Security essential to maintaining trust in government
Australian federal and state government agencies must keep cybersecurity top of mind to maintain the increased trust fostered among citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Empired.
Surveys indicate that 80% of Australians see their government as being generally trustworthy, up from just 49% in 2019, the IT service management company said.
While this increase in trust will increase buy-in for government agencies looking to embrace digital service delivery, it could be squandered if governments fail to maintain top standards of security, according to Empired Group GM for Modern Work and Digital Darren Christophersen.
“Strong information security is essential for people to trust governments with their data. People will be less likely to use government digital services if they believe their data will be compromised or stolen, so the onus is on government agencies to prove they have robust information security measures in place,” he said.
“Right now, people have a lot of trust in the government but that could change quickly, especially if there were to be a major data breach. Implementing strong cybersecurity protections now is therefore essential for government agencies to successfully introduce digital programs.”
According to Empired, government agencies should focus their security efforts on three key areas: cloud security for hybrid workplaces, compliance and regulations, and the adoption of zero-trust networking principles.
“The acceleration of digital transformation means governments can no longer take up to five years to roll out new solutions. Instead, they have a maximum of two years to execute new projects. This puts a lot of pressure on teams to move quickly, but it’s still important to make sure that the solutions being rolled out will actually deliver benefits to consumers,” Christophersen said.
“With the right security solutions underpinning this activity, government agencies can capitalise on the currently high level of trust to deliver innovative new projects with confidence.”
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