In a strategic move aimed at accelerating digital transformation in the government sector, the Saudi Digital Government Authority has issued a set of binding regulations governing the adoption of cloud computing technologies by all government entities. These regulations serve as a comprehensive governance framework to ensure maximum benefit from digital solutions, enhance the efficiency of government spending, and strengthen national cybersecurity, in line with global best practices and models.
Strategic background within Vision 2030
This regulatory step is central to the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, which places government digital transformation as a cornerstone for building a prosperous economy and a vibrant society. Historically, government entities have relied on on-premise data centers, requiring substantial capital investments in infrastructure and maintenance. With the global shift towards cloud-first policies, the Kingdom aims to keep pace with this evolution by providing a framework that enables government entities to migrate to a flexible, secure, and scalable cloud environment, freeing them to focus on innovation and delivering better services to citizens and residents.
The importance of controls and their expected impact
The importance of these regulations lies in their ability to unify efforts and prevent haphazard adoption of cloud technologies. Domestically, they are expected to improve the quality and speed of digital government services and significantly reduce operational costs by shifting from capital expenditure (CapEx) to operating expenditure (OpEx). These regulations will also strengthen the national cybersecurity framework by requiring entities to deal with accredited service providers that comply with data sovereignty laws and policies issued by relevant authorities such as the National Cybersecurity Authority and the National Data Management Office. Regionally, this step solidifies the Kingdom's position as a leader in digital government in the Middle East and makes it an attractive environment for major global technology companies to invest in building local cloud data centers.
Strict governance and specialized organizational structures
The new regulations mandate that all government entities establish a specialized cloud computing unit within their organizational structure. This unit will lead the entity's cloud transformation strategy, from assessment and planning to implementation and operation. To ensure the highest levels of governance, the authority stressed the necessity of forming a senior oversight committee, chaired by the entity's top official or their designee, to directly supervise strategic decisions related to the cloud migration. The regulations also stipulate the appointment of a senior manager for the unit with extensive technical and managerial expertise to lead this pivotal transformation.
Technical standards and rigorous financial oversight
The authority established a clear order of priority for selecting technology solutions, mandating that entities prioritize the Software as a Service (SaaS) model, followed by Platform as a Service (PaaS), and finally Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). This aims to maximize the benefits of ready-made solutions and minimize development and operational burdens. To ensure efficient spending, the standards require entities to implement a rigorous financial tracking system to monitor cloud operating expenses, conduct periodic cost-benefit analyses, and submit regular reports to the Digital Government Authority. These reports must include clear performance indicators on adoption rates, spending volume, and progress in migration plans.
Capacity building and cybersecurity
Recognizing the importance of human capital, the regulations mandated that government entities develop a comprehensive plan for capacity building and training their staff on modern cloud technologies. They also categorically prohibited dealing with any cloud computing service provider not registered with the Communications and Space Technology Authority, to ensure full compliance with sovereign regulations and national cybersecurity standards, and to protect digital assets and sensitive government data.
