This IDC Government Insights study presents our top 10 predictions for Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan), or APEJ, governments for FY12. Across these predictions, some key themes stand out beyond security. Governments will consider multitudes of solutions and management challenges related to the field of mobility in 2012. More personalized dialogues with citizens, deployment of advanced and increasingly social mobile government-centric features, and a significant increase in open government data initiatives will make the headlines. Cloud infrastructure and platform decisions will get well on the way among the mature countries' governments, and developing nations will look to benefit from potential shortcuts through cloud solutions to catch up. Asia/Pacific has also seen its fair share of natural disasters recently, and smart city initiatives will benefit from the renewed government focus on impact limitation and after-effects management.

"As a number of developments, new technologies, and expertise areas become mainstream in 2012 in the public sector, both government decision makers and suppliers should embrace the educational element needed in addition to the traditional sales conversations," says Frank Levering, research manager, IDC Government Insights, IDC Asia/Pacific.