Need to strengthen electronic integration and digital transformation recommended

Salalah: The awareness workshop on "Shared Government Services and Electronic Integration," organised by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology over two days in Salalah, recommended strengthening the utilisation of shared government services, emphasising the adoption of the Government Integration Platform for data exchange between entities, and designating clear technical points of contact, alongside leveraging the national infrastructure in the areas of electronic integration and cloud computing.At the conclusion of its deliberations on Tuesday, the workshop also recommended enhancing the utilisation of the unified support contract for Microsoft and Oracle products, organising mechanisms for requesting technical support, conducting periodic inventories of needs and the actual use of licenses and rationalising them, while planning early for future needs and complying with licensing requirements. It further recommended monitoring utilisation and cost indicators to achieve the best value from unified government agreements. Nuzha Mohammed Al Muharbi, Director of Shared Infrastructure at the Ministry, noted that "Oman Government Network" is one of the fundamental pillars of government digital infrastructure, as it provides a unified, secure, and reliable connectivity environment linking government entities and enabling them to access shared government services and systems and exchange data efficiently, thereby enhancing security and reliability and supporting the continuity of digital services and integration among government entities.Marwa Kareem Dad Al Raisi, Head of the Digital Platforms Department at the Ministry, said that the "National Government Platform for Electronic Integration" contributes to enabling inter-connectivity among government entities and the secure and organised electronic exchange of data and services, thereby reducing the need to establish separate integrations between entities, accelerating the development of digital services, raising their efficiency, and limiting duplication in requesting data from beneficiaries.The workshop's closing day also included a presentation delivered by Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel), alongside a presentation by Otech on cloud services.The workshop concluded with an emphasis on the importance of continued coordination among government entities, activating shared services, and leveraging available digital infrastructure, in support of developing government services and accelerating the digital transformation trajectory in the Sultanate of Oman.The workshop comes within the efforts of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology to strengthen electronic integration among government entities and support digital transformation, in a manner that contributes to raising the efficiency of government services and improving the beneficiary experience.