merrion street

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin TD, welcomes the announcement that Vodafone Ireland has been selected to supply a managed high bandwidth fixed data network to Government departments and public sector agencies and that the company plans to invest €5m to provide this infrastructure over the next three years.

Minister Howlin commented, "Cloud computing has the potential to radically change the nature of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) provision in the public service and significantly reduce costs. It is a key element of the strategic future of ICT in this sector. As the Minister with responsibility for the delivery of sustainable public expenditure and the necessary reforms in how we deliver public services, I welcome today’s announcement."

Bill McCluggage, Government Chief Information Officer, added "This new high bandwidth network will enable the public sector to realise its vision of improved and more efficient services based on a ‘Cloud First’ approach. The availability of cloud-based capabilities has fundamentally changed the nature of ICT delivery and its provision across the public service. With this high powered network, we will be able to provide a new range of shared resources and software services that will, eventually, be accessible to every public sector employee from a desk or mobile device. It will help us standardise, consolidate and automate the delivery of ICT across the public sector and reduce spend. It is also underpinned by a solid business case that provides compelling value-for-money for the state and taxpayers."