Rostelecom, the national telecommunications operator, was appointed last Monday by the Russian government to implement important parts of the federal program Information Society 2011–2020, including the “creation of a national platform for distributed data treatment in which computing resources are provided to users as Internet services” – or cloud computing in simpler terms.
Among seventeen different points, Rostelecom will also develop a unified government services portal, a unified “space of trust for electronic signature” (in Russian officialese), an infrastructure for a universal electronic card, a unified system of classifications and directories for the federal and local governments, as well as new IT solutions for state purchasing.
The funds allocated for the work, however, may be insufficient. As noted by ComNews.ru – an online resource specializing in IT issues, – a mere 476 million rubles (approx. $16 million) is to be spent over three years on the cloud-computing program, which is far below the amounts invested in more advanced countries.
Source: ComNews.ru
