Digital transformation

Architecture of Digital Government in 2030: conservative and robust

May 2, 2024 - 4 minutes reading time
Article by Gerco Koks

Whether it’s making an appointment with a healthcare professional, applying for a new passport, insight into municipal taxes, help with paying them, or insight into your benefit statements; residents and entrepreneurs want all these government matters to be as easy as possible to arrange. Preferably via the internet and from one access point. Residents and entrepreneurs do not really care which government agency they deal with.

To make these digital services a reality, hundreds of projects and programs are carried out every year. Just think of all the self-service portals springing up like mushrooms. Or the Common Ground program, which enables us to make the municipal information vision simpler, more flexible and smarter. Centric is actively contributing to this!

Working document

To provide some grip on the many developments, and to be able to manage the coherence and seamless integration of all those digital government services, the working document 'Architecture Digital Government 2030' has been developed. This document describes the architectural blueprint needed to realize this vision, and is divided into business architecture, information architecture, technical architecture and key aspect areas such as privacy protection and information security.

Accessible

The 2030 digital government aims to provide a seamless experience for all citizens and entrepreneurs. Services and products should be unified and accessible, with a strong focus on ease of use and simplified accessibility for different user groups. Interaction channels between the government and residents will be further digitized and optimized where necessary. Including operation via mobile devices and traditional web portals providing seamless access to these different services from a single point of access.

Restructuring

The movement towards a seamless experience requires a radical restructuring of existing digital applications that are generally still made available in closed-off silos via separate web portals. Fortunately, the movement now seems to be underway to open up these silos with standardized APIs, making data and processes available in favor of a more integrated approach. Application development should focus on modularity and reusability, with strict adherence to open standards to ensure compatibility and ease of maintenance.

From the perspective of standardization, it seems desirable not only to look at the information and data, but also to take a closer look at the processes within the municipal world and streamline them. This can improve efficiency and transparency for residents and businesses, and suppliers can start delivering more value in terms of quality and automation.

The technical architecture includes a robust network infrastructure to support the growing amount of data and increasing need for connectivity. Cloud platforms, both public and private, play a crucial role in the scalability and flexibility of the services offered by the government. The physical infrastructure, such as a data center, must meet high standards of security and sustainability to ensure the integrity and availability of government services.

In aspect areas, such as privacy protection and information security, protection of personal data and security of systems remain top priorities. New technologies should be implemented with a clear focus on strengthening the privacy and security of user data.

Conservative and solid foundation

The architectural vision for 2030 is mainly based on what we know and understand today. This approach avoids speculation on unknown future technologies or societal changes, providing a solid and realistic foundation for planning and development. This approach is sensible because working with known entities and technologies makes it possible to build a reliable and secure infrastructure, while still leaving room for adjustments as future technological and social landscapes unfold.

This comprehensive approach ensures that the digital government of 2030 is technologically up-to-date, secure and geared towards ease of use for all types of users. By building on what we know, without adopting unproven technologies, it lays a conservative and solid foundation for a digital future. A future where security, privacy and reliability are paramount, but which still allows for change in the future.

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