Truong Minh Thuan, Director of the Department of Information and Communications of the Mekong Delta province of An Giang, highlighted the importance of implementing a common set of IT standards as soon as possible to support the local and central government’s ambitious ICT plans.le to support the local and central government’s ambitious ICT plans.

 “There are several State entities using different software products on information systems. This has made it difficult to connect and exchange documents among State agencies resulting in inefficient and redundant pan-agency processes and workflows,” he said. Adding that failing to connect information systems among state agencies will be a hindrance to the goals of the e-government roadmap.

Meanwhile, according to Chu Tien Dung, chairman of the Ho Chi Minh Computer Association, the absence of strategic IT plans and supporting IT standards has resulted in unsynchronised or even conflicting IT applications. Furthermore, many State agencies at all levels are making IT investments separately and inconsistently.

In this aspect, Thuan urged the Ministry of Information and Communications to undertake efforts needed to set up a common set of connection standards to help develop suitable IT infrastructures at every agency.

“Software solutions must be able to get linked with one another to pave the way for local management authorities to exchange documents and handle administrative tasks in a consistent way,” he said.