South Korea to Fund $100M to Vietnam’s Data Center

The government of South Korea will provide an official development aid worth $100 million for Vietnam to build a data center at Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park, aiming to help improve the latter’s IT infrastructure in the future. Vietnam’s Ministry of Information and Communication announced that it will kick off the project on building the Government Information Data Center (GIDC) costing total $117.327 million within this year. The Vietnamese government will contribute $17.327 million in reciprocal capital, the An Ninh Thu Do newspaper reported
In the first quarter, the ministry will open a bid to choose a designing consultant for the project. GIDC, expected to cover 20,000 square meters at the Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park in Hanoi’s outlying district of Thach That, will provide servers and network infrastructure for the data preservation of government agencies and localities.

It is capable of integrating and managing information infrastructure to boost IT application at state-run agencies, part of the country’s efforts to modernize the state administration on the way to deploy an e-government system.

When demand for data storage increases in the future, Vietnam is likely to build two other data centers like GIDC in the central and southern regions, the ministry added. Developing e-government is among key tasks that Vietnam will focus on in the next decade to become a stronger IT country. (An Ninh Thu Do – Capital Security Feb 17 p2) 

ngocentre.org.vn

Pemerintah Korea Integrasikan Data Center, Tetapkan Patok Ukur Baru Pada IT E-Government ( Bagian 2 - selesai)

Negara-Negara Berkembang Meniru NCIA

TheWhir : Korea's data center consolidation efforts have resulted in nearly $60 million in cost savings

Dengan pengakuan beskala dunia yang disematkan pada model GIDC disain NCIA, GIDC produksi Korea bangkit menjadi sebuah tolak ukur bagi negara-negara berkembang yang dalam proses pengenalan atau penyebaran sistem-sistem e-Government. Lebih dari 1000 pejabat pemerintah  yang berasal  lebih dari seratus negara telah melakukan kunjungan ke NCIA sejak 2007. Mereka ingin mempelajari lebih mendalam berbagai layanan inovatif e-Government Korea dan pengetahuan operasioanlya yang sangat maju. 

Sebelumnya : Bagian 1

Hampir semua pejabat negara tamu yang datang mengunjungi adalah pejabat dengan posisi-posisi yang tinggi di suatu kementerian yang bertanggungjawab untuk mengembangkan berbagai kebijakan e-Government atau eksekusi kebijakan-kebijakan tersebut di semua badan pemerintah. Beberapada dari pejabat tersebut termasuk Menteri Energi Brunei, Menteri Informasi dan komunikasi Mongolia dan Sekjen Kabinet UAE. 

Mereka sedang mempertimbangkan pembangunan sistem e-Government di negaranya dengan menjadikan GIDC Korea sebagai modelnya dan mempelajari pengetahuan pelaksanaan NCIA dalam manajemen data center. Mereka ingin mengetahui bagaimana NCIA meningkatkan stabilitas dan efisiensi sistem dan membawa berbagai manfaat ekonomi melaui integrasi. Sejumlah perusahan IT Korea telah menyebut NCIA (GIDC) sebagai salah satu komoditas ekspor solusi-solusi e-Government Korea yang menjanjikan sebagaimana yang diperlihatkan sebuah survei oleh sebuah badan pemerintah baru-baru ini. 

Mengekspor Model GIDC

Meningkatnya minat dari negara-negara lain terhadap sistem e-Government adalah sebuah tanda yang positif bagi perusahaan-perusahan IT Korea yang ingin memasuki pasar-pasar luar negeri. NCIA berupaya untuk membagi pengalaman-pengalamannya dengan negara-negara lain yang ingin membangun sebuah sistem e-Government yang matang dengan mengikutsertakan perusahaan -perusahaan lokal. 

Pemerintah Korea telah sukses mengekspor berbagai solusi e-Government senilai USD235 juta untuk area perpajakan, pengadaan barang dan jasa sektor pemerintah dan sistem-sistem Bea Cukai selama tahun 2011. 

Pemerintah Vietnam telah mengajukan pijaman ke EDCF (Economic Development Cooperation Forum) pemerintah Korea untuk membangun GIDC di Hanoi. Indonesia, Filipina dan Kenya juga sedang mempertimbangkan untuk memperkenalkan GIDC berbasiskan moedel Korea di negaranya masing-masing. 

GIDC model Korea diharapkan dapat membangkitkan minat yang luas pada negara-negara lainnya. NCIA berencana untuk menawarkan berbagai konsultasi aspek-aspek pengoperasian dan keamanan yang dilakukan dalam pengembangan GIDC Korea. 

Kebanyakan permintaan kini datang dari negara-negara yang saat ini mengoperasikan data center atau sedang merencanakan untuk membangun proyek-proyek terkait. NCIA berencana untuk mentransfer teknologi dan pengetahuan pelaksanaan dengan penandatanganan berbagai MOU dan melakukan berbagai proyek bersama seperti mengundang insinyur-insinyur asing untuk datang ke Korea dan menyediakan berbagai program Pelatihan Kerja, dan mengadakan berbagai seminar kolaboratif untuk berbagai pengetahuan. 

Berbagai Upaya yang sedang dijalankan untuk Mempromosikan Solusi-Solusi E-Government Korea

NCIA telah membuka fasilitas pamer e-Government Korea pada 30 November 2011. Fasilitas ini akan memfasilitasi pengenalan sistem e-Government Korea kepada semua tamu dari luar negeri. "Drama-drama Korea, Lagu-lagu pop Korea beserta filem-filemnya telah begitu populer di luar negeri. 

Orang menyebutnya sebagai "Gelombang Korea". Dan belakangan ini Sistem e-Government Korea jiga menjadi sebuah ekspor Gelombang Korea yang prospektif. Jumlah pengunjung luar negeri yang ingin belajar sistem e-Government Korea meningkat. 

Itu sebabnya kami memutuskan untuk membuat fasilitas pamer sistem e-Government. Pameran ini menghadirkan 10 best practice dari 1000-an lebih layanan-layanan e-Government seperti pajak, Bea Cukai dan pengadaan. Para tamu juga memiliki sebuah kesempatan untuk merasakan berbagai solusi e-Government. Fasilitas pameran ini dioperasikan melaui kemitraan dengan NCIA, berbagai badan pemerintah terkait, dan berbagai perusahaan swasta yang terlibat dalam pengembangan GDIC. 

Martin Simamora | koreaittimes.com

China racing to expand data center capacity

businessreviewindia.in : data center

China is in the midst of an unprecedented data center construction boom that's providing business opportunities for U.S. companies and could see China emerge with one of the most advanced computing infrastructures in the world. The country is building dozens, maybe hundreds of large data centers to support the needs of its fast-growing online population, estimated now at close to 500 million. The data centers will help to meet escalating demand from telecom providers, and for services such as e-commerce, online banking and e-government. 

  

They will also provide computing infrastructure for overseas firms looking to expand in China. But the uncertain political and regulatory environment make it unlikely that China can turn itself into a hub for international business in the region, to rival countries such as Hong Kong and Singapore. 

The build-out is strongly backed by the Chinese government, which has made expanding the national computing infrastructure a part of its latest five-year plan. And local governments are funding the development of vast "cloud cities" -- industrial zones that aim to provide the foundations to support as many as 20 data centers over time. 

The boom is providing opportunities for outside firms such as Hewlett-Packard and IBM. "We have more people in China focused on data center development and strategy than, I believe, in any country in the world," said Rick Einhorn, worldwide director for HP's Critical Facilities Services group.

China is heavily reliant today on outside firms for design expertise, he said, although that could change as HP and other firms work alongside Chinese engineers and provide them with training and experience. The nation's approach to data centers is “to build more and to build big,” said Glen Yuan, executive of data center services for IBM's Greater China group. 

The facilities being built for banks and telecom providers are sometimes vast, covering up to 50,000 square meters (538,000 square feet). China has seen waves of data center construction in the past, but those efforts were often hasty and suffered from poor planning, Einhorn and Yuan both said. Some data centers quickly exhausted their capacity, with the poor infrastructure making services in the country unreliable.

This time around, China hopes to do it right. The Suzhou International Science-Park Data Center (SISDC), in southeastern China, for example, is the country's first Tier 4-certified data center, according to Ivan Lau, a senior sales director with SISDC. 

Tier 4 signifies the highest level of reliability. Built with help from IBM, an initial phase opened for business in October 2010, and the data center will cover 42,000 square meters when a second phase is completed in 2013 or 2014. The Suzhou government is funding construction, with hopes of making the industrial park where it is based a major hub for IT services. 

About 80 percent of the existing capacity is in use or reserved by customers, Lau said. Many of its biggest customers are foreign financial firms, which are required by Chinese law to store data about its citizens within the country. Government directives on carbon emissions mean data centers are being built using modern, energy-efficient technologies, Einhorn said. 

Some employ modular, multi-tier designs, which help to match power and cooling equipment to the requirements, in turn reducing wasted energy. But while data centers are booming for domestic use, some are skeptical that companies will pick China as a base for providing IT services internationally. 

"There are questions around ownership rights for data and other assets," said IDC analyst Michelle Bailey. "It will be interesting to see if China can evolve its policies to keep in step with the market." A former security consultant who worked on data center projects in China said foreign companies have several causes for concern.
He sees three main areas of risk -- local employees absconding with data, traffic being monitored or interfered with, and the loss of equipment during sudden "inspections" by Chinese police. "The last of these is what sets China apart from most other geographic options," and can result in the government cutting off access to equipment for several days, said the consultant, who asked not to be identified. 

Trying to get outside firms to host their IT infrastructure in China is "an exercise in futility," he said. Lau said those fears are unfounded and may have been fuelled by Google's much-publicized problems in the country. As long as companies follow China's rules and regulations, they will face no problems locating data centers in China, he said. 

There are other challenges too, however, such as securing adequate bandwidth and power. And China needs to keep pace with a population that is adopting PCs, smartphones and tablets at a rapid pace, said Sheldon He, a product marketing manager with Intel. The client-to-server ratio in China is currently more than 60 to 1, he said, while in the U.S. it is closer to 20 to 1. “China has almost five times the population of the U.S., so our problems are five times greater,” He said. “We have the world’s biggest billing systems. If we can succeed in solving these problems it could lead to innovation.” 

COMPUTERWORLD http://news.idg.no

Philippine Gov’t Opens Digital Certification Center

In an attempt to give online commerce a major shot in the arm, the government finally inaugurated on Thursday the country’s first digital certification center located at the National Computer Center (NCC) in Quezon City. The high-tech facility, which is protected by a steel cage, was unveiled by top officials from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

  

Also present during the event were representatives from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (Koica), which provided the bulk of the funding worth $2.3 million. The monetary grant came with the condition that the project must use Korean PKI technology provided by South Korean IT firms Posdata and Signgate. 

According to NCC officer-in-charge Denis Villorente, the digital certification center will be an integral component of the National Public Key Infrastructure or NPKI in the Philippines. The National PKI will enable users of unsecured public network such as the Internet to securely and privately exchange data and even money through the use of a public and a private cryptographic key pair that is obtained and shared through a trusted authority. 

The proponents said the Philippines needed a national PKI since face-to-face communication has been changed to e-commerce due to the Internet. Thus, it has become necessary to verify the parties involved in an electronic transaction. 

The NPKI project started in 2006 when CICT, now the Information and Communications Technology Office (ICTO), started working with the Korean government, through the NCC on a feasibility study for the establishment of a National PKI. In 2009, Executive Order No. 810 entitled “Institutionalizing the Certification Scheme for Digital Signatures and Directing the Application of Digital Signatures in E-Government Services” was signed by former Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. 

EO 810 required all government agencies to use digital signatures in their online services to ensure the confidentiality, authenticity, and integrity of electronic transactions in government. The NCC worked with the Koica and DTI in the development of a National PKI that would support secure electronic commerce and electronic messaging as well as e-government programs requiring the use of public key cryptography. Under the E-Commerce Law signed by then Pres. 

Joseph Estrada, the DTI was designated as the lead agency in implementing and monitoring e-commerce in the country. The Philippines is one of the first few countries in Asia that enacted an e-commerce law that aims to promote and protect electronic transactions. 

However, security and privacy issues hindered the country’s development of e-commerce and full use of e-government services. The government said that with the establishment of the National PKI, the efficiency of e-government services will be enhanced and security of electronic transactions guaranteed. Villorente disclosed that the NCC has been designated as the certification authority (CA) for the public sector. No private entity has been picked as of yet who will serve as CA for the private sector, he added. Villorente said BIR will serve as a pilot agency for the project wherein it will use digital certificates for its Electronic Filing Payment and System (EFPS) for large tax payers. 

The NCC exec said there would a minimal fee that will be charged for applicants of digital certificates. At the launch event, representatives from Koica also demonstrated how citizens will soon be able to file their income tax returns using online transactions that are secured with National PKI. 

UNPAN Global

SINGAPORE IT CONSORTIUM TARGETS INDIAN E-GOVERNMENT MARKET

A group of small Singapore IT companies is banding together to improve their chances of getting a slice of India’s lucrative public sector IT market, with an initial focus on state government.The SEGC is founded and spearheaded by the Singapore Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) and consists of Singapore’s infocomm local enterprises and leading infocomm multi-national corporations (MNCs). The consortium’s goal is to extend the reach of local companies into overseas markets by bringing in leading-edge products and services. Anchored by CrimsonLogic, the consortium consists of member companies like Ditium, Elixir Technology, V3 Teletech and Imfinity.

They are not exactly household names in the world of IT, but the companies in question - particularly CrimsonLogic - have been involved in a number of significant government IT projects in Singapore, which is not a bad business reference to have. Although small, Singapore generally scores highly for the sophistication of its public sector IT infrastructure. 

According to a CrimsonLogic executive the consortium was committed to working with state and central government in India: “India is making great strides in building up IT infrastructure so as to improve the lives of its citizens, and to increase the profitability of its businesses.” 

Working in tandem and with the support of the SEGC, CrimsonLogic will pursue long-term partnerships with federal, state and local governments organisation in India to deliver transparent, innovative and efficient services to their citizens – crucial in achieving greater cohesiveness within any nation.

At present, CrimsonLogic’s presence in India includes a software development centre in Bangalore. The company has successfully implemented a host of services such as Uttaranchal Citizen Data Vault, Port Community System in India and e-stamping for the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Delhi.

Russia offers e-government know-how for export

“We are ready to export our e-government model to developing countries,” announced Russian minister of Communications and Mass Media Igor Shchegolev earlier this week at the ITU Telecom World 2011 forum in Geneva.
 

“It is clear that if a developing country without significant financial means is to build [an e-government platform], it will be easier to use our cost effective solution than to build another, more expensive one,” said the minister, who sees an “export potential” in the Russian e-government platform already being deployed.

“There are not many ready made solutions of this kind available in the world, designed in real conditions, if any at all,” Shchegolev said. According to Shchegolev, the cost of the Russian e-government platform amounted to $150 million, including $60 million from the Russian state budget and the remaining part from Rostelecom, the national telecom operator.

This includes, in particular, a web portal for government services as well as an electronic interexchange platform serving different government bodies. By comparison, Estonia spent $1.5 billion for a similar system and Singapore has invested no less than $15 billion over the last 10 years. Not only is the Russian solution cheaper, the Russian minister emphasized that its e-government system is based on cloud technologies, unlike more traditional solutions built in other states.

.ewdn.com

Japanese company shares e-government expertise

Japanese experience and strategies in e-government were presented at a workshop in Hanoi on October 18. The event was co-organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications and Japan’s Fujitsu Vietnam Company. Hiroaki Yoshida, Fujitsu’s director for government solutions, presented Japan’s strategies for building an easy-to-access year-round, 24-hour-a-day e-government system to provide convenient, efficient updated information for the public.
He also talked about Fujitsu’s successful experience in digitalizing stock reports and developing a system for estimating annual state budgets, as well as a system for registering real estate. Addressing the workshop, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Minh Hong said the Vietnamese Government is keen on applying e-government services to boost the efficiency of State agencies and provide the public and businesses with necessary information and public services.

To this end, Mr Hong said the Prime Minister had approved a national information technology (IT) programme application in State organs during the 2011-2015 period and another project to make Vietnam a regional IT power. A representative of the IT Application Department said Vietnam aims to develop an inter-connected paperless government with easy public access. This representative added that the country will complete its technical infrastructure to provide a foundation for the widespread application of IT and e-government systems in State agencies by 2015.

talkvietnam.com

Vietnam gov't builds foundation for national IT security

prayastech.com

The government of Vietnam is building its national security IT infrastructure and has contracted some companies to help them carry out the project.

 CrimsonLogic, a provider of e-government solutions and services, said the Vietnam government has contracted their services for a consultancy project that will see users of government services receiving improved services through enhanced e-governance capabilities.

 The Vietnamese government has embarked on a World Bank-funded project that will involve building a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) that will be the foundation of its National Authentication Framework (NAF). The system will enable customers of the e-government services to access a range of government services electronically using a single electronic identity.


 
Aside from simplifying procedures, the government said enhancing its e-governance capabilities can save the government up to VND 30 trillion (US$1.5 billion) annually. 

 CrimsonLogic is working with telecommunications provider FPT Information Systems to implement the project for the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) in Hanoi, Vietnam.



 Transparency in governance



The goal of the government is to simplify administrative processes through transparent and efficient online services within five years.

 Said Dr Nguyen Thanh Phuc, director general, Authority of IT Application, MIC: "Technology plays a key role for Vietnam to become a strong nation in IT and in e-government implementation.

We are deeply committed to the development of a reliable IT infrastructure as it advances the use of technology in government agencies, which improves productivity and reduces operational costs."

 CrimsonLogic said PKI provides a secure platform for authenticating information, data integrity, and offers confidentiality.


 Leong Peng Kiong, chief executive officer, CrimsonLogic, said the PKI project is a good foundation that can gradually lead to other projects by other government agencies in Vietnam. This, in turn, will provide more e-services to Vietnam's citizens and businesses.

 "CrimsonLogic's expertise with e-government implementations instils confidence that our partnership will be a success, enabling the Vietnamese government to deliver high-quality and efficient services," said Duong Dung Trieu, CEO, FPT Information Systems.

networksasia.net

Seoul City Promotes E-Government Framework in Barcelona

Add caption

The Seoul metropolitan government is promoting South Korea’s e-government framework at the 2011 executive committee meeting of the World e-Government Organization of Cities and Local Governments (WeGO,) which opened in Barcelona on Monday.  
The South Korean framework is a set of standards that are necessary to develop and operate information systems on e-governance. It has been adopted by 113 South Korean public and private organizations for informatization, and it was exported to Mongolia and Paraguay. Seoul city is also planning to distribute the framework to other cities around the world for free. With the international dissemination of its framework, South Korea and Seoul city will lead the development and spread of e-government systems on the global stage.

world.kbs.co.kr

Ernst and Young organises e-government training

As part of its Executive Management Development Programme (EMDP), Ernst and Young recently conducted an E-Government Training Programme for senior Omani government executives. In addition to E-government, the training held at the Muscat Intercontinental Hotel also touched upon topics such as cloud computing, climate change, trends in the oil and gas industry and other subjects.


According to Sridhar Sridharan, Office Managing Partner, Ernst and Young, Muscat: "We are delighted to contribute to the E-Oman Vision through which citizens will have the knowledge, means and tools to interact digitally, access the Internet and use E-services efficiently and safely anywhere and anytime across the Sultanate.

"As an organisation whose strongest asset is our people, we understand that the professional development of skilled and technically competent Omani professionals is a top priority for the Government of Oman. We are happy to contribute to the government in this regard.

" Ernst and Young's Executive Management Development Programme is a year-long training programme designed to develop future leaders in the Omani government. It was launched earlier in the year to celebrate Oman's 40th National Day celebrations.

The programme leverages Ernst and Young's global knowledge and experience to train and develop senior Omani government executives. Senior executives nominated by several ministries and companies owned by the government of Oman will attend at least 10 training modules throughout the year.

Ernst and Young has so far held six training courses for Oman government executives. These include sessions on cloud computing and trends in technology, the global financial crisis, change management, oil and gas, private public partnerships and E-government. Three more training courses will be held before the end of 2011.

Oman's E-government initiative vision is expected to help reduce costs, promote economic development, enhance transparency and accountability, improve services delivery, public administration and facilitate an E-society. E-government is expected to add jobs to the Omani economy and increase Internet literacy among the population to over 60 per cent. The government will be able to achieve higher level of core business continuity through the provision of three times the number of E-services than at present.

An estimated 30 new companies will be incubated to participate in E-government initiatives. "E-Oman embraces the strategy of transforming Oman by empowering its people and will open up thousands of job opportunities for nationals in the IT sector. We are proud of the fact that we are involved in various phases of Oman's development today through our Executive Management Development Programme. We will continue to bring the best global knowledge and practices to Oman," added Sridhar.

.zawya.com

EU and Russia complete €2 million e-government project

A €2 million EU-funded project aiming to increase administrative efficiency and improve access to government electronic services for Russian citizens has come to an end, according to a press release from the Delegation of the European Union to Russia. The “Support to e-Government in the Russian Federation – Government-to-citizens electronic services” project ran for 27 months and was designed to support the government’s various initiatives to promote e-Government as a primary instrument in the reform of public administration in the Russian Federation.


It was implemented by the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Communications and Mass Media in four pilot regions (Kaliningrad, Karelia, Ulyanovsk, Vologda) and three associated regions (Astrakhan, Khanty-Mansiisk and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky) and specifically contributed to: improving the relations between government and citizens by strengthening transparency and accountability of the state to its citizens; increasing administrative efficiency; improving access to government services; increasing cooperation within and between Russian regions; establishing a sustainable cooperation on e-Government issues between local and EU partners.


The project built on the results achieved under previous EU-funded projects in the areas of e-Government that were implemented between 2004 and 2009 in Russia. It reached out to 25,000 people, mainly civil servants, covering whole of the Russian Federation. It provided training for 3,000 civil servants from 53 different regions. It has developed 9 e-Government services for the authorities of 6 different regions, holding 56 conferences and roundtables about e-Gov issues across Russia.

enpi-info.eu

Korea, Italy to Cooperate on E-Government Programs

Korea and Italy have signed a memorandum of understanding on strengthening cooperation in the e-government sector. The Ministry of Public Administration and Security said Thursday that Minister Maeng Hyung-kyu and his Italian counterpart Renato Brunetta agreed to collaborate on e-government programs.

E-government allow citizens and businesses to access government information and services via the Internet.

The ministry said the two sides agreed to boost exchanges of officials and technicians and added the deal with Italy has opened up the entire European e-government market for Korean IT companies.

chosun.com

Estonia will help Greece to build up e-state

Juhan Parts and Pantelis Tzortsakis. Tallinn, 26.09.2011.
Фото: mkm.ee

Estonian economy minister Juhan Parts discussed possibilities of reducing corruption and bureaucracy in Greece with the help of Estonian information and communications technology (ITC) with Greek administrative reform and e-government deputy minister Pantelis Tzortsakis on Monday, the ministry said.

Parts said that when building up e-state, it is important to observe every state’s peculiarities and create solutions in line with needs.



“It is not reasonable to start inventing a bicycle but share universal solutions with each other. Many solutions that are only talked about in the rest of the world are in everyday use in Estonia,” said Parts.

Tzortsakis said that Greece uses several modern solutions but many systems are built upon old principles which is why administering them is costly. He pointed out eID and X-tee as solutions that Greece would be interested to adopt.

On September 9, Estonia and Greece signed a memorandum of reciprocal help that focuses on the cooperation of the two states to reduce corruption and bureaucracy in the ICT sphere.

baltic-course.com

Mobily signs a contract to sponsor an e-gov event on an iPad

Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) will sponsor the “2nd e-Government National Conference” to be held under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Sept. 25-29.

AbdulRahman Ghaleb, Mobily’s chief business support officer, and Engineer Ali Aal Samaa, director of the Yasser e-Government Program used an iPad to sign the sponsorship agreement.

Dr. AbdulRahman Al-Jaafari, governor of the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), attended the signing along with officials from Mobily and the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology.

In a speech after the signing, Ghaleb thanked the Custodian of the Two holy Mosques for his patronage of the conference, a major step towards e-Government, and expressed Mobily’s pleasure to sponsor it.

He added that Mobily’s sponsorship of the conference reflects its advanced solutions and applications In his speech, Aal Samaa praised the efforts Mobily in sponsoring this highly important national conference. Earlier this year, Mobily bagged a huge contract to build, run and operate the second phase of the Government Secure Network (GSN) in the Kingdom.
The project will serve a great number of government institutions nationwide. It will also serve the requirements of the e-Government project “Yasser”, and will form the backbone of many future e-government projects and services

saudigazette.com.sa

Implementation of Online e-Government Services Worldwide Could Produce Savings of $114 Billion in 2016, According to ABI Research

Governments worldwide are making "citizen services" available online. Their aim is to achieve a return on investment, increase transparency, and improve access for their citizens. ABI Research forecasts that in 2016, as much as $114 billion could be saved worldwide through implementation of online e-government services.

"The overall e-government services market will see sharp growth over the next five years," says ABI Research analyst Phil Sealy. "Investment is set to increase from $28 billion in 2010 to $57 billion in 2016, and the number of users will nearly triple over the forecast period."

The market is very fragmented, however, with different regions and countries at different stages of implementation and success. "Initially much of the activity will be in the major industrialized countries," says Sealy, "but rollouts of e-government services will accelerate beginning in about 2014 when online services in developing regions start to become a reality."

Governments are looking to offer information and services on many levels. ABI Research is expecting to see mobile services become ever more popular, especially in those countries where providing citizens fixed broadband connections may not be a viable investment option. The aim is to maximize e-inclusion and e-participation of citizen-centric services by providing simplistic and convenient means of access.

It is important to note that the investment required to create, manage, maintain, and market a government-to-citizen service portal is high, and savings are not always seen immediately. Online e-government services are more an investment to create future savings.

ABI Research group director John Devlin remains confident: "Countries such as the US that already have well-established e-government services are looking into aligning services onto one portal rather than multiple portals. The same applies for Europe. Aligning services will make it easier for a country's citizens to access all services in one place. This allows a reduction in operating costs, while maintaining service levels."

istockanalyst.com

India to e-connect 2500 remote villages

The Government of India has enlisted satellite service provider Hughes Communication to connect 2,500 locations in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the North East through broadband internet under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP).

“Today, several thousand common service centres (CSCs) have already been deployed across the country. Using satellite technology, Hughes provides connectivity and other services to more than 10,000 CSCs,” said Pranav Roach, President, Hughes Network Systems India.

vsatnow.net

The government has plans to set up over 1 lakh CSCs across the country to give access to its citizen services through internet. Till date, over 96,000 centres have been set up.

The contract has been awarded by the Department of Information Technology. The total value for the project for 2.5 lakh locations across the country at the panchayat level is Rs 2,000 crore. Out of these 2,500 villages are being connected by Hughes Communication, according to a statement released by the company.

Under the contract, Hughes will supply, install and commission the VSAT terminals in most difficult parts of India where other modes of delivering broadband services are not available. The main objective of this project is to make available broadband access to internet and other digital services available to the users over satellite using latest standards and technologies.

“All VSATs deployed by Hughes will be delivered and installed within 14 weeks,” Roach said.

futuregov.in

Korea signs E-Govt MOU with East Africa

Seoul Metropolitan Government Mayor Oh Se-hoon has signed a memorandum of understanding to increase mutual cooperation in e-government technology and other areas of interest with East African Community (EAC) Secretary General Richard Sezibera.

The EAC, which consists of the republics of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi and Tanzania, was formed to promote regional cooperation and development.

Sunyoung Jung, Assistant of Seoul Government CIO Dr. Jong-Sung Hwang, told FutureGov, “Together, the EAC and Seoul Metropolitan Government shall strive to work together to enhance e-government for development, establish and strengthen the Information Management Services in the EAC organs, institutions and other relevant institutions in the partner states, with the aim of achieving a paperless EAC, work together to support the development and deployment of key e-government applications, and build ICT Institutional Capacity for the EAC.”

“The partnership will also define the information society through exchange of case studies in e-government applying latest ICT update, strengthen cooperation through exchange of experts, joint training programs, seminars, and forums, improve ICT industry of both Parties by supporting ICT enterprises to cooperate with each other in advancing technology and ensuring development of new markets, and collaborate in any other area of mutual interest agreed between the Parties.”

This is the 12th MOU the Seoul Metropolitan Government has signed with other countries regarding e-government systems, hoping that this will be an opportunity to help solve the digital divide in African regions and strengthen mutual assistance.

futuregov.asia

IBM expands partner network in Azerbaijan

IBM is expanding a partner network in Azerbaijan, bringing to market a wide range of new products and services that are in demand in Azerbaijan, IBM Sales Director in the CIS Sergei Tabulin said in an interview with the Azerbaijani magazine InfoCity.

Tabulin said Azerbaijan is developing dynamically; that high-tech solutions are in demand throughout the country, as evidenced in the banking sector. Banks are now actively engaged in the creation of reserve data processing centers, their importance underscored by the travesty that occurred in Japan. A similar demand was observed in the oil and gas industry, where IBM is seen as the solution maker.

Active steps are being taken in Azerbaijan and in the construction of "E-government", which can only be welcomed, he said.

As for the latest projects undertaken by IBM in the Azerbaijani market, Tabulin noted the project implemented on the software-hardware platform of IBM for the "cloud computing" technology at the Information Technology Institute of the Azerbaijani National Academy of Sciences.


"A growing number of customers are installing the virtualization of computing resources, which serves as a preparatory stage for the subsequent transition to cloud computing", he added.


Tabulin said IBM wants to ensure its position in Azerbaijan not only as an equipment manufacturer. The company seeks to show that all services and products which are in demand and represented globally, are also presented in this country.


"CIS countries have a good chance of a technological breakthrough, as the cost of the technology is gradually lowering, whereas the existing data-processing infrastructure was built up over decades in other countries. So there is a real opportunity to create a fairly developed modern infrastructure using small investments", he said.

.trend.az

Rostelecom connects Siberian cities to e-government

National telecom operator Rostelecom and Irkutsk city authorities signed an agreement last week for the deployment of Rostelecom’s e-government solutions in the city, TASS-Telecom reported citing company sources.

Similar agreements have been signed earlier with municipal authorities in Siberian cities of Novosibirsk, Kemerovo, Krasnoyarsk and Omsk.

Rostelecom has given assurances on its web portal that these services will be developed in strict conformity with all requirements on information safety and personal data protection.

Rostelecom was appointed last March as an partner responsible for implementing important parts of the Federal Information Society 2011–2020 program, including e-government and e-signature platforms and cloud computing programs as well as a unified system of classifications and directories for Federal and local governments.

ewdn.com

IBM Helps To Support Kenya’s Electronic Government Development Goals

An international team of 12 IBM (NYSE:IBM) employees from IBM’s Corporate Services Corps programme has completed a month-long term during which they helped support the development of an electronic master plan for the country. The team focused on the challenges and requirements to help Kenya realise its vision of transforming into a middle income nation providing an improved quality of life for all citizens by the year 2030.

The team of IBM employees from 11 countries provided assistance to several government agencies, working on projects including providing e-government services to citizens, an e-voting master plan and a strategy to increase collaboration between education and research institutions.

In terms of e-government, the team worked to demonstrate how information technology, which is rapidly gaining ground in Kenya, can provide a catalyst for progress. The IBM team focused on a strategic framework enabling citizens to use mobile phones to link to government services around the clock.

Working with the Ministries of Information, Communication and Justice, the team focused on a plan for a simple yet accurate and transparent e-voting system that sets out overall standards and governance for an e-voting system with the aim of increasing voter confidence for the planned 2012 elections.

The team also worked with the Kenya Education Network Trust (KENET) to identify how to increase participation by researchers. They analysed best management practices from other research and education networks, and reviewed the implementation of more efficient methods based on IBM methodologies. Their recommendations included guidance on support to member institutions regarding content creation, by providing training, guidance and infrastructure, in order to engage researchers with the network

“This is the third IBM Corporate Services Team to provide skilled services in Kenya. Each group has made a valuable contribution towards addressing some of the key challenges in the country,” said Tony Mwai, IBM Country General Manager for East Africa. “Africa is a key continent for the CSC programme, and as we mark IBM’s Centennial, this is another example of how IBM employees are making a contribution to communities around the world.”

The team was based in Nakuru, north-west of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, where they worked closely with the local community to help gauge their needs representing those of citizens of similar towns across the country. Since July 2008, IBM’s Corporate Service Corps has deployed 363 IBM employees in 32 teams to South Africa, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, and Egypt. Through these projects, IBM has worked with local organisations and businesses across Africa to support community driven economic development.

The Corporate Service Corps (CSC) is a global IBM initiative designed to provide small businesses, government agencies, educational and cultural institutions and non-profit organizations in growth markets with sophisticated business consulting and technology skills to help improve local conditions and foster job creation. IBM deploys teams of top employees from around the world representing IT, research, marketing, finance, consulting, sales and business development to growth markets for a period of one month. The employees work pro-bono with local organizations and businesses on projects that intersect business, technology and society.

As a global programme, over the past three years the IBM Corporate Service Corps has deployed 1200 IBM employees on more than 120 teams to 25 countries around the world. In Kenya, IBM works with the non-profit organisation, Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT), to identify strategic projects which could most benefit from skills of IBM teams.

dailymarkets.com