DEEM government cloud saves Saudi Arabia SR 5 billion
Largest government cloud in the region serves 237 government entities
#Saudi #governmentcloud - The DEEM government cloud programme of Saudi Arabia has saved government entities more than SAR 5 billion ($1.33b)1 up until 2023, according to new figures from Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) and the Expenditure and Project Efficiency Authority (EXPRO). SDAI has brought Saudi Arabia’s government more than $13 billion in savings and additional revenue as a result of digital transformation programmes, since the authority was formed in 2019.
SO WHAT? - DEEM is the largest government cloud in the Middle East, hosting data from 237 government entities and integrating 175 government data sets. The programme was implemented in alignment with a government ‘cloud-first’ policy introduced by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in 2019, which was launched in line with the country’s Vision 2030 national development strategy. The brunt of the data transformation, integration and cloud provisioning work for this massive digital transformation project took place in less than three years.
Here are some more details about Saudi Arabia’s government cloud:
Saudi Arabia’s DEEM Government Cloud has resulted in financial savings exceeding SR5 billion ($1.33b), according to the Saudi Data & Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) and the Expenditure and Project Efficiency Authority (EXPRO).
The government cloud-computing platform was launched in August 2018 to integrate government data centres in order to provide a secure and unified platform for applications, data services and operations across all government bodies in the Kingdom.
The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology launched Saudi Arabia’s Cloud-First Policy in 2019, aligning with Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program 2020. The policy requires government entities to prioritise cloud solutions and services.
SDAI itself was formed in 2019 and during its first year, begun building DEEM, integrating 83 data centres owned by over 40 Saudi government bodies, and accounting for than 80 percent of government datasets.
Today, data and services from 237 government entities are hosted on DEEM, integrating 175 government data sets and 169 government data centres. More than 50 cloud services are provided to government entities via the platform.
DEEM also hosts 94,339+ electronic mailboxes.
According to SDAIA figures DEEM has also reduced 64+ megawatts (MW) of power consumption, thereby reducing carbon emissions by 608,000 tons.
The Saudi Press Agency quoted SAR 5 billion in its repot on 17-Jul-24, but SDAIA’s website provides an estimate of SAR 5.6 billion (or $1.49b).