Alan Wong is not a geek. The Director of the Hong Kong Government's Information Technology Services Department (ITSD) does not come to his job with a background as a software engineer or systems manager. His mandate is not to increase the number of computers owned by the Government.

Wong's mission, as he sees it, is to promote the use of information technology (IT) within the Government and to Hong Kong businesses and the community at large not for its own sake, but as an ends to a means. "In the Information Age, life-long learning is important to every one of us," he says. "We must equip ourselves well to keep pace with ever-changing IT developments and adapt ourselves readily to the development of an information economy."

Lead by example
The mission of ITSD itself is three-fold: promote and foster the adoption of information technology (IT) within Government; facilitate easy and secure interaction among Government, businesses and individuals via IT; and promote the wider use of IT within the community.

"By adopting e-business best practices and electronic operations, the Government will be able to enhance efficiency, optimise the use of limited resources and provide high-quality and customer-oriented services to the public and the business sector," he says. "These will ultimately help drive the economic development of Hong Kong."

In order to speed the development process, the Government has adopted an aggressive outsourcing policy, and currently outsources two-thirds of new Government IT projects. This fiscal year, Wong says over 80 per cent of new IT projects will be outsourced.

Digital 21
Appointed Director of ITSD in July of 2001, Wong has inherited responsibility for executing the Government's Digital 21 Strategy, adopted in 1998 and updated in May of 2001. The objective of the Digital 21 Strategy is to develop Hong Kong as a leading digital city in a globally connected world in order to maintain Hong Kong's competitive edge and to drive its economic expansion.

Wong believes the adoption of IT has assumed an even more critical role in the current economic climate, as well as the implementation of e-commerce offerings wherever possible. One of his main priorities is to see the Government lead by example by building an efficient and effective e-government, through the use of IT in its internal operations and in delivering public services.

"We have set a target of providing e-option - the option of obtaining services electronically - for 90 per cent of the public services that are deliverable electronically, by the end of 2003," he says. "At the moment, 65 per cent of electronically deliverable services have such an e-option."

The Government's Electronic Service Delivery initiative will see the installation of service kiosks in public places around Hong Kong (around 100 are in place already), as well as the provision of services over the Internet. Individuals and businesses will see an increasing number of services made available electronically, and the provision of kiosks will extend access to those who do not have Internet access.

"In the past three years, Hong Kong's IT infrastructure has been substantially enhanced," says Wong. "Developing and maintaining a world-class IT infrastructure is the key to our future as a world-leading 'digital city'. Our broadband telecoms infrastructure and usage is already among the highest in the world, and around 60 per cent of our households have personal computers. Nearly half the population are already Internet users. In the near future, 25 per cent of school curricula will be IT-supported."

Building confidence
Critical to developing universal acceptance of IT as a tool for business and everyday life is the building of trust in electronic transactions and e-commerce. To help build trust among Internet users and e-commerce traders, the Government enacted the Electronic Transactions Ordinance and implemented a legislative framework within which e-commerce transactions are protected.

Following the enactment of the Electronic Transactions Ordinance, Tradelink spun off its certification services to its subsidiary, Digi-Sign Certification Services Limited. In July, Digi-Sign was recognised by the government as a Certification Authority under the terms of the Electronic Transactions Ordinance and became the first private company in Hong Kong to attain the status of a recognised certification authority.

"The use of recognised digital certificates within a clear legal framework to support secure electronic transactions is one of the key pillars of our IT infrastructure," says Wong. "Secure solutions in which users - businesses and individuals - can have complete confidence are absolutely critical to our development as a digital city, and a big priority for me is the issue of IT security."

Helping one another
"The combination of knowledge and confidence are critical to assuring the adoption of information technology across the broad spectrum of individuals and businesses with diverse needs," Wong says. "Leading by example, the Government aims to promote the distribution of IT knowledge, and the building of confidence in the effectiveness of IT. we have made excellent progress so far, and we are committed to rapid progress.

"As a community, we are there to help one another. There are many sources to which IT adopters can go for information, and the Government is only one. It is my hope that by providing the framework for Internet access, many Hong Kong people and businesses will seek out information themselves, and implement IT solutions that increase their effectiveness and productivity."

Concludes Wong, "I am a firm believer that despite the present economic situation, the Internet, its applications, broadband services and wireless and mobile communications will continue to help drive the world economy. I am a firm believer as well that excellence in IT, and leadership in e-commerce, will yield solid rewards for Hong Kong, for Hong Kong businesses, and for Hong Kong people. The advantages delivered by IT and the Internet will not become less valuable; it is certain they will become more valuable over time."