Amazon Web Services will remain the government's official public cloud provider, after Te Tari Taiwhenua Department of Internal Affairs signed a fresh agreement with the United States giant.
Termed the Amazon Web Services Cloud Services Agreement and abbreviated as ACSA, the DIA believes the deal will leverage the scale of government agencies, as a single customer, and simplify their contractual processes.
ACSA replaces the existing, six-year-old AWS New Zealand Government Cloud Framework, which is set to expire next month.
A change from the earlier agreement is that agencies across the public sector can now buy services directly from AWS, or through one of the cloud giant's local solutions providers, or distributors, such as Data, Deloitte or Consegna.
The AWS country manager for the public sector in New Zealand, Tim Dacombe-Bird, said there is a range of new benefits with the ACSA.
"For example, those new to the cloud will benefit from a package of services to support cloud adoption, upskill their workforce, establish a secure and compliant foundation, and develop an effective cloud migration plan," Dacombe-Bird said.
Deloite said it will provide access to over 200 AWS services that it reseslls.
Consegna's managing director John Taylor said the the simplified new agreement will make it easlier for public sector customers to reduce their contract negotiation costs, for rolling out services using AWS technologies.
Agencies will have access to conformance packs developed by AWS and the Government Communications Security Bureau (GSCB) and which are based on the New Zealand Government Information Security Manual (NZISM), for their cloud environments,
Beyond hosting several digital services for the New Zealand COVID-19 pandemic response such as the vaccine register, Tracer and My Covid Record apps for Health New Zealand, AWS counts several other government agencies as customers for its cloud offerings.
These include the Department of Conservation, Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand, Wellington City Council, and University of Auckland.
Wellington-based Rob Schroder, the capture manager for New Zealand, will act as the AWS contact person for government agenices.
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