The future is digital. All governments and policymakers have realised this and are trying to steer their nations towards a future where life of citizens will be made easier using the latest technology. Qatar has introduced many projects and innovations in its effort to digitalise the country and the positive changes are there to be seen all around us.
The news that Microsoft, in cooperation with the Ministry of Transport and Communications, is setting-up a new cloud data-center region in Qatar adds further momentum to the country’s digital transformation efforts and will help build a knowledge-based economy.
Qatar has been pushing ahead with the Qatar Digital Government 2020 Strategy, which will help transform government departments and various ministries to introduce initiatives to make government more efficient, effective, accessible and customer centric.
Microsoft’s cloud services are compliant with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and are certified for a large portfolio of international security and privacy standards, some of which form the basis of Qatar government policies, including the Ministry of Transport and Communications National Information Assurance Policy and the Cloud Security and Information Privacy Protection regulations.
“The cloud datacenter region will contribute to supporting the innovation mechanism in smart solutions in the healthcare services and scientific research in the areas of artificial intelligence, education, and sports event management solutions and applications,” Minister of Transport and Communications H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti said.
Results of these efforts are visible in the increasing number of services being offered through different digital platforms by various ministries. Now people can interact with government departments through these channels and get instant response to their queries and complaints. Most of the services offered by government agencies are now available online and a majority of them can be completed without visiting any office or filling a paper form.
Ministry of Interior offers over a hundred services through the Metrash2 app, which ranges from applying for visit visa to paying traffic fines and all these can be done from a smartphone sitting in the comfort of our home.
More and more government and private agencies are now joining the bandwagon and embracing the digital future. For any innovations or new disruptive technologies to flourish you need an ecosystem which supports and encourages such endeavours. This is where a visionary leadership like Qatar’s plays an important role.
Qatar has identified the importance of research, innovation and science very early and has set up many foundations to help those who dream about the future to pursue the same.
