eNews issue 2
Welcome to the second issue of eNews
In this issue we meet Stephen Crombie – the new GM of Government
Technology Services, review the Managing Identity in New Zealand
conference and the ministerial launch of igovt and share the latest on
our products and services.
To usher in the new era of GTS we are looking at migrating this
newsletter to a blog format within the communities section of the PSI.
Indeed, this will be the first use of the blog functionality of the PSI
within government. We think this a perfectly fitting way to 'dine at
our own diner' and use the very solutions that we provide as a
communication vehicle. The blog format, of course, will enable
interactive discussion and the opportunity to register for RSS feeds so
we can send you the news as soon as it happens and you can review it
when it suits you.
If you have any comments please do not hesitate to contact myself or
Stephen.
All the best
Laurence Millar
Government CIO
CONTENTS
People Profile
- Stephen Crombie
'Landmark'
conference gains international recognition for NZ approach to identity
management
Minister of State
Services launches igovt
Online services
key to improving satisfaction with government say Government
Leaders
newzealand.govt.nz nominated for another award
Account Manger
Contact Details
People Profile - Stephen Crombie
Caption: Stephen Crombie, GM, Government Technology Services
Stephen Crombie, who has extensive experience in managing and
transforming business operations within the IT and telecommunications
sectors, took up the role of GM, Government Technology Services on
Monday, 26th May 2008. He will be responsible for providing government
agencies with shared ICT infrastructure, products and services.
Stephen will lead the GTS team, comprising three Business Managers (Identity Management Services, Network and Infrastructure Services, and Government Information Services), three line groups (Business Development and Uptake, Technology Services, and Service Delivery) and one staff group (Planning and Performance).
"The establishment of the GTS is one of the key ways in which we can use technology to transform the delivery of government services. Stephen’s appointment is a vital first step in providing New Zealanders with more co-ordinated and accessible services that give value for money," Laurence Millar said.
Stephen was most recently Vice President of Group Sales and
International at Tait Electronics. He has worked for Telecom New
Zealand and Ericsson in New Zealand and the United Kingdom and has also
worked in the New Zealand public sector.
eNews caught up with Stephen during his first week:
• eNews: How important is technology in the process of government
transformation?
SC: Technology is an enabler for increasing effectiveness of government
processes that cross agencies. A lot can be achieved through the
sharing of information that is common to those business processes. A
lot of what we will do at GTS will be developing technologies and
processes to enable the sharing of information between agencies. But it
is not just technology...for technology to be useful, we also have to
understand our customers - agencies, users, and the public, and provide
solutions that improve the way all New Zealanders transact and interact
with government.
• eNews: What does government transformation mean to you?
SC: To me, government transformation is about creating networked state
services that enable New Zealanders to get the government information
they want, when they want and how they want. It is about creating
systems that are integrated with each other where useful, delivered
through multiple channels, are highly secure and, above all, easy to
use. It is a fantastic privilege to be able to participate in the
process of transformation. I can really see that GTS will contribute to
government agencies’ efforts in improving what they do for New
Zealanders.
• eNews: What is your philosophy for driving uptake of services?
SC: The major approach will be one of partnership. It is the
government agencies who are leading this transformation. Already I have
seen a lot of projects which are aimed at making government processes
more effective for New Zealanders. Our job at GTS will be to establish
partnerships with agencies, and identify very early on if there is
something that could be used from the GTS portfolio, or if there is
technology that can be re-used by many agencies. We have a good
portfolio of products and services, but we must work in partnership
with agencies to ensure that they are the right products, and to steer
their development and enhancement so they fit with the agencies’ own
plans.
• eNews: What can customers expect from GTS ?
SC: We are providing a service to agencies and I would like to see us
becoming very customer focussed and addressing their fundamental needs.
We have a foundation set of products, but I would like us to be more
like a service company that addresses our customers’ needs and
continuously strives to improve our performance and the capability we
have for agencies to re-use.
• eNews: What are your key experiences in transforming
services?
SC: I have spent 30 years in the ICT industry and a lot of that time
has been managing transformational change in one form or another. I
have spent time in both supplier and telecommunications companies. This
experience has taught me that all successful transformation starts with
a crystal clear understanding of what the customer values and the
experience we want to provide them. There also needs to be a clear
understanding by everyone – customers, staff and suppliers - about
what you are trying to achieve and a willingness, and often passion, to
go on the journey with you. So, in the end, it is all about people and
our own ability to understand and engage.
• eNews: Why were you attracted to the role?
SC: To be part of this transformation. It's a role that combines
service to New Zealand, customer focus, some leading edge technology, a
great bunch of people at SSC and DIA ...what could be better!
• eNews: What is your management style?
SC: I am a "strategic planner" by nature, so I like to understand where
we are going and why. I like to see that what we are doing is connected
to what our customers need and value. I also like to work in a
collaborative manner, with a wide range of people to solve problems and
address challenges. So already I have set up a number of working groups
with the great SSC people I have met, to work on the establishment of
GTS. Often you will see me with a whiteboard pen and bunch of people
working through stuff -.this is what I find invigorating. One of the
big changes in GTS is that it is a matrix structure. I have spent many
years in structures like this which require a lot of people to
collaborate to get the right answer. In fact I think that we all work
in matrix structures of one sort or another, but maybe don't recognise
it. There are a few tricks to doing this successfully -.but it all
starts with a willingness to understand and collaborate.
• eNews: How do you relax?
SC: I spend most of my spare time at my bach in Kapiti, where there is
ample opportunity for fishing and riding my Quad bike, having friends
over and the odd wine or two.
‘Landmark’ conference gains international recognition for NZ approach to identity management
Caption: Malcolm Crompton speaking at the Identity Conference
International experts applauded the New Zealand government’s
commitment to developing user-centric identity management solutions at
the recent Managing Identity in New Zealand conference – dubbed a
‘landmark’ event by one of the keynote speakers.
Former Australian Privacy Commissioner Malcolm Crompton said that
“user-centric [identity management] is becoming mainstream” and
that “New Zealand is looking ahead and doing well” with its
privacy-focussed identity management strategy. He added: “The
conference was a landmark for the quality of its content and
conception, even more so because government was a willing and
interested contributor.” Mr Crompton is now Managing Director of
Information Integrity Solutions P/L. His presentation reviewed the
concepts and drivers of user-centric identity management (IdM) and drew
on international experiences.
Eve Maler, Principal Engineer at Sun Microsystems, also stressed the
importance of user-centric IdM in her presentation on ‘the design of
everyday identity’ and was also very complimentary about the
conference. She said: “It has been an amazing experience. The
organisers did a fantastic job constructing a uniquely valuable event,
reflecting the thoughtfulness that’s present everywhere in the NZ
government’s approach to its citizens’ identity.”
And, Identity 2.0 guru, Dick Hardt, gave a typically charismatic
presentation and told the New Zealand government representatives “you
guys are doing some really good stuff”.
The conference was the brainchild of Laurence Millar who wanted to
shine the spotlight on the New Zealand approach. He said “The
management of "identity" is becoming increasingly important and complex
for the public and private sectors. As we move from operating in the
purely physical world to replicating many aspects of our personal and
work lives in the virtual environment, the management of identity
throws up considerable challenges to the historically stable
relationships between people, businesses and government which have
served us in the physical world. This conference informed the debate on
identity management and what it means for us, as New Zealanders - we
are not following the rest of the world: we are determining our own
path.”
More than 300 people came together on 29 and 30 April at Te Papa,
Wellington for the conference, the first of its kind to be held in New
Zealand. The organisers - Victoria University of Wellington, State
Services Commission and the Department of Internal Affairs - developed
a programme featuring case studies, the latest research and examples of
best practice. The conference concluded with a panel discussion chaired
by John Campbell from TV3.
The conference has received much media attention and commentary in the
blogosphere. Please check out the postings in de.licio.us at http://del.icio.us/e.govt.nz/igovt.
The conference proceedings are available to view online at http://www.presentationcentral.co.nz/mediasite/viewer/?cid=a1cd448c-fd09-4f95-b732-d49fb5d467fc
Minister of State Services
launches igovt
“igovt is unique. It has a world leading design for privacy
protection because it separates technically the logon process from the
identity verification process” said State Services Minister David
Parker in his launch speech at igovt’s official launch at the
Managing Identity in New Zealand conference in April.
“igovt is a great example of how State Services are working together
to create one central, shared service that can be used across local,
regional and national government. It has the potential to open up a new
approach to government service delivery,” David Parker said.
Jointly led by the State Services Commission and the Department of
Internal Affairs, igovt consists of two separate, but integrated,
services that will allow people and businesses to use the Internet to
prove who they are when dealing with government agencies.
For more information visit our new igovt website: www.i.govt.nz
www.i.govt.nz now live
Want to know more about igovt? Want to understand the difference
between IVS, GLS and other three letter acronyms? Then check out www.i.govt.nz.
The website’s primary purpose is to deliver information about igovt
for anyone that would like to find out more. Michelle McClellan from
Ministry of Economic Development said “I am very pleased with your
site! It is clear, simple and the content is easy to
understand.”
The website was designed, built and tested in just three weeks. It
complies with the highest security standards and with the Government
Web Guidelines. www.i.govt.nz uses the SilverStripe content management
system, which is a finalist in the ‘Innovative Use of ICT’
Computerworld Excellence Award 2008.
If you have any feedback, or would like to contact us please email: igovt@ssc.govt.nz
Join the IVS Pilot
Your agency has the opportunity to become part of transforming the way
in which we deliver services to New Zealanders by joining the Identity
Verification Service (IVS) pilot.
The Government Logon Service (GLS) and IVS are two complementary
services under the umbrella brand igovt that allow citizens and
businesses to use the Internet to prove who they are when dealing with
government agencies. The IVS, which is being developed by the
Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), is a way for people to verify
their identity to service agencies to a high level of confidence.
DIA and the State Services Commission are looking for agencies to pilot
this exciting new service.
Melissa Erasmus, Project Manager at DIA, said: ‘The benefits of the
IVS include providing service agencies the opportunity to improve
customer convenience and online services – citizens will be able to
initiate and complete transactions and in some cases this will be in a
matter of minutes, rather than days. Participants would have reduced
security fraud costs through having a high level of confidence in
verifying and knowing who they are dealing with. There would also be
reduced individual agency investment in identity verification
infrastructure.”
If you are interested in taking part in the pilot, or would like some
more information please contact: ict.business@ssc.govt.nz
Online services key to improving satisfaction with government say
Government Leaders
Online services will have an important role to play in improving the
satisfaction with government service delivery, said several senior
managers at a recent Government Leaders Forum. The Forum, held on 16th
April, reviewed the ‘Kiwis Count’ citizen research.
Overall, satisfaction with government services was high at 68%. But,
amongst the results was an interesting statistic that showed that only
4% of citizens currently access government services on-line.
Colin MacDonald speaking in his capacity as Deputy Commissioner of
Business Development and Systems, IRD, said that there was “enormous
potential” in delivering online services and that government would be
“derelict in our duties if we don’t properly realise the
benefits” of on-line service delivery.
But, Mr MacDonald, who has recently been appointed to the role of Chief
Executive of LINZ, also cautioned that there remained challenges in
managing the change from offline to online service delivery. Until the
majority of customers are using the online channel, agencies need to
pay for both the new and old systems during the period of
transition.
Martin Matthews, Ministry for Culture and Heritage (MCH) reflected on
the need to respond to social changes. He said: “There is a growing
proportion of the population who naturally turn to new media as the way
in which they do a lot of things. We have to ensure the system adapts
to the new and emerging demands from that growing part of our
population.”
MCH’s online encyclopaedia - Te Ara - is a world first and last year
alone had just under 2.4 million unique visitors – greatly increasing
the access to the resource compared with the printed version which has
just 33,000 copies in circulation.
The Government Leaders Forum is held bimonthly to debate topical
issues. Typically, the event starts with a keynote presentation
followed by a panel debate. The next one will be held on the 18th June
and will discuss the formation of the Government Technology Services
organisation.
For more information about the Kiwis Count research please visit www.ssc.govt.nz/kiwis-count-research-survey.
newzealand.govt.nz nominated for another award
www.newzealand.govt.nz, the recently re-designed New
Zealand portal, was nominated for the Computerworld 2008 ‘Excellence
in the use of ICT in government’ awards. The winner will be announced
25 July at an awards ceremony in Auckland. The other nominees are
KiwiSaver (Inland Revenue Department) and Te Pākoro – The Storehouse
(Ministry of Social Development).
“We wanted to make finding government information easier and
faster” said Laurence Millar, Deputy Commissioner and Government
CIO.”
The redesign puts everything in one place and reflects changes in
‘search’ technology. More relevant and detailed results are now
available when looking for New Zealand government information then
using other generic search engines, like Google, because it can access
New Zealand government databases not available to other search
engines.
“We have created the government Google” said Laurence Millar at the
re-launch of the portal. One of the newest newzealand.govt.nz features
is OpenSearch, this went live on Friday 23rd May. For browsers that
support OpenSearch, you can add www.newzealand.govt.nz to the list of Search Engines
you can use from within your browser to search across New Zealand
government information and services.
Following Cabinet guidelines which recommend that government agencies
ensure other agencies can re-use open source code a General Public
License for the Content Management System code developed for the site
will soon be available.
www.newzealand.govt.nz was also a finalist in the
Netguide People's Choice Web Awards 2008 for 'Best Government Site.'
The winner was Inland Revenue Department.
Visit newzealand.govt.nz today!
GSN News
The first GSN managed internet products will be declared generally
available from the 1st July 2008. The GSN's ‘content filtering’
product allows secure, high speed access to the public internet with
agency defined security policies and threat control. The content
filtering product provides government agencies the ability to access a
highly secure, customised shared services application, specifically
developed for government with NZSIT402 restricted level
accreditation.
The release of the GSN mail application in a pilot production state is
also targeted for 1st July 2008. The mail product provides secure
transfer of government mail with virus protection and malicious content
filtering.
A range of additional products is currently under development to assist
Government agencies in the ability to access advanced
telecommunications, reduce duplication of telecommunication services
with GSN multi tenant capability and a range of remote connectivity
services.
For more information please contact your Account Manager or see the
table below for details.
GLS News
The GLS programme of work is focused on a six monthly release cycle. The content of each release is driven by:
• feedback from participating agencies and their customers
• the GLS infrastructure upgrade path
• All-of-government Authentication programme of work e.g. IVS
The next release (known as Increment 5) is scheduled to be completed at the end of June
1. GLS application functional upgrade to provide for new functionality such as allowing more space for agency logos on the co-branded GLS logon page, enabling a user to change their username etc.
2. SAML2.0 implementation of the SAML 2.0 messaging profile. This is the messaging that the GLS and a Service Agency use to communicate with each other when logging a service on. SAML 2.0 is required to support the upcoming IVS service.
3. Infrastructure Upgrades A number of improvements and upgrades better support agencies joining the service and keep the infrastructure up to date
Sign Ups
Welcome to the newest members of the GSN – Government Urban Economic Development Office of Ministry of Economic Development and to the newest members of the GLS – the Inland Revenue Department.
GSN
GLS
Upcoming Events
| DATE |
EVENT |
| 18 June |
Government Leaders Forum. "Transformation and technology – a new era begins.” |
| 23 July | Risk Assessment for Online Services Workshop |
| 24 July | Authentication Overview Workshop |
| 6 August |
Authentication Standards Workshop |
| 14 August | Integration with GLS Workshop |
If you would like further information on these events please contact: ict.business@ssc.govt.nz
Account Manager Details
| Sector | Account Manager |
Contact information |
|
| Security, Defence, Archives, Transport, Foreign Affairs,
Agriculture, Food, Maori, Local Government |
Murray Gimblett |
021 936 405 |
murray.gimblett@ssc.govt.nz |
| Education, Health, Environment, Women’s & Pacific Island
Affairs |
Jeremy Blandford |
021 438 321 |
jeremy.blandford@ssc.govt.nz |
| NZ domestic agencies, Labour, Fish, Science, Statistics | Matthew McCulloch |
021 552 255 |
matthew.mcculloch@ssc.govt.nz |
| Justice, Treasury, MSD | Brent Chalmers |
021 544 515 |
brent.chalmers@ssc.govt.nz |
| All others |
ict.business@ssc.govt.nz |
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