Almost all agencies have e-gov strategies, study says

If the future of government is electronic, then 90 percent of federal agencies are on their way to being ready for it, according to a new study.

The study, "E-Government: Creating Digital Democracy," was conducted by market research firms Meta Group Inc. and Federal Sources Inc., and included the responses of 110 government employees from 60 federal agencies and 37 states. It defines e-government as "the ability to obtain government services through non-traditional electronic means, enabling access to government information and the completion of government transactions on an anywhere, anytime basis, and in conformance to equal access requirements." Nine out of ten federal agencies have a strategy or plan for implementing e-government, the study found.

With so much planning underway, agencies will need to focus on providing a reliable technical infrastructure for e-government needs, the study said.

Agencies will also need to address obstacles and barriers to e-government, such as security and privacy concerns on the part of the public. Agencies are considering a number of technologies to address these concerns. Encryption and public key infrastructure technology is the first choice among security solutions, with 83 percent of agencies considering those options. Other technologies being considered include personal identification numbers and smart cards.

Forty-four percent of agencies will use the Internet, intranets or extranets as service delivery mechanisms, while 30 percent of agencies will use kiosks, terminals and dial-up connections.

The study lists the primary drivers for e-government implementation as service to citizens, technology advancements, constituent demand and legislative requirements.

The majority of agencies, 64 percent, plan to adopt a decentralized strategy for tackling e-government. By contrast, 70 percent of state governments will conduct centralized efforts. "Federal agencies and the Department of Defense tend toward decentralized, agency-specific strategies, while state governments opt for centralized, government-wide plans," the study said.

Even so, according to the survey, portals that combine services provided by multiple agencies will be the norm for providing citizen services.