These standards provide a framework for appropriate, equitable and cost-effective provisioning of desktop computing, which are provided for use by staff of Government in carrying out their duties as public servants.
1. PURPOSE
These standards provide a framework for appropriate, equitable and cost-effective provisioning of desktop computing, which are provided for use by staff of Government in carrying out their duties as public servants.
2. DEFINITIONS
ICT – Information and Communications Technology
Government Network Systems - wired (LAN) or wireless (wifi) networks.
software - A generic term describing all kinds of computer programs, applications and operating systems.
hardware - The physical components of a computer including the keyboard, monitor, disk drive, and internal chips and wiring.
3. RESPONSIBILITIES
The overall responsibility for the control of this policy at the department level shall be each Head of Department. This Policy is a living document and may be modified in a period of every 2 years, given the fact of the rapid changes in technology, by coordination of the Director of ICT, under the advice of the Minister and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Communications and Foreign Affairs.
4. POLICY
Computing Standards
The Government standard computer offering is a Windows based computer. Any exception to the standard will need prior approval of the concerned Permanent Secretary. The issue of desktop and laptop computers to any staff will be at the discretion of the Permanent Secretary.
The standard specifications are listed further below and will conform to Ministry Budgets as well as Central Procurement Unit policies.
Violations
Where a staff member believes on reasonable grounds that these Standards have been breached, such that the activities of Government are impeded or prejudiced, they should raise this with their Head of Department in the first instance.
Violations may result in disciplinary action in accordance with Government policy. Failure to observe these guidelines may result in disciplinary action by Human Resources, ICT Department and the Ministry of Justice, Communications and Foreign Affairs depending upon the type and severity of the violation, whether it causes any liability or loss to Government, and/or the presence of any repeated violation(s).
5. PROCEDURES
Software
All software acquired for or on behalf of or developed by the ICT Department employees or contract personnel on behalf of the ICT Department shall remain Tuvalu Government property. All such software must be used in compliance with applicable license, notices, contracts, and agreements.
Purchasing
All purchasing of Government software shall be centralized within the ICT Department to ensure that all applications conform to corporate software standards and are purchased at the best possible price. All requests for corporate software must be submitted to the department Director for his/her approval and to proceed through proper process, through CPU. The request must then be sent to the ICT Department, which will then review the need for such software, and then determine the standard software that best accommodates the desired request if the ICT Department determines that such software is needed. Other software may be approved by ICT staff according to the nature of the office duties.
Licensing
Each employee is individually responsible for reading, understanding, and following all applicable licenses, notices, contracts, and agreements for software that he or she uses or seeks to use on Government computers. If any employee needs help in interpreting the meaning/application of any such licenses, notices, contracts and agreements, he/she will contact the ICT Department for assistance. Unless otherwise provided in the applicable license, notice, contract, or agreement, any duplication of copyrighted software, except for backup and archival purposes, may be a violation of federal and state law. In addition to violating such laws, unauthorized duplication of software is a violation of the Government’s Software/Hardware Policy.
Software Standards
The following list shows the standard suite of software installed on Government computers that are fully supported by the ICT Department:
Where applicable the following software will be installed on Government computers
Variations
Staff members may raise a request to have a different specification of computer software, based on a genuine job/work related requirement. Any variation to the standard specifications should be discussed with their relevant Head of Department.
Software Installation
The ICT Department is exclusively responsible for installing and supporting all software on Government Computers. These responsibilities extend to Government Office desktop computers and laptop computers
The ICT Department relies on installation and support to provide software and hardware in good operating condition to all staff so that they can best accomplish their tasks.
Domain Naming Procedures for Ministry/Department Websites
All Government websites must also conform to this standard naming procedure. Any Government related website must at least have a gov.tv domain name. The format follows or like the examples shown below. It is recommended best practice to use short and memorable names as is popularly used in daily reference. If your preferred primary domain is different, there must be an alias configured to redirect you to that particular website.
Examples: https://www.gov.tv, https://ict.gov.tv, https://stats.gov.tv.
For other preferences: https://mfed.gov.tv will be configured to redirect to the already existing https://mfed.tv
Hardware
All computer hardware acquired for or on behalf of Government and issuing of these to any staff shall be at the discretion of the Permanent Secretary of a Ministry and shall remain Tuvalu Government property.
All employees with a Government issued computer will be allowed to connect to Government’s computer networks.
All connected hardware devices must be used in compliance with these standards.
Purchasing
All purchasing of Government computer hardware devices shall be in conjunction with this policy, the Central Procurement Unit and the ICT Department, to ensure that all equipment conforms to these standards and is purchased at the most economical rates.
All requests for Government computing hardware devices must be in the annual corporate budget document and have the Permanent Secretary’s approval. The request must then be sent to the ICT Department’s review of specifications, before it is submitted for normal payment processes.
Hardware Standards
The following list shows the recommended computer brands, hardware configuration for new desktop and laptop computers, and recommended basic monitors and Printers.
Variations
Staff members may raise a request to have a different specification of computer hardware, based on a genuine job or work related requirement. Any variation to the standard specifications should be discussed with their relevant Head of Department and Permanent Secretary.
Naming Procedures of Government Desktop and Laptop computers
All Government Desktop PCs and Laptops must be given this formal naming procedure. This will help identify issued computers and the staff members using it.
For Desktop computers: similar to Government user accounts - then <1> at the end for desktop PCs.
E.g. Polevia Teriba’s desktop Computer Name will be: pteriba1
For Laptops computers: then <2> at the end for Laptop.
E.g. if he has a laptop, it will be named: pteriba2
Data Security & Data Shares for all Government Departments.
ICT have created a shared drive on Government file servers for sharing purposes and even backing up of all important files and documents. These network drives are available to all staff on logging in to the Government domain network.
BYOD – Bring your own device.
For privately owned devices like mobile phones, tablets or laptops, staff must register their privately owned devices with the Department of ICT. This would enable easier identification or troubleshooting for issues with network congestion and or security breaches.
Accordingly, staff with a BYOD needing connection to the Government Network, a ‘Government Network Access Declaration’ (GNAD) Form (Annex 1) is required to be filled for proper device registration by the Department of ICT.
No BYOD USB flash drives or thumb drives may be inserted into any Government computers, unless that flash drive has been properly checked and scanned by staff of the Department of ICT.
6. Summary
This policy is designed to facilitate Government civil servants with required standard computing devices, in maximizing the efficient performance of their duties and the acceptable use of Government networks and Internet connections. Any deviation from this policy will be reported to the relevant authorities and may lead to disciplinary measures. Full cooperation with this policy is mandatory so that all goals can be met in accordance with the Government's digital transformation objectives and minimize cybersecurity risks.
Opetaia Simati,
E-Government,
2021-09-21 09:04:20
