Oman's eGovernment architecture framework to be developed by IDA International Singapore

Dr. Salim Al Ruzaiqi. CEO of ITA and Mr. Seah Chin Siong, CEO of IDA International sign this agreement on the 15th of March 2009 in the presence of the President of Singapore HE S. R. Nathan, HE Sheikh Al Fadhel Al Harthy, Undersecretary for Development Affairs Ministry of National Economy and Deputy of Chairman of ITA and other high level dignitaries of the Singaporean delegation.

Through this contract Oman's eGovernment Architecture Framework (OeGAF) will be developed in cooperation with IDA International. IDA International will review and baseline the 'Oman eGovernment Architecture Framework', its Domains and Domain Principles.

They will define and develop a set of government-wide standards and associated guidelines & specifications for the architectural domains and further develop a formal architectural governance and management process for implementing, maintaining and updating OeGAF.

Speaking about the importance of OeGAF, Mr. Omar Al Shanfari, Chief of Governance and Advisory Division at ITA said, "The key objectives of ITA include enhancement of government services, provision of timely & secure access to essential information, enable seamless integration of Government services, improve the efficiency of service delivery and thereby achieve higher level of citizen / customer satisfaction. In this effort the Oman eGovernance Framework includes an architectural framework, standards, best practices and process management systems."

"Within the OeGAF, Oman Government entities seamlessly integrate their IT Infrastructure and collaborate to deliver better citizen services. OeGAF guides the development, deployment and operations of Information Systems of the Oman Government entities through the principles, strategies and standards that support the goals of the government," he added.

OeGAF contains the principles, strategies and building blocks that support the goals of Oman's e-government implementation. This architecture can direct the selection, use and operation of technologies needed to support government business requirements and delivery of services. The architecture reduces the time and cost of deploying applications, while making it easier to integrate information and services.

OeGAF helps the Government to act as an 'Integrated Enterprise' and manage IT as a strategic investment that maximizes its productivity to better achieve mission outcomes. It also helps government agencies to Optimize IT investments and achieve integration and interoperability of applications between government entities in order to ensure efficient flow of information across their applications. The framework includes domains that improve information security, protect privacy and data exchange, and contribute to enhanced trust and confidence in e-Government.