The way to end corruption and speed economic development in Ukraine may
lie in technology — especially the emerging field of “cloud computing.”
At least that was the pitch from Orlando Ayala, chairman of
emerging markets for Microsoft, who was in Kyiv this week to speak about
the role communication technology will play in Ukraine’s future.
He believes Ukraine’s relatively good educational system and large
number of software developers are factors that could make the country a
key player in the international technology market. But to move forward,
the country must change the way it does things.
“You can have all the technology in the world, but if you don’t have the
political willingness to change policy and produce reform, it’s very
hard to make this jump,” Ayala said.
Recommendations for exactly what steps Ukraine should take are outlined
in a report put together by Microsoft under Ayala’s supervision. Ayala
presented these ideas to presidential chief of staff Serhiy Lyovochkin
in a June 8 meeting.
The next step, Ayala said, is actually implementing policy that will make this possible.
You can have all the technology in the world, but
if you don’t have the political willingness to change policy and
produce reform, it’s very hard to make this jump.– Orlando Ayala.
Improved information and communication technology is the best way to
both further government transparency and help Ukraine become more
competitive in global markets, according to the Microsoft report.
Cooperation between private and public sectors is necessary to bring
Ukraine up to date with access to Internet and communication technology
in the future.
“Cloud computing” — an emerging technology that would centralize all
government data on the Internet — is the best way for governments to
maximize efficiency and transparency, according to Ayala. With “cloud
computing,” citizens can easily access public information from all
sectors of the government.
This should also increase efficiency in paperwork reduction and
communications that, Ayala believes, will lead to less corruption within
government.
Several countries have already started using technology to speed
efficiency. In the United States, The Office of E-Government and
Information Technology is dedicated to improving public access to
information.
In February, the U.S. government established a “Cloud First” policy to
begin streamlining government information technology resources using
cloud computing.
If Ukraine is to develop a successful e-government plan, it needs to
specify a political entity that is responsible for information
technology, according to the Microsoft report.
Government should also improve access to computers and
information-technology education in primary schools and secondary
schools and provide training to all public sector workers.
Ayala was optimistic about Ukraine’s future, but said that progress will
only take place when government commits specific funding and oversight
to its technology goals. “I have very serious doubts that you can
actually make progress unless you commit yourself to use technology to
enable the changes in public policy,” he said.
Alissa Ambrose, KyivPost
