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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Sultanate has scored well in IT and communication

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SALALAH, August 22 - Oman’s Information Technology readiness is one of the best in the Arab world, said an top official of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)


He also found it at par with some of the best practices adopted internationally.


In an interview Dr Haider M Fraihat, Director Technology for Development Division at UN’s ESCWA, told Observer, “Oman has scored very well. Some of the indicators in general technology and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) are very high. Their e-government model is doing well and as an expert I appreciate their preparedness and ability to innovate.”


He was in Salalah to take part in a two-day international gathering of experts to discuss ‘Electronic trading and cloud computing’


Dr Haider put emphasis on the fact that some of Oman’s capabilities were compatible not only to the Arab world but also to the best practices in the world.


“Their distinction lies in avoidance in committing mistakes and carrying their own models instead of just copy and paste of some successful codes of other countries. The best part is their ability to innovate and implement the ideas,” he said.


Oman’s e-government model, according to him, is suitable for addressing the detailed requirements of the Omani society, “as we are not making the society to adopt the technology, but allowing technology to adopt the society.”


He, however, made strong case for Cloud Computing in the government setting, which is becoming more popular a term as Government Cloud Computing and focused mainly on the pros and cons of this technology.


He explained its application, the best practices involved in it and some success stories which impressed the gathering and the government functionaries, as “several Arab countries have adopted Cloud Computing with good success rate in Bahrain, United Arab Emirate (UAE), Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.


“This new technology is worth considering by the government policymakers because many governments have successfully adopted this. We at UN strongly suggest the countries to have their own architecture instead of imitation or copy and paste from other countries or establishments.”


Commenting on the ability of this technology in serving the common man he said an individual would be benefited without knowing the source whether it is from cloud or non-cloud.


“He will feel difference in speed and quality, which ultimately is the success of the government machinery.”


From citizen point of view it is much faster, agile and seamlessly sustainable. A common man does not need to know what is going on in the back office. So basically it is the citizen who is the beneficiary.


Kaushalendra Singh


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