ICT Issues in Government

A lot of governments have struggled to keep up with the latest developments as the technology is evolving so quickly. The bureaucracy that most governments function under usually results in significant delays occurring between when new the technologies become available and implementation (Cordella and Tempini, 2015).

Delays in implementation caused by extensive consultation processes may result in the system/hardware being out dated before it becomes operational. Consultation is important however governments need to have the flexibility to adapt more quickly to the ever changing technological landscape (Kumar et al, 2017).

Government departments are increasing the use of mobile devices, wireless networks, remote access and internet based communications for example web conferencing (Saxena, 2017). It is challenging to ensure the infrastructure and security measures are appropriate to manage data without compromising data security.

Technology has a reasonably short lifespan so any delay in the adoption of new technology means that the solution implemented may not include the latest technology and it could be out dated and obsolete sooner.

Updating computers, mobile devices and ICT equipment on a large scale also requires the obsolete equipment (e-waste) to be managed (Savoldelli et al 2014). Recycling e-waste is becoming more common and is one way to avoid it going to landfill. The speed of technological change limits the opportunities to repurpose or reuse obsolete equipment.

Maintaining data management systems is difficult as there is typically no software readily available to manage the needs of government departments. Software must either be adapted from similar programs used by other jurisdictions or developed to suit the business need (Binci, 2011). By adapting existing software utilises the foundation that already exists, however it can be complex and costly. It may be more cost effective and faster to build software that is fit for purpose from its inception.

Maintaining current publicly accessible content is one area that under-developed countries consistently fall short of standard expected in developed nations (Asogwa 2015). It can be difficult to find skilled staff to maintain IT systems appropriately. As ICT utilised within governments changes so does the nature of public service jobs. Public sector staff must adopt and adapt to constantly changing ICT equipment and policies (Sandor, 2012).

Maintaining current data on internal networks (intranets) is a universal issue. It is one area that often falls behind as other ICT issues take priority. Government policies, procedures and requirements are changing constantly often based on the current political climate. It can be costly and time consuming to maintain the content on internal networks and government websites given the complexity and volume of data to be maintained (Misuraca, 2009).

Data security breach for organisations including Yahoo, Uber and more recently Facebook have been widely reported in recent years. According to Froomkin (2009) the types of data breaches experienced by governments is often similar to the private sector, however on a much larger scale.

Governments legitimately maintain records containing large amounts of personal information about their citizens including:

• census data
• tax records
• social security information
• health records
• immigration records

The common types of government data breaches include:

• intentional release of data in violation of the law or regulation
• data released accidentally through human error or software incorrectly configured
• data on portable media either lost or stolen
• malfunctioning or poorly designed software
• insider access that exceeds defined permissions
• hackers, viruses and Trojan horses

Data breaches undermine the public’s confidence in the government’s ability to protect their personal information and may call into question their ability to govern effectively.