PAKISTAN CLOUD FIRST POLICY Background Cloud computing offers a wide variety of potential benefits and opportunities: reduced costs, improved responsiveness to citizens’ needs, increased transparency, environmental benefits & reduced carbon footprint, efficient management, optimization of resources and enhanced public service delivery. Cloud computing fundamentally changes how organizations use Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) in a more efficient way, therefore, all necessary steps are required to be taken to ensure a seamless cloud adoption process, providing the full advantage of the potential and benefits of cloud computing. With a thorough analysis of the expected benefits of cloud computing, the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) is confident that this technology will bring improved access to the delivery of public services for the benefit of all the citizens of Pakistan and provide efficient means of governance to the Government of Pakistan (GoP). The supporting strategy for cloud implementation and the adoption of a cloud model that best suits the needs of the organization will reduce the time and cost of digital service adoption for public entities. This will provide customers with the flexibility to decide, upon their needs and requirements, which applications, data, and resources can be put in the appropriate cloud service and deployment model. Therefore, in coordination with relevant authorities and stakeholders, MoITT publishes Pakistan CloudFirst Policy (PCFP) to encourage cloud adoption across Pakistan. This policy aims to guide and empower organizations to transition to cloud-based solutions. Enabling the accelerated cloud adoption for public sector will fast-track the digital transformation journey of Pakistan. It is also expected that the policy will result in cloud adoption across a variety of markets and industries and foster the growth of the local ICT industry by enabling access to cloud-based technologies and complementing emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and the Internet of Things. This will also provide an opportunity for the indigenous industry to benefit from local and global cloud demand and develop, deploy and market services and solutions based on various cloud service delivery models. Cloud adoption in public sector of Pakistan will also enable GoP to utilize latest technological solutions available in the ever-evolving ICT industry. PCFP is an important element for the achievement of the objectives outlined in the Digital Pakistan Policy such as improving the responsiveness and effectiveness of services delivery by the Government to citizens. It constitutes an integral part to support the GOP’s efforts to promote mass adoption of emerging digital technologies, accelerate digital transformation and development of innovative applications to enable cross-sector socio-economic development and transformation of economic activities, governance models, social interaction, and achievement of sustainable development goals (SDG).Through this policy, MoITT aims to contribute to the GOP’s goal to promote e-Governance to make Pakistan the frontrunner in good governance through IT enablement at all levels. MoITT also aims to reduce the burden of import bills of Pakistan by discouraging investments in organization specific data centres in Public Sector Organizations (PSE) and taking advantage of the economies of scale offered by the cloud. MoITT is determined to develop an ongoing and iterative programme of work that will enable the use of a range of cloud solutions as well as change the way ICT is procured and operated, throughout Pakistan. Successful implementation of this policy will require the help and coordinated efforts from different government departments especially by Ministry of Planning, Development & Special Initiatives for not allowing any public investments into projects having fragmented data centre (noncloud) components, and PPRA for prioritizing cloud adoption by enabling and prioritizing flexible cloud procurement models to integrate cloud capabilities quickly and efficiently and remove obstacles to its adoption. To provide a coherent approach to cloud adoption across Pakistan, provide ease of doing Page 5 of 21