industry experts, is a perfect occasion for us not only to unlock the endless possibilities brought about by cloud technologies and innovation, but also to explore how their applications can expedite digital transformation, thereby improving business continuity, agility and scalability.
Cloud technology is well recognised as the powerhouse that propels the development of a digital economy. Its rapid evolvement and adoption are driven by the ever-increasing needs of business transformation, rising customer demands and the massive quantity of data generated. According to the latest forecast of Gartner, Inc., worldwide spending on cloud services keeps on rising and is forecast to grow 20% this year to US$495 billion, and is expected to reach nearly US$600 billion in 2023. The overwhelming advantages of cloud technology in reducing costs, enhancing operational flexibility and scalability, improving data security, and facilitating data storage and advanced technology collaboration will undoubtedly continue to shine in the post-pandemic era.
The Hong Kong SAR Government spares no effort in enhancing our cloud infrastructure for accelerating digital transformation of public services, improving operational efficiency and enhancing user experience. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, the Government further strengthens our efforts in promoting digital government services, with a view to facilitating the public and enterprises to continue using various public services through electronic means while maintaining social distancing and reducing the virus transmission risk. The immense IT resources of the government cloud - the Government Cloud Infrastructure Services (GCIS), has greatly facilitated government departments to expedite their provision of new digital government services for supporting various anti-epidemic measures. These new services include online vaccination booking, checking of electronic vaccination records, implementation of red/amber code, declaration of rapid antigen test results, and registration for consumption vouchers, to name but a few. Currently, there are more than 380 application systems running on GCIS. As announced by the Chief Executive in his Policy Address last week, we will conduct an e‑Government audit across the Government to make recommendations in making use of advanced technologies, such as big data analytics, artificial intelligence, blockchain and geospatial analytics, riding on the government cloud, to deliver innovative applications and services. We expect some 100 new digital government projects will be launched in the coming three years with the application of new and innovative technologies to provide further convenience to the public.
Another important digital infrastructure is the “iAM Smart” platform which enables Hong Kong residents to use a single digital identity for authentication and conducting online transactions. The number of registered users of “iAM Smart” already reached 1.6 million. Currently, more than 220 online services provided by public and private organisations are accessible through “iAM Smart”. We aim to provide one-stop digital government services by fully adopting “iAM Smart” within three years so as to realise a “single portal for online government services” (「一網通辦」).
Cloud is the catalyst for business and public services reinvention and transformation. Every organisation should therefore strive to find the right balance for its business drivers, technology needs and industry dynamics to achieve the right blend of scale and speed in its cloud adoption. I trust all of you will continue with your interesting and unique cloud and innovation journey. I wish the Forum every success, and all of you a rewarding experience today. Thank you!
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