On Expenditure for Information Systems and its Benefits
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“State institutions spend a lot of money on procurement,
management and security of information systems however
increasingly more doubts arise as to whether they bring the
expected benefits, if systems are managed properly and data in
the systems are well protected”, said the Auditor General Ms
Rasa Budbergytë when presenting the audit report on Management
of Information Systems at the Central Electoral Commission.
According to Ms Budbergytë information systems audits conducted
by the National Audit Office so far have revealed not only the
common problems that most of the state institutions are facing
but also their unwillingness or incapability to tackle them. The
fact that the Law on Management of the State Information
Resources has not been adopted yet does not contribute to the
solution of this problem. |
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Taking into consideration the fact that those data are of great
importance strict control should be exercised over the management of the
information systems. Main weaknesses determined during the audit are: no
regulation of strategic planning and information systems risk assessment
process, insufficiently defined security agent functions, no appointed
data managers, insufficient control of personal data management.
Having analysed the process of introduction of internet voting system
the auditors determined that it is managed improperly. Since 2006 when
Seimas (the Parliament) adopted the concept of such voting the
Government appointed two project implementation co-ordinators however
manager of the future information system was not appointed. In such a
situation there is a risk that functions might be duplicated and
responsibility be avoided. The National Audit Office attracted the
Government’s attention to the fact that Information Society Development
Committee should not be assigned the functions of co-ordination and
implementation of the Programme for Introduction of Internet Voting as
according to management principles those functions should be separated.
The National Audit Office provided this recommendation already in 2006
however it has not been implemented yet.
Some years ago it was envisaged to spend 2 million Litas for the
Programme for Introduction of Internet Voting System however 650
thousand Litas have been spent so far only for the preparation of
documentation on the establishment of the internet voting system and
acquisition of pilot version of the system. Now it is envisaged to spend
up to 12 million Litas for the entire system. During the audit it was
determined that neither the Central Electoral Commission nor Information
Society Development Committee when implementing the Programme for
Introduction of Internet Voting System have carried out cost-benefit
analysis of the future information system therefore there is a risk that
this might actually increase overall election expenditure instead of
reducing it. The National Audit Office as far back as 2007 proposed to
determine an obligation to carry out cost-benefit analysis for
information society development projects into the State Capital
Investment Planning Methodology however amendments to the Methodology
have not been developed and approved so far.
Auditors denoted that the Central Electoral Commission have not
developed and approved information systems continuity management plan
and procedure for backup storage therefore there is a risk that recovery
after a disaster might be unplanned and hardly controllable that is why
election organisation and implementation process might get interrupted.
Information system security problems might cause a risk that personal
and sensitive personal data might get damaged.
In its recommendations to the Central Electoral Commission the National
Audit Office proposes to strengthen information systems management
control, to increase effectiveness of their administration. The Central
Electoral Commission is recommended to perform management functions for
the future internet voting information system after the Seimas adopts
acts regulating internet voting and implementation of the internet
voting project is resumed.
Public audit report is available in Lithuanian:
Central Electoral Commission Information Systems Control