The Government is actively engaging with citizens, businesses and the tech industry. We seek to gain better insights into the kinds of applications that people need and build new digital government capabilities to deliver great experiences.” – IDA Managing Director Jacqueline Poh
Yesterday, 27 May 2015, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) announced that the government will be launching about S$2.2 billion worth of information and communications (ICT) tenders in the financial year of 2015.
This will be their support towards Singapore’s initiative in becoming a Smart Nation. They have projected that the spending for this year will be higher than S$1.95 billion spent last year. The key areas will be focused on digital and data services, web services, infocomm infrastructure, and the development of the Smart Nation Platform.
This investment aims to comprehend the Smart Nation’s vision. The government will collaborate with the industry players to build the capabilities of what a Smart Nation can do.
Some of the tenders include new work pass system by the Manpower Ministry. The Education Ministry will also get technology services to build and extend its infrastructure in schools. This will help educators and students to be ready with the advancements that is happening in Singapore.
A Corporate Pass (CorpPass) will also be rolled out that will allow employees to make transactions with government agencies in representation of their companies. They will not need to use their own SingPass ID. Companies will be given a six-month grace period to transit this new platform after it is implemented.
As the government allows more access to its data, there is a need for a tighter cyber security system. According to Ms. Poh, “As more data are generated by people, about people and to benefit people, it is important that data is properly treated in the collection, dissemination and also sharing. So, the Smart Nation platform has a lot of checks and balances in it to make sure that data centres are secure, that data is encrypted, and data sharing platforms are also secure.” IDA will work together with the industry to co-create the development of government digital services.
As of the moment, ACP is very pleased to be one of the authorised training providers of IDA’s ICT Learning Roadmap. This learning roadmap aims to discover and enhance the ICT abilities of the students. This will equip the students to be familiar with the technology of today and help them create the technology of the future.