Unified platform “GovTech” reduces the time for launching new services

 In Russia it’s much easier to obtain a government service via the Internet than in Europe. This is mostly enabled by the unified platform GovTech, which is responsible for raising the level of digital relations between the government and citizens. Vasily Slyshkin, director of the institution, explained in an interview with TASS why the platform is needed in the public sector, how Russia coped with the outflow of Western technologies and why it is so important to emphasize security when developing its own digital solutions.

—The name "GovTech" is so short that it is difficult to understand it without additional decoding. How would you explain the essence of the platform's work in a few sentences?

—We are developing and implementing digital technologies that should provide convenience to citizens and businesses when applying to various government agencies. We are building a platform with ready-made solutions on the basis of which information systems solving specific problems can be assembled, like constructor cubes. We ensure Russia's digital sovereignty and its technological independence in the sphere of public administration.

— What kind of independence are you talking about?

— For many years, we trusted foreign partners, implemented their solutions in the public sector, but the partners suddenly left the market: they took away the technology, revoked licenses, and stopped providing technical support. The operation of government systems could have been jeopardized. But the crisis was avoided, because even earlier the Government  had set a course for import substitution. In 2022, GovTech completely switched to Russian equipment and software.

— GovTech's mission is to create an interagency cloud-based digital platform. Why is it needed? Why can't individual government agencies develop their services independently?

—The unified system increases the efficiency of all processes related to the digitalization of public administration. The availability of a common platform allows to avoid situations when many agencies are simultaneously solving similar tasks, but each one goes its own way and spends budget money on it. The unified platform "GovTech" shortens the time for launching new services. Gain of time ranges from several months to a year. There is no need to supply equipment, software, or protect information - everything has already been done.

—Can the savings be measured in millions of rubles?

— We assess the economic efficiency of each project that is transferred to the GovTech platform. And for each one we take into account its unique characteristics. We assume that at any time of the day or night a person should be able to make an appointment with a doctor or submit an application to the required government agency in a few seconds. The allowed downtime for a single service is a matter of hours throughout the year. Our cloud technologies meet these standards. And at the same time, it reduces the shortage of IT equipment - components are used more rationally in a unified system.

— "GovTech" doesn't do "final tuning" of systems - customization for a particular user?

— We provide the basic “cubes” of the constructor and describe what the functional cubes should be for a particular task. But a particular agency has the right to choose a system integrator independently through a tender.

— Let's imagine that you need to include a regional system, which has been operating successfully for a long time, into the GovTech loop. Would you remove it and install your own? Reinventing the wheel?

— If a regional solution is really reliable, safe and efficient, we will try not only to integrate it, but also to replicate it. Successful projects are scaled through GovTech. For example, a digital showcase of doctor's appointments via the Government Services portal, enabling patient to choose a convenient time to visit a clinic without visiting it, will be launched in all constituent entities of the country by the end of the year. Russia is striving for digital equality - the same degree of convenience in communication between citizens and the state. Replication of established systems speeds up the process tenfold.

— Who will find the full functioning of the GovTech platform easier: state employees or ordinary citizens?

— First of all, citizens who are in contact with government agencies in one way or another will benefit. It will also become easier for officials - the automation of processes will solve many routine issues. Russian business related to the IT sector will be among those who will benefit from the platform. "GovTech" provides clear technological standards for the production of digital services that can be used at the state level. Clear rules of the game are also emerging for budgetary organizations: the government does everything from now to then at the expense of federal funds, and we will not go to such and such a level, so plan your expenditures.

— But the main focus is specifically on citizens and not on sharing information between agencies?

— Interagency cooperation is an important factor, but we also consider it from the point of view of benefits for citizens. Let's say you want to sell a car through a certain government service. To make the transaction seamless and safe, you need to request and analyze data from several agencies: check the passports of the parties to the transaction, verify the car documents , make sure there are no restrictions on the property being sold. All of this should operate like clockwork.

— Which regions in Russia have achieved the greatest success in the implementation of " GovTech" programs? Where has digital equality come first?

—There are traditional leaders - Moscow, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod. But we are testing pilot projects all over the country. For example, a service to ensure the implementation of investment projects from the Chelyabinsk Oblast, and the "Social Contract" service from the Lipetsk Oblast.

— Are there countries that you would like to emulate in terms of developing digital services for citizens?

— According to the World Bank, Russia is among the leaders in terms of penetration into the lives of citizens and the ease of use of government digital services. We are told: look at Estonia, how great everything is there. But Estonia has a different population and a different territory where data centers need to be connected. And Singapore's experience does not quite fit our realities. It is necessary to compare different practices and choose the best - the most efficient and client-centered. For example, there is a lot to learn from India in the identification of citizens. But there is no single country with a package of ideal solutions.

— What can you say about the GovTech team? Who is the core - young IT specialists or experienced officials?

—We have a generally young team. It brings together technicians with experience in public administration and officials competent in IT. It is a unique team. The average age of a typical employee is just over 30.

— Will the development of GovTech increase the shortage of IT personnel in Russia?

— Rather the opposite. The introduction of our platform will free up people who today duplicate each other's work. But there is certainly no risk of unemployment. To use your analogy of reinventing the wheel: there are still many unpaved paths in Russia's digitalization, and there is enough to do for everyone. Besides, we should not demonize the state's need for IT developers. This sector employs 15-20 thousand people - a drop in the ocean against the background of the entire industry.

— Over time, GovTech will accumulate a huge amount of data about the country's citizens. But let's imagine that an intruder picks up the key to your system, opens the door, and at once gets the opportunity to organize a large-scale digital disaster, because all the data is stacked in one basket. Is such a thriller scenario out of the question?

— There is a fundamental mistake in this assumption. We establish processes of information exchange, but we do not collect it in-house. We do not accumulate and do not plan to accumulate all data in one place. Organizations working on the GovTech platform can be thought of as cities. We ensure smooth operation of city infrastructure, interaction of data centers, conditional apartment buildings. We monitor compliance with security norms, but we do not have access to each individual apartment. This approach makes the platform sustainable and secure.

The translation is made by the FGI “Government Technologies”.