Office of the Premier Annual Report 2009-2010 - Gauteng Online

3.3.2 Sub-Programme: Information and CommunicationTechnologyPurposeTo enhance corporate services to support delivery on core mandatesby enhancing productivity and efficiencies through informationtechnology, institutional knowledge and facilities management.Measurable objective:The IT and e-Governance sub-programme in 2009/10 aimed to:• Manage information and communications technologyinfrastructure and systems in the Office of the Premier andupgrade identified infrastructure• Manage buildings and other fixed structures• Implement business continuity and disaster recovery processes• Save on telecommunications costs in the Office of the Premier• Reconfigure office space to ensure adequate accommodationfor all staff• Manage records in accordance with the National Archives andRecords Service of South Africa Act, 1996 (Act No 43 of 1996)as amended.Service delivery objectives and indicators:Information technology is provided by the Sub-Sub-Programmewithin the Office as well as through offsite services provided bythe GSSC Branch within the Gauteng Department of Finance.The rendering of information technology services in the Office isessentially to support the user base with a reliable IT infrastructureand support services for the implementation of the electoralmandate. To this end the Sub-Sub Programme provides technicalsupport for hardware related problems as well as assistance withsoftware applications. To support this process the directorateacquired and implemented a call centre management tool toassist with logging and monitoring of IT technical incidents.To ensure that all hardware is at optimum functionality in the yearunder review an audit of IT hardware was conducted to ascertainits functionality and to advise on replacement. This process isintended to recommend bulk procurement of IT hardware as acost saving measure. Similarly an application was installed toassist with the auditing of software applications on users’ profiles.This process is aimed at reducing license costs and usage ofunauthorised software. To further support the drive for cost savingsin the Office of the Premier, a least cost routing system is beingimplemented to support cost containment measures related totelecommunications. This system facilitates telephone calls fromlandline to cellular telephone at significantly reduced costs. Toimprove the functionality of reception services and to providethe necessary backup system, a second switchboard has beeninstalled.In ensuring that the Office performs optimally the directorate hasembarked on a local area network (LAN) upgrade. The projecthas been scoped for the duration of three years and commencedin the 2009/10 financial year. The first phase of the project washampered by the possible relocation of the Office of the Premierto alternate premises. In June 2009 the relocation processes wascancelled and the project was revived. To date two floors havebeen upgraded, facilitating significantly faster LAN connections forstaff on these floors.Business continuity planning is critical in an organisation to ensurethat critical business processes are able to continue in the eventof small service disruptions such as individual hardware loss or inthe case of a disaster such as a fire which could destroy offices,equipment etc. Given budget constraints in the 2009/10 financialyear, the Office of the Premier developed internal capacity to draftthe business continuity plan. In January 2009, 19 officials from allprogrammes attended a training session. Subsequently a BusinessContinuity Framework for the Office has been drafted which putsin place strategies to engage with business continuity in a holisticand integrated manner.The Office of the Premier maintains a registry in terms of the ArchivesAct of 1996. The registry is a critical component of knowledgemanagement processes. As part of a larger provincial initiative,the digitisation of critical archival material has been initiated. Inthe 2009/10 financial year all human resource files have beendigitised to improve archiving efficiencies and to allow for disasterrecovery. The closing of the Gauteng Youth Commission (GYC) in2009 led to the integration of the staff and other resources intothe Office of the Premier. All material from the GYC has beenarchived within the registry system and the staff accommodated byreconfiguring existing office space.39