More citizen-centric services are a key priority of the 2009-2012 strategic plan of the Malta Information Technology Agency.
MITA's list of key actions also includes an awareness of current and future security challenges.
MITA is the government's information and communication technology agency, responsible for ICT in the public sector and the promotion of ICT literacy and programmes that support the development of the Maltese information society. The agency is entrusted with the realisation of ICT as one of Malta's aspiring six centres of excellence by 2015 and draws its inspiration from The Smart Island, the National ICT Strategy for Malta 2008-2010.
The plan recognises that MITA is not commencing operations but it has inherited the experience from Management Systems Unit (MSU) and Malta Information Technology Services (MITTS), its previous incarnations, and an already defined ICT vision, with several projects underway.
Notwithstanding a considerable turnover in resources over the last years, MITA is taking over an organisation that has a strong capacity in terms of complex programme management of large-scale projects. This skills-set, coupled with the in-house capabilities in managing and operating wide enterprise-based infrastructures, is the main asset of the organisation and needs to be duly protected.
However, there are challenges to be faced, and these include the volatile ICT labour force, security and the new Web 2.0 technologies. A few months after its setting-up, MITA had to face a controversy over a breach on e-mail servers which could have compromised e-mail accounts of high-profile users, including members of the judiciary and of Parliament.
"In today's stark reality, information security threats are becoming the order of the day," the plan warns. "No one is immune, irrespective of the strength of the information security framework used. The agency must maintain continual vigilance and state of readiness in all aspects of information security. When incidents do happen, MITA needs to be able to respond quickly and effectively to neutralise any negative outcomes."
While people adopt more and more Web 2.0 technologies such as social networks, MITA sees this as both a challenge and an opportunity.
"The advent of new pervasive (and disruptive) technologies such as Web 2.0, Enterprise-wide Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), Software as a Service (SaaS)/utility computing models and cloud computing are posing unprecedented opportunities to enhance delivery and maximise return on investment for those with sufficient foresight and capacity availability to apply such technologies."
Transformation, innovation and excellence are the three institutional drivers mentioned in the strategic plan that permeate the organisation. MITA will approach programmes and projects with a view to transform the way services are delivered, the way they are internally engineered, the return they provide from the public investment put into them and the enhancement of all-round value they effectively provide.
The agency will also be aspiring to become the leading innovator within the public sector and on a national scale, and always strive for "real excellence", an organisational craving for continuous improvement - from the mundane call centre notification for e-mail downtime to the effective management of the most complex programme.
The strategic plan lists five priorities.
The first is to lead ICT strategy development and drive the deployment of an effective ICT governance framework within the public sector.
The second priority is to deliver and sustain a robust, resilient and secure ICT infrastructure and IT services to government. This includes the implementation of fibre-to-the-unit (FttU) online access to schools, hospitals and health centres; the development of a new enterprise data centre in a cost-effective environment; and developing an enterprise information security strategy and operate and enhance a corporate information security function focusing on business continuity, data guardianship and effective governance as the primary tenets.
Another priority is to transform public service delivery through the application of ICTs. MITA will transfer the knowledge, resources, operational and administrative responsibilities of both the current and the new "non-core systems" to the line ministries. It will also build a next-generation e-government environment, which will depart from the current vertical service-based approach and move towards the establishment of a platform enabling services to be created in a rapid "just-in-time" approach through which services are deployed at source by the public service provider in a streamlined, open environment.
The fourth priority sees MITA enabling the growth of the knowledge economy through the engendering of a life-long ICT learning framework. It will form a multi-stakeholder public-private skills alliance to define, provide and nurture the skills sets required for sustaining a resilient, scalable and competitive workforce.
The fifth priority is to deliver quality of life improvements through innovative citizen-centric applications, especially, e-learning, e-health, e-democracy and intelligent transport systems management.
Through the e-health programme, MITA - jointly with the Ministry for Social Policy and healthcare professionals - will make healthcare more accessible, transparent, efficient and patient-centric for citizens. The agency will sustain the efforts to extend access to the latest technologies by students in their classroom through the deployment of new computing equipment, a fibre-to-the-school fast internet network, and an innovative e-learning platform which will transform teaching and learning. The agency will also support the reform in public transport through the use of ICT.
Basing itself on the power and take-up of Web 2.0 solutions and eventually Web 3.0 technologies, MITA will also engage in the proliferation of services aimed at enhancing citizen participation and e-democracy-oriented applications.