MoJ CIO to lead Government cloud charge

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has been made responsible for delivering the Government cloud strategy, IT Pro understands.

The department's chief information officer (CIO) Andy Nelson has been placed in charge of overseeing the Government's transition to the cloud, said Keith Roberts, ministerial business advisor at the Cabinet Office.

Last month, HP managing director in the UK Nick Wilson told IT Pro the the Government had ditched its G-Cloud project.

The Government responded by saying it still had cloud computing plans, but it did not refer to the G-Cloud by name.

The Government ICT Strategy published in March committed the Government to publishing a cloud strategy by September 2011.

"The Government is currently developing a cloud strategy and it would be inappropriate to disclose the details of our plans until we have carried out internal consultation and received pan-Government clearance on our approach," Roberts told IT Pro.

For the past six months, Government cloud development has been under the guiding hands of interim chief for digital services in the Cabinet Office, Chris Chant.

Nelson, an Oxford University graduate, was once a management consultant at Accenture and a group director at Royal Sun Alliance.

Now he will have to guide Government over to the cloud, not just act as CIO for the MoJ. What role overall Government CIO Joe Harley will have in the development of the cloud strategy remains to be seen, although many CIOs will be involved.

The Government CIO Delivery Board, consisting of CIOs from the larger central Government delivery departments, has responsibility for "leading on the delivery of specific areas of the ICT strategy," Roberts added.