IT saves taxpayers billions

By Leon Engelbrecht, ITWeb senior writer

Johannesburg, 06 Dec 2007

A focus on security and bettering available IT solutions has spared the government billions of rands in social grants that otherwise would have fallen into the pockets of thieves.

It has also curbed the theft of state assets by 95% at the national Department of Social Development (DSD), its annual report notes.

"The emphasis in financial year 2006/7 was to improve physical security within the DSD, as well as the SA Social Security Agency..."

The report says the department installed an electronic security system consisting of access control, a visitor`s management system, close-circuit television and asset tracking. "What makes this system unique is that the access control, asset tracking and CCTV systems are integrated," the report says.

"During the 2006/7 financial year, the DSD suffered minimal losses. [The] theft rate within the DSD has dropped drastically. Security management has brought the theft rate of state assets down to about 95%, which is a result of the proper managing of the procedures and the proper management of the private security officials."

Security vetting

Social development minister Zola Skweyiya, in October, said investigations into fraud, corruption and misadministration in the social grant system had saved government R7.7 billion destined for the pockets of criminals.

While some crime syndicates had hacked their way into the department`s systems, most found it easier to bribe officials. The annual report says security vetting "is the most basic defensive measure that can be taken to protect classified information".

Special investigating unit head Willie Hofmeyr at the time added that about 5 600 officials and unlawful recipients had been prosecuted, with an 80% conviction rate.

The annual report says steps are being taken to improve information security in the department. "An information systems audit of limited scope conducted on the general controls surrounding the IT environment was completed in July 2007."

The report adds that the "most significant weakness identified" included that the user account management procedures were inadequate. They did not address the processes to be followed to remove the user accounts for former employees, the monitoring of user activity, or procedures to ensure the access rights of users would periodically be reviewed.

Social BI

The annual report also states the department had noted the need for business intelligence solutions to allow it "to do research and analysis, develop policy, implement policy and monitor results".

"In order to support the department`s mandate, vision, mission and strategic objectives, the Information Management Systems and Technology (IMST) unit of the national DSD embarked on the development of IMST strategies to address the information needs of business," the report adds.

"Prior to these initiatives, solutions had been deployed in the social development sector in silos with limited success. This was a consequence of the country`s social development dispensation, consisting of the national department and [nine] autonomous provincial departments."

The report says this resulted in a "lack of standardisation [in] service delivery and technology",

"disparate and disintegrated systems" and "low or varying levels of IMST maturity in the provinces".

This is being corrected through the introduction of an enterprise architecture for the social development sphere that encompasses both the national department and the nine provinces. The new EA "will also serve as a framework for independent development of solutions by provinces".

The report adds this architecture must also fit into the Integrated Justice System EA being spearheaded by the National Prosecuting Authority.

In the meantime, the department will roll-out a "Social Development Information Management System as a stop-gap for the social development system" in the new financial year that starts on 1 April.