Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/897139
maltatoday SUNDAY 5 NOVEMBER 2017 44 Information Technology The Maltese economy is currently passing through a positive period, which is partly due to the success in the digital economy sector. As a country, we have launched the national digital strategy - Digital Malta in 2014 and since then we have been implementing it, with the objective of becoming a Digital Nation by 2020. To achieve this result, Government is delivering several projects every year and will continue doing so in the coming years. To reach this goal, several digital projects must be implemented in public administra- tion so that the digital Government concept is achieved. This will help Government to get closer to citizens and businesses, especially with those with whom it interacts. Moreover, citizens and businesses need to be encouraged to become digital in whatever they do. Technology is very dynamic and developing at a very fast rate. Therefore, it is important that Malta keeps abreast with the latest technolo- gies and implements its best practices. MITA is responsible for doing much of this work in Government. It works in tandem with the public sector, with the CIO offices and with the private sector. Apart from providing technical and stra- tegic direction, MITA invests in the adequate technology infrastructure, builds information systems that are common for the public sector and provides consultancy to departments. MI- TA also implements outreach projects through which it raises awareness about the use of digital technologies in several sectors. Such projects are delivered in collaboration with sev- eral partners, namely citizens, the University of Malta, schools, colleges, businesses and with start-ups and the elderly. MITA is also imple- menting innovative systems that use the latest technologies such as blockchain. What we achieved in 2017 During 2017, MITA achieved several goals, of which the primary one was the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. MITA oversaw the implementation of IT systems dur- ing the six months of the Presidency, providing constant support during the high-level meet- ings. It was a great satisfaction for MITA that the implementation of this job was delivered with- out facing any issues. As part of the Maltese Presidency, MITA was also involved in the preparation for the Digital Assembly and the Digital Expo, in which more than 1,000 delegates from around Europe have participated. It was also involved in another im- portant meeting about the use of data, where more than 300 delegates were involved. In 2017, MITA was entrusted with the awareness campaign about cyber security. Through this project, several sectors of society and from the Maltese economy were informed and taught about the risks that they can encounter online and what they can do in case this happens. This campaign is one of the pillars upon which the National Cyber Security Strategy is based. This effort was also transposed on an EU level within the Horizontal Working party for cyber issues. In fact, the need of awareness about cyber security will be reflected in the next Eu- ropean Strategy on Cyber Security. Investment in infrastructure Earlier this year, MITA invested heavily in the infrastructure required to back-up data from Government IT systems. The agency replaced the back-up systems with modern infrastruc- ture that reflects the technological advance- ments that have been made. This investment of more than €1.5 million of European funds will provide the required change in this sector and provide better facilities in MITA's Data Centre. By the end of this year, MITA will also finish a key project to enforce the Government's net- work, the MAGNET. More than 300 new digital apparatus have been bought and installed in Government departments across Malta and Gozo and in the MITA Data Centres. This will re- duce the risk of "Total Network Outage". Another important project was the strength- ening of the virtual platform on which the Pub- lic Administration systems operate. MITA has currently over 1,000 systems operating on this platform and hence it must be stable, modern and ready to cater for even more systems in the coming years. Another initiative included the installation of Office 365 software on Government worksta- tions within the various department, so that Government employees update to the latest versions of software. This was possible through an agreement with Microsoft that wassigned last year. Government IT systems Through the Strategy for Public Services on Mobile, Government is providing the facility for citizens and businesses to use public services on mobile. In March, 21 Government services were launched as mobile apps that are acces- sible through a single point called Maltapps. Other improvements were made in the elec- tronic identification system, known as eID. The process was simplified through the im- plementation of several measures where users Enabling a digital Government through MITA oversaw the implementation of IT systems during the six months of the Presidency, providing constant support during the high-level meetings. The CONvErGE project was launched by the Maltese Prime Minister earlier this year. It involves an investment of €57 million, of which €28.5 million will be allocated from EU funds. As part of the Maltese Presidency, MITA was involved in the preparation for the Digital Assembly, in which more than 1,000 delegates from around Europe have participated.