Post AzeFsNeJdVuBYQbKqW by phil_stevens@mastodon.nz
(DIR) More posts by phil_stevens@mastodon.nz
(DIR) Post #AzeFn7qQyBtZ5blPTU by lightweight@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2025-10-27T22:25:35Z
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@aurynn @thomasbeagle which, of course, is mostly due to the lack of stable anchor customers to help justify further investment. Also, I'd argue that 90% of the gov't's 'cloud' requirements are using a sledgehammer to tap a brass tack.
(DIR) Post #AzeFsNeJdVuBYQbKqW by phil_stevens@mastodon.nz
2025-10-27T22:25:18Z
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@aurynn @thomasbeagle The cloud is just somebody else's servers. We could quite literally build our own sovereign cloud infrastructure (or leverage the likes of Catalyst and contract for redundancy) with stringent requirements for privacy protection that billionaires laugh at as they happily mine our data.I'm not at all happy that so many of the services that I depend on central govt agencies to deliver are so deeply dependent on fascist-owned, far-flung networks that have proven themselves way too fragile because of their incestuous dependency on something like DNS at US-EAST.
(DIR) Post #AzeFsOvMtb8jVbaT44 by lightweight@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2025-10-27T22:27:09Z
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@phil_stevens @aurynn @thomasbeagle bingo. The status quo is negligent in its cavalier use of US technologies with no acknowledgement of the massive threat-to-sovereignty of the US Cloud and Patriot acts, and dependence on those corporations' 'neutrality'.
(DIR) Post #AzeG3zc4pNvSTz5iJk by lightweight@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2025-10-27T22:29:17Z
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@aurynn @thomasbeagle I'm not saying that CatCloud (with which I've worked for a decade+ now) is comparable to AWS, I'm just saying that *for the way NZ gov't agencies use it*, there's no justification of using (and paying for!) AWS.
(DIR) Post #AzeGXTDpoyhSi9oAK0 by lightweight@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2025-10-27T22:34:37Z
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@aurynn @thomasbeagle Fair enough based on your experience. Based on mine, I think the overall sophistication of most of the vendors providing services on behalf of gov't in NZ via AWS doesn't extend to using those capabilities well. I'm pretty sure local cloud providers could, if they had sufficient local business, fill in any gaps in their offering fairly quickly. I'd vastly prefer that option, even if the underlying cloud systems are far less sophisticated right now.
(DIR) Post #AzeHrwyP170MjDv3Gi by lightweight@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2025-10-27T22:49:31Z
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@aurynn @Salty @thomasbeagle the problem is, of course, that S3 is owned an unilaterally controlled by AWS. It's not an independent open standard. As such, AWS could decide to break compatibility at any time it suits them....
(DIR) Post #AzeIEfh5QXMBnXecOe by lightweight@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2025-10-27T22:53:38Z
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@aurynn @Salty @thomasbeagle AWS retain implicit control over the market, and can deploy a 'nuclear option' down the track if they want to. Similar reason to why Microsoft forced OOXML on the world rather than adopt ODF (which they helped to create).
(DIR) Post #AzeJjoA85jOkzfeLIW by thomasbeagle@mastodon.nz
2025-10-27T22:08:42Z
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Anyone else curious to find out how much the NZ government is spending on US-owned cloud computing services?I found a very little bit of information at https://www.digital.govt.nz/products-and-services/current-suppliers but it's old, super general, and I'm told that not everyone goes through the all of government agreement anyway.And yes, the thought that whatever the amount is shows what budget we have to set up our own services did occur to me.
(DIR) Post #AzeJjpXYy5jlGdcZSi by ensslen@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2025-10-27T23:08:31Z
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@thomasbeagle There was a press release recently that indicated that central government spends $2.6B/year on cloud services.https://www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360830393/government-centralise-13-billion-tech-buy-scythe-costs-30TINZ an NZ RISE tried for years to get this information: denied commercial in confidence every time.
(DIR) Post #AzeJjqiaaa9Qv7mtHs by lightweight@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2025-10-27T23:10:24Z
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@ensslen @thomasbeagle yep. Criminal opacity from gov't. I'd vote for a party that makes full transparency (without privileging foreign corporations) a policy requirement. Seems a no-brainer to me. And if any 'trade agreements' stand in the way, then a pledge to drop those trade agreements.