Revolutionizing Digital Governance from Vision to Reality

Dr. Khansari’s Report on Iran’s Information Technology Organization's Thousand-Day Milestone

Dr. Mohammad Khansari, Head of the Information Technology Organization of Iran (ITO), presented a comprehensive thousand-day report on the organization’s services at the Elecomp Exhibition. Accompanied by Dr. Javad Movahhed, Deputy of Electronic Government, and Dr. Hamed Monkaressi, Deputy of IT Policy and Accreditation of the ITO, Dr. Khansari detailed the achievements made possible since the inception of the country’s 13th government over the past thousand days.

According to the ITO’s Public Relations Department, the president of the Iran Information Technology Organization delivered an exclusive report on the organization's remarkable thousand-day milestone and engaged with journalists during a press conference. In his report at the Elecomp Exhibition, Dr. Khansari mentioned key highlights in various ITO lead fields, such as the Smart Government National Portal, Infrastructure and Service Quality, and Digital Empowerment.

Dr. Khansari emphasized the vital role of the Iran Information Technology Organization in launching the Smart Government National Portal, a transformative initiative aimed at providing seamless access to online government services for the public. He underscored the organization's concerted efforts to integrate and streamline disparate electronic systems across various agencies into a unified smart government services platform.

With the endorsement of the National Information Network's macro document, approximately 38% of the Ministry of Communications' responsibilities were entrusted to the Iran Information Technology Organization. Throughout this period, the organization prioritized infrastructure enhancement, service quality improvement, and ongoing evaluation of public satisfaction.

Dr. Khansari highlighted the government's essential role in regulating service providers and fostering digital innovation to enable businesses to transition into the digital realm. This has facilitated access to a range of services, including user authentication, digital signatures, individual credit assessments, rental and real estate transactions, as well as inquiries related to insurance records, vehicle violations, postal codes, educational certificates, and communication lines.

Addressing the significant progress achieved during this thousand-day period, Dr. Khansari noted a substantial surge in transactions through the government's web services gateway, with 9.2 billion transactions recorded by August 2021. This remarkable increase signifies the private sector's successful utilization of government facilities and data while upholding individuals' privacy.

Furthermore, Dr. Khansari highlighted that the number of businesses receiving services from the National Service Exchange Center increased from 514 to 1,102, with the number of services provided growing from 1,171 to over 3,314, marking a notable 2.8-fold increase.

Dr. Khansari also emphasized that smart services have seen significant advancement under this government, accounting for approximately 14% or around 500 smart services that eliminate the need for in-person visits or document submissions.

Dr. Movahhed further elaborated on the Iran Information Technology Organization's efforts in advancing e-government and connecting 138 agencies to the National Smart Government Services Window, ensuring that 75% of services are accessible to the public.

He underscored that over 48 million individuals have obtained digital IDs through this platform, enabling streamlined access to a variety of services with a single authentication. Notably, thematic service windows catering to academic and higher education services have been established, with over 250 universities and higher education institutions accessible through this platform. This groundbreaking project was recognized as one of the top five projects at this year's World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), underscoring the Iran Information Technology Organization's pioneering efforts in digital transformation over this momentous thousand-day journey.

Dr. Javad Movahhed highlighted the National Licensing Gateway as an essential unified thematic service window connecting all government agencies, offering access to over 4,000 licenses. This streamlined platform aims to facilitate efficient processes for businesses seeking necessary permits.

Moreover, Dr. Movahhed underscored the success of the Unified Land Management Window, which enables entities involved in land use to electronically manage changes and secure essential permits seamlessly.

Dr. Movahhed noted the impact of the National Data and Information Management Law's ratification in 2022. This legislation has enhanced clarity on responsibilities, resulting in a notable surge in exchanges and transactions between entities and businesses. Notably, the National Information Exchange Center (NIX) recorded an impressive total of nearly 3 billion transactions by August 2022, signifying substantial growth within the past two years, resulting in 19 million transitions during that period.

Looking ahead, Dr. Movahhed expressed optimism for continued progress toward establishing a smart government that caters to evolving needs and fosters innovation.

During the event, Dr. Monkaressi elaborated on regulatory efforts in business, digital platforms, and domestic messaging applications. Notably, he emphasized advancements in supporting domestic messaging applications, enhancing hardware and software infrastructure to accommodate a fivefold increase in user numbers and traffic consumption over the past thousand days, with messaging app users reaching 30 million on platforms like Eitaa, indicating a tenfold increase.

Dr. Monkaressi also unveiled the successful integration of the domestic messaging app into the mutual connection plan through the implementation of the Message Exchange Bus (MXB), with five domestic messaging apps now boasting mutual communication capabilities, surpassing benchmarks set by the European Union for 2023.

In the realm of data regulation and cloud services, significant steps have been taken over the past thousand days, with standardized cloud space achieved through collaborative efforts with the private sector. Recognition of 20 active companies in cloud services last year underscores the sector's growth and maturity.

Furthermore, improvements in software licensing procedures have expedited approval times from six months to under a month. This efficiency has led to the issuance of 500 software licenses within the same period, averaging one license every two days.

Dr. Monkaressi highlighted key revisions to the Technical Software Approval Law of 2004 that have greatly influenced the software industry's development path.

Lastly, Dr. Monkaressi detailed the establishment of Iran's first Sandbox by the Information Technology Organization, providing new companies with valuable resources. Noteworthy achievements include offering facilities under Section 18 exemptions and tax incentives to support digital businesses during this transformative period.

In closing, Dr. Monkaressi referenced the formulation of a Data Governance Document within the Iran Information Technology Organization, aligning with strategic initiatives in cyberspace to enhance data ownership.