Labour Ministry embarks on cloud computing to develop e-services

The Ministry of Labour (MoL) held a ceremony to inaugurate the cloud computing transformation process.The initiative falls within the second phase of the digital transformation scheme, as part of the ministry’s strategy aimed at accelerating the development ofservices in line with future requirements and best technological practices, which conform to the broader objectives of Qatar National Vision 2030.The inauguration ceremony was attended by HE Dr Ali bin Samikh al-Marri, Minister of Labour; HE Mohamed bin Ali al-Mannai, Minister of Communications and Information Technology; senior officials of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), and representatives of private sector companies participating in the implementation of the project.In a statement, the MoL said it seeks to take advantage of cloud technology in order to develop services provided to the public, raise the level of information security controls, make data-based decisions, improve business flexibility, reduce operational costs and increase employee productivity.MoL’s Digital Transformation Unit is working in partnership with Microsoft, Oracle, Mannai Trading Co and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Middle East - Qatar to implement the cloud computing process.HE Dr al-Marri affirmed the commitment of the ministry to implement digital government initiatives for the sake of providing a better life for individuals and companies in Qatar, pointing out that digitising services contributes to achieving excellence in performance to ensure the quality of services and double the benefits for the labour sector and workers in the long term.In his speech during the inauguration ceremony, HE Dr al-Marri explained that the MoL carried out approximately 55% of its services electronically to contribute to achieving excellence in performance, expediting the completion of transactions and streamlining procedures, noting the neoteric technologies that depended on 'Agile' methodology, which is part of the ministry's strategy for digital transformation.The MoL is working at a steady pace and making diligent efforts to develop, modernise and launch nearly 80 new electronic services and transactions by March 2023, he noted.He praised the MCIT's "tireless efforts to develop the ICT sector in the country, rendering Qatar a regional centre for digital transformation in the region, andproviding an attractive infrastructure for investment in this field, under the generous sponsorship of our wise leadership in this vital field".The launch of the cloud computing process at the Ministry of Labour to provide fast, reliable and secure cloud services, accelerate the pace of innovation, and offer high flexibility comes in line with the efforts made to achieve the digital aspirations, indicating that a central data centre will be established that the MoL can use to facilitate direct access to data and extract reports on demand to take advantage of Artificial Intelligence to facilitate the decision-making process, the statement noted. Accordingly, the Ministry of Labour will be a basic data reference for other ministries, he clarified.Moreover, meeting the requirements of the sector’s regulations and the requirements of compliance systems, within the framework of the ministry’s strategy and directions, was aimed at accelerating and developing services in line with future requirements and best practices.He noted that the inauguration of the cloud computing process came in partnership with Microsoft and Oracle to develop a plan based on cloud interoperability, which is the first of its kind to move to a cloud environment in line with the national computing policy, noting that the MoL seeks to render - by the second quarter of next year - all of its services functional on secure cloud computing.In conclusion, HE the Minister stressed that Qatar 2022 will be an exceptional FIFA World Cup, as it will be held for the first time in the region, pointing to thegreat role played by Qatar in making this dream "a reality we live in". The MoL has worked to ensure appropriate working and living conditions that have, in turn, provided safety and healthy solutions for all workers.Lana Khalaf, general manager of Microsoft Qatar, noted that the ministry’s digital transformation strategy is a distinctive example of using different technologies and services from multiple companies on the Azure Microsoft cloud platform to innovate in proportion to their needs and ambitions, noting that the cloud computing process will provide a flexible and secure cloud infrastructure, which in turn will improve the efficiency of their operations and raise the level of their services.The Oracle technology solutions have played a key role in supporting the strategic initiatives of the Ministry of Labour over the past several years and that the e-services platform is a major programme that will overhaul the MoL’s services in the country substantially, said Cherian Varghese, senior vice-president, Technology Software, Middle East and Africa, Oracle.“PricewaterhouseCooper in Qatar is proud to be part of the transformation journey in Qatar, in line with National Vision 2030, and to work with the MoL from strategy to implementation to create new e-services platform, which will digitally transform the labour sector,” said Bassam Hajhamad, Qatar Country Senior Partner at PwC Middle East in Qatar.Khaled al-Mannai, Board director of Mannai Trading Co, said the development of the new technology will give everyone the ability to track applications in real time on end-user devices, noting that it will enhance productivity and reduce the processing time of services from two months to a few days.