News item | 15-07-2022 | 4:00 pm
From now on, ministries and implementing organizations must pay particular attention to matters such as information security and privacy when drawing up new laws and regulations. In addition, central government’s digital resilience will be strengthened by giving priority to cybersecurity and by strengthening knowledge in the field of ICT. These will be the spearheads of the government-wide strategy in the field of information provision (I-strategy) in the coming years.
The Council of Ministers has approved the priorities within the I strategy. In a letter to the House of Representatives, State Secretary Van Huffelen of Kingdom Relations and Digitization describes the most important challenges for the information provision of the central government.
“These choices form the foundation for our ambitions in the field of digitization. We must respond more and better to digital developments in society and the economy. By looking at laws and regulations earlier, more often and with more expertise, we want to improve the service provision to citizens and companies while at the same time arming ourselves against risks,” says Van Huffelen.
The I-strategy has ten themes. Three of these are given priority: Information provision at the heart of policy, digital resilience and I-craftsmanship. Working on ‘I in the heart’ means that the opportunities and risks of digitization and information provision are taken into account at an early stage when drawing up new laws and regulations. And that the feasibility and enforceability of the policy is taken into account at the front, so that it ends up properly in the systems at the back.
In order to strengthen the digital resilience of central government – and thereby reduce the risk of, for example, failure of systems or data leaks – cybersecurity and information security are given higher priority. This takes into account developments in hybrid work, cloud applications, an increase in digital crime and geopolitical developments. Ministries are also starting so-called ‘Red Team exercises’. These exercises are intended to detect and address vulnerabilities in technology or processes.
Expertise and craftsmanship are an important precondition for the success of the I-strategy. With the shortage on the labor market, it is becoming increasingly important to have sufficient and the right knowledge in-house. State Secretary Van Huffelen therefore wants to entice young digital talent to work for the government, while retaining experienced staff at the same time. There is also a focus on extra I-training and education for colleagues who already work for the national government.
In addition to the three priority themes, work is also being done on the other themes within the I-strategy, such as information management, data-driven working, collaboration with the market and promoting innovation.