New e-ID cards, e-government and e-learning platforms on the way

Very busy times lie ahead for the government and the Malta Information Technology Agency (MITA) with the implementation of the recent agreement with Microsoft, the inauguration of the new corporate data centre, the launch of a new e-government platform, the roll-out of new e-ID cards and the launch of a national e-learning platform.

In an exclusive interview with i-Tech, MITA chairman Claudio Grech goes into some detail on these and other initiatives. All of these nation-wide initiatives will, in some way or another, impact the lives of Maltese citizens. For the realisation of these projects, MITA is being supported by what has today evolved into a mature and reliable private ICT industry.

As a result of the recently signed strategic partnership between the Maltese government and Microsoft Corporation there are a number of interesting initiatives, including the upgrading of software in the public service, support for educational technology, and an innovation centre on cloud computing.

So what’s the difference between this agreement and the previous ones with Microsoft?

“It’s not a matter of difference but a matter of evolution,” explained Mr Grech. “This third agreement actually evolved into the realisation of two very important elements in the relationship between government and Microsoft, and to a certain extent the ICT industry.

“The first is that the educational initiatives and programmes are not just being directed at the mainstream population, but they also include niche initiatives specifically targeted at the ICT educational sector, like the Microsoft DreamSpark tools which will be available for free to all ICT students.

“The second element is the realisation of the Microsoft Innovation Centre (MIC). This is something which we have been discussing for a number of years. We have constantly sought multi-national companies to establish this kind of operation in Malta and I think that the announced innovation centre even goes a step beyond what we were actually targeting in the first instance.

“Having an innovation centre in Malta is in itself something extremely positive but having an innovation centre which within the Microsoft ambit will be the first one in the world to focus on cloud computing, which undoubtedly today is the most exciting area in the industry, is invariably something which will create a stronger element in the local industry. The MIC will not be exclusively focused on Microsoft technologies but will assist the overall local industry to develop in the cloud computing landscape.”

The agreement will also see the upgrading of Microsoft software on computers used by public employees to Windows 7 and Office 2010. The migration will start in the fourth quarter of this year and should be completed in 2012.

However this agreement will in no way deter the drive towards the adoption of Open Source Software (OSS) by MITA and within government, reassured Mr Grech.

“MITA adopted an OSS strategy for itself. By today we have implemented around 60 per cent of the initiatives recommended in the OSS White Paper which we published last year. Furthermore, over 55 per cent of our server environment runs on OSS and this makes MITA one of the largest corporate environments using OSS locally. Additionally, we have seen a 47 per cent increase in the use of OSS software on desktop computers in the government. Finally, OSS is also being given equal consideration to proprietary software in all of our public procurement.”

Asked to comment on the recent launch of the new e-procurement platform, MITA’s chairman highlighted the benefits it brings to both government and contractors.

“It brings consolidation to government’s procurement needs and will eventually provide for new initiatives such as e-auctions. Economic operators can now complete the whole procurement process online without the need to leave their office. This is done in a completely secure and encrypted environment. The level of secrecy and security has been enhanced up to a point, I may say, which is better than the physical environment.”

The e-procurement solution will be one of the first operating on a software as a service (SAAS) concept and will form part of the new e-government platform, handled by the e-government team which has grown and become one of the key departments within the agency.

“We’re currently testing the new platform and plan to start launching services over the coming months. Eventually, these services will also be linked to the new ID card system, which will provide both a physical card and an electronic identity to access electronic services. We’re aiming to start the roll-out of the new e-ID cards towards mid-2012.”

While Malta’s e-government services have attained the highest grades in European benchmarking tests, take-up has somewhat been identified as a weakness.

“The uptake of e-government services in terms of the value of transactions has gone up steadily in recent years,” reassured Mr Grech. “In 2008 it was €29.6 million, rising to €47.2 million the following year. In 2010 it rose further to €51.4 million, and the first six months of this year saw €29.3 million worth of transactions. If this pace is kept, this year will register a further significant increase. This shows that there is stability and gradual growth.”

Another platform on which MITA is currently working with a number of stakeholders is the new e-learning platform for primary and secondary schools. The new solution will be rolled out as from the next scholastic year, following the signing of the agreement with Fronter AS, the winning bidder.

All these new platforms will benefit from the new €7.3 million data centre in Santa Venera which MITA will be inaugurating later on this year.

MITA’s chairman had words of praise for the Maltese ICT industry, highlighting its maturity and reliability as a partner of government.

One area where there is strong collaboration right now is human resources in ICT, since it’s the industry that can provide the most valuable feedback.

“The e-Skills Alliance Malta has proven to be a very successful experiment. We would like to turn this experiment into a body with a long-term standing.”

He added that the e-Skills Demand and Supply Monitor for ICT skills is transforming from an idea into the implementation phase. Another initiative will be the e-Skills Competency Framework, a structured framework of skills taxonomy and job requirements. Malta will be one of the first European countries to have such a framework.

“The industry has really proven that is has gathered the necessary competences, from skills to a professional approach. The ICT industry has evolved into one which operates under some of the best international standards. Our policy not to compete with the industry but to invite the ICT sector to participate in our programmes and initiatives has proven us right. The government today can rely on the Maltese ICT industry to deliver even the most sensitive systems,” added Mr Grech.

Asked about the SmartIsland Strategy that expired last year, MITA’s chairman revealed that a new strategy is in the making.

“Even though it covered the period 2008-2010, the SmartIsland Strategy is still exceedingly relevant in today’s day and age. We have started a process with stakeholders to map out a longer term strategy that brings together the national 2015 vision of government and the EU’s Digital Agenda 2020. We are looking at a different type of strategy and at different areas of innovations. We have to move closer to define what we want out of technology rather than what technology to use.”