Govt releases whole-of-government hosting strategy

The federal government has released a new whole-of-government hosting strategy aimed at strengthening the security of government data.

The hosting strategy is designed to act as a framework for improved data sovereignty, supply chain and data centre ownership provisions, while protecting privacy and improving the resilience of data infrastructure.

Under the new strategy, data centre facilities that host high-value government data will be required to achieve certification as sovereign or assured data centres.

The strategy also calls for the establishment of a Digital Infrastructure Service that will manage this data centre certification, and be in charge of ensuring the data hosting ecosystem is supported by an effective network infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the Digital Transformation Agency plans to work with industry representatives to develop a strategic partnership based around the government being a single unified customer.

Minister for Human Services and Digital Transformation Michael Keenan said data will be critical to the government successfully executing its digital transformation strategy.

“As we are delivering on our vision to be a world-leading digital government, Australians need to be sure government data is subject to safeguards that meet the most stringent sovereignty and security requirements... this strategy will ensure that we have a trusted, secure hosting ecosystem, including data centre and network infrastructure, and our services can rely on data being safe and secure throughout the supply chain,” he said.

“This is the first time the Australian Government has had a clear and coordinated approach to hosting of government data that recognises data security and sovereignty are key enablers for delivering services digitally.”

Image credit: ©alphaspirit/Dollar Photo Club

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