Building IT professionalism: what does this mean?

The IT industry has existed for many years; technology has enabled dramatic improvements in productivity, in business efficiency and in our ability to both communicate and trade in a global market.

With businesses increasingly dependent on information systems for their competitive-edge, coupled with real-world issues of complexity, security and legal compliance, it has been agreed there is significant momentum behind a goal of 'professionalising' the IT industry.

Professional bodies have been grappling with a definition of what an IT professional is and how does one define and implement governance mechanisms.

It is agreed that professionalism in IT can increase the benefits of IT for all the stakeholders.

January 2007, Cape Town, the scene is set. The International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) will host a two-day international meeting on professionalism in IT.

IFIP has as one of its objectives the promotion of professionalism. IFIP believes that in order to achieve the maximum benefit from ICT, all ICT practitioners must be committed to the highest standards of professional practice.

The ICT industry has become increasingly globalised - starting with hardware and software suppliers, global customer organisations such as finance and transport, and latterly, with e-commerce on the Internet, even end-users make direct use of global systems from their homes. Consequently, in addressing issues of professional practice and the quality of global ICT applications, we must seek global platforms to speak about a global industry.

IFIP is a non-governmental, not-for-profit umbrella organisation of international learned societies working in the field of information technology. It was established in 1960 under the auspices of UNESCO as a result of the first World Congress held in Paris in 1959. It is recognised by the United Nations and other world bodies.

IFIP comprises IT societies from 56 countries in the world.

IFIP provides an unparallel global scientific coverage from the theoretical foundations of IT to the relationships between IT and society.

It sets out to address the critical issues of developing countries such as the application of IT in health, fighting poverty, access to education and environmental issues.

The task force who will meet include representatives from Computer Society South Africa, the British Computer Society, Australian Computer Society, and Canadian Computer Society.

Professor Basie Von Solms, the nominated representative, was awarded the position of President Elect of IFIP at the World Congress in Santiago, Chile in September.

Von Solms will take office as President of IFIP in January 2007. Professor Von Solms specialises in research and consultancy in the area of information security, and has written more then 70 papers regarding this field - most of which have been published internationally.

Von Solms has certainly put South Africa on the map in the international ICT arena.

He commented: "It is a compliment to South Africa and CSSA that all these international people are choosing South Africa as their destination for this meeting."