Study

Over the past ten years, cloud technologies have fundamentally transformed the global IT landscape. Many digital services and applications that are now indispensable in our everyday lives – whether in entertainment, communication or connected mobility – are based on flexible and scalable cloud infrastructure. In industrial digitalisation, too, the cloud provides an indispensable foundation for innovative processes and new business models.

In contrast, the public sector – particularly the German civil service – has so far shown reluctance to adopt cloud solutions. The debate has been dominated above all by concerns regarding data sovereignty and control over critical information. Initial initiatives aimed at promoting the use of cloud technologies in the public sector struggled to keep pace with the technological advances of major international providers. As a result, the public sector has lagged behind developments in the national and international cloud market.

However, with the introduction of the German Public Administration Cloud Strategy (DVS), a clear shift is evident: Public administration is increasingly signalling a willingness to integrate cloud technologies into its IT structures. Furthermore, the awarding of cloud broker services by govdigital eG has created important legal conditions that make it possible to make public cloud services accessible to large parts of the German public administration. These developments mark the beginning of a major shift and pave the way for increased cloud usage in the public sector.

This study, entitled ‘Between innovation and sovereignty: the cloud and the digital future of public administration – the market, its development prospects and decision-making structures’ aims to address existing reservations and shed light on the potential of cloud usage in the public sector. It is intended to serve as a guide for public administrations to identify clear courses of action for the deployment of cloud technologies. In doing so, it examines current strategies and plans at federal, state and local levels, whilst also providing a detailed analysis of the current market offering for cloud services. Finally, both dimensions are brought together in a strategic analysis to highlight the necessary changes for both providers and users.

The conclusion summarises the key findings of the study and derives concrete recommendations for action from them.