The MCA holds the first edition of the Malta Cloud Forum - an event aimed at bridging the gap between cloud computing take-up and local businesses
The Malta Communications Authority (MCA), with the support of two of the most renowned Cloud Computing Providers - Microsoft and Google, and the members of the Malta Cloud Forum, today hosted its first national cloud computing event, entitled Malta Cloud Forum 2017. The aim of the event was to spread awareness on the benefits brought about by cloud computing solutions amongst business organisations, especially SMEs and Micro Enterprises.
The Malta Cloud Forum, established in 2016, is a multi-stakeholder forum of parties interested in the cloud computing eco-system, comprising representatives from consulting companies, civil society, government and academia. The Forum is chaired by the MCA. Its objective is to meet quarterly to discuss cloud computing uptake in Malta, and pave the Authority’s way in terms of spreading cloud computing awareness, educating, increasing uptake amongst business organisations, and taking down the barriers that block SMEs and Micros from progressing onto the cloud. Thus, the forum aspires to create an innovative local culture that supports, embraces, and benefits from cloud computing. The Malta Cloud Forum believes that cloud computing allows organisations to compete and innovate in an ever-changing market via large scale resource optimization and sharing.
Today’s event was one of the deliverables of the Malta Cloud Forum. The event delved into a number of topics related to the cloud, with special emphasis on the local scene. Presentations were delivered by Microsoft and Google, which focused on the way cloud computing can help business organisations transform the way they operate into a more agile and efficient way. They outlined some of the major business benefits brought about by transitioning to the cloud, namely: access to enterprise software solutions; more agility in service provisioning; and a more cost efficient IT procurement model.A fireside chat by MITA delved into the Government’s move of its services to the cloud; the benefits this generates for both Government and citizens; the targets that MITA aims to achieve by this move; and how this can be applied to SMEs.
Representatives from the eSkills Foundation shared their insights on the national skills gap on cloud computing. Finally, the event also included a panel discussion comprising local business organisations that have transitioned onto the cloud, and other legal and academic experts.
The Malta Cloud Forum is also tasked with conducting regular studies on the adoption of the cloud model by local businesses, as well as the challenges that arise from its implementation. In this respect, the MCA, on behalf of the Malta Cloud Forum, has just conducted a survey on the local cloud computing landscape, for which findings are to be published later on. Furthermore, the MCA proudly announces the launch of an eLearning portal, serving as a mini toolkit for those who want to further their knowledge about the cloud or those who are at the beginning of their cloud transition journey, and wish to establish a more solid background on the topic. This was kindly provided to the MCA by Cloud Academy, and is now accessible on https://mca.org.mt/content/what-is-cloud-computing.
The MCA would like to extend its appreciation to the members of the Malta Cloud Forum, as well as those who supported this event.
Published on: 30/11/2017