About The Ministry of the Interior, Czech Republic
The Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic provides an extensive range of public administration services to the country's 10 million citizens. The Ministry is responsible for internal security, border controls and immigration, policing, fire and rescue services, and the administration of various systems and registers. It is also responsible for eGovernment development in the Czech Republic.
Challenge
The project started with an idea: it should be the data that moves around, not the citizens. The challenge was: how to make this work–quickly, easily and while ensuring the highest protection for circulating personal data? The answer was clear–using modern technology. The Ministry of Interior created the concept of the Czech POINT project–the real beginning of eGovernment in the Czech Republic.
The objective was to design a system which would be secure and available over the Internet, to enable easy and effective communication between citizens and the authorities via the Public Administration Contact Points.
The key challenges were to ensure complete security and robust user authentication within a user-friendly, low-cost, easy-to-manage solution. The Ministry wanted to avoid the need for user training and aimed to re-use existing computer hardware where possible, to keep costs low.
Novell Solution
After careful analysis, the Ministry chose a solution, based on customised products: 602XML FormServer from Software602 Inc., SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, Novell Identity Manager and Novell Sentinel.
The 602XML FormServer software provides intelligent pre-built forms that enable citizens to request information or documents. Czech POINT validates users through Novell Identity Manager, then passes their requests to the relevant data provider. The requested documents are returned in encrypted form to the Public Administration Contact Points for local printing and then automatically deleted from the system. Czech POINT uses Novell Sentinel to keep an auditable log of events and users, but never stores any sensitive information about citizens.
The Ministry chose SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for its reliability, scalability and openness. The built-in high-availability functions and Xen virtualisation technology were also a significant factor in the decision, helping the Ministry create a robust solution at low cost.
"Choosing open technologies as the basis for Czech POINT removes our dependence on software suppliers and simplifies future development of the solution," said Ing. Jindřich Kolář, Head of ICT Development and Project Management for the Ministry of the Interior. "As a provider of Linux and of security and access management products, Novell Professional Services ČR has done an excellent job."
The solution uses Novell Identity Manager and the Novell Identity Manager Role Based Provisioning Module to streamline user authentication. The ability to sort users into groups according to their roles makes it easy to manage security for large numbers of users. Novell Sentinel logs all events for audit purposes and delivers a real-time overview of system activity to administrators.
The expert consulting and support services provided by Novell Professional Services CR ensured a smooth rollout. Novell continues to assist the Ministry in supporting the Czech POINT solution, which is designed to be fully extensible so that it can slot into future eGovernment initiatives.
Results
Czech POINT has become an invaluable tool for Czech citizens, giving them a single, easy-to-use point of access to certified information from major public administration systems. During its first year of operation, the solution delivered more than one million documents to users–representing a significant saving in time and effort both for the citizens and for public administration staff.
Choosing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server as the strategic platform for Czech POINT enabled the Ministry to realise significant cost savings. First, the relatively small footprint of the Novell operating system minimised the need to invest in new hardware, and second, the open source technology ensures low ongoing operational and maintenance costs.
With Novell Identity Manager providing role-based user management, the Ministry achieved its objectives around system security with a solution that is easy and cost-effective to administer. Novell Sentinel provides assurance to auditors that the Czech POINT solution keeps sensitive documents secure.
"When we started this project, most people thought that it was another hopeless attempt to digitise public administration in the Czech Republic," said Kolář. "But our people believed in the Czech POINT project from the beginning; their effort, combined with support from highly qualified suppliers, really paid off."