8. Security

Security is costly, but must be addressed in the design phase, as security breaches can shatter public trust in E-government. Trust is a vitally important component of E-government projects. Without trust, citizens who may already be leery of using technology may avoid and even shun the use of online services that ask for detailed personal information.

・ Designate a senior official responsible for computer security.

・ Continually assess systems to make sure that security precautions are being implemented.

・ Backup information regularly and store backups in a separate location.

・ When it comes to personal information, keep information collection to a minimum and do not disclose personal information without express prior consent.

・ Provide ongoing training to employees on computer security.

・ Evaluate performance of system managers in adhering to sound security practices.

9. Transparency

Citizens too rarely understand how government decisions are made. This lack of transparency prevents the public from actively participating in government and from raising questions or protesting unfair or ill-advised decisions. A lack of transparency can conceal official graft or favoritism.

・ Post online rules, regulations and requirements for

・ government services (such as requirements for obtaining

・ A license) to minimize subjective actions by officials.

・ Highly-placed public officials can expedite transparency and accountability efforts by making their offices positive examples of openness.

・ When putting services online, give citizens the ability to track the status of their applications.

・ Train civil servants and provide incentives to reform.

・ Integrate transparency and process reform to simplify regulations and procedures.

10. Interoperability

Putting incompatible record formats online neither simplifies nor reduces the workload imposed on people and government officials. Reliable E-government requires a comprehensive overhaul of legacy systems.

・ Map and assess existing record systems.

・ Identify and reform regulatory schemes that make interaction with the government onerous.

・ Use common standards throughout the government to shorten development time and ensure compatibility.

・ Adopt a common IT infrastructure for the government.

11. Records Management

Better information management can help officials identify barriers to more efficient government. An information management framework is necessary to make sense of available data. Without this framework, policy makers could not derive useful analysis quickly enough to react to social and economic developments.

・ Encourage data sharing and cooperation between government departments.

・ Streamline offline record keeping processes to make the transformation to online publication easier.

・ Creation and standardization of meta-data is critical for conducting successful data searches across institutions and networks.

12. Permanent availability and preservation

Historical documentation is of special importance for governments. ICT not only allows for quick and cheap dissemination of data, but also for its compact and convenient storage.

・ Design applications according to need.

・ Consider relevance, usability, language compatibility and affordability.

・ Encourage cooperation between departments and with the private sector in collecting, storing and utilizing data but proceed continuously with personally identifiable information.

13. Education and Marketing

E-government services are only useful if people know about them. Education and outreach programs will be needed.

・ Develop publicity and training campaigns that will engage the public about E-government initiatives.

・ Conduct research to ensure that online services respond to actual needs and that the implementation suits the target audience.

14. Public/Private competition/collaboration

Answering the question of where government controls end and the private sector takes over in E-government efforts.

・ Forge multi-sector partnerships.

・ Review and reassess laws and policies that impede public/private cooperation.

・ Ensure that agreements with contractors and partners are equitable and can be reviewed and revised over time.

・ Seek assistance and involvement from organizations that already have experience in providing services and information using the same or similar technologies

15. Workforce issues

Human resources must be structured and managed with E-government goals in mind. A well-trained and motivated workforce is critical to E-government success.

・ Articulate a timeline for implementation in a step by-step manner so the reforms will not seem overwhelming to the bureaucracy.

・ Hold regular meetings between E-government policy leaders and the affected workforce so employees are active participants in the process.

・ Create incentives by rewarding individuals and agencies that apply the reforms rapidly.