The government's overdue plan to set up a data centre hosting facility for vital e-government systems is finally moving forward. IT services company ITNET has been awarded an £83m five-year contract for what was formerly known as project True North.
It will see the Government Gateway, the Knowledge Network and the 'Delivering on the Promise' pan-government content management system brought together in a single managed data centre service.
Other government departments will make use of the hosted service in the future, according to a Cabinet Office statement.
The project, which featured in the UK Online Annual Report 2002, is behind schedule. The contract was to be awarded in March, with a view to going live this summer.
A Cabinet Office spokeswoman claimed that the importance of the project meant that more time was needed for its consideration.
"The project has been delayed but we will introduce it in three phases beginning early next year," she said.
But the spokeswoman was unable to give a revised expected completion date.
Rod Matthews, director of e-government programmes at Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council, explained that it was essential that careful consideration was given to the data centre hosting service.
"It is essential that the Government Gateway is successful because it is essential for the authentication of citizens. Citizens will be able to discuss personal details online securely," he said.
The government currently houses its e-government infrastructure in disparate data centres. These are managed by different vendors which will be replaced by ITNET in the coming months.
Quelle: Vnunet
