Roadtown, Tortola - The Department of Information Technology (DoIT) has been keeping Government on the cutting edge in the area of information technology.
With this primary objective in mind, the department has embarked on a project to upgrade all Government offices throughout the Territory with the Microsoft Office 2007 application and, once completed, facilitate a one-hour training session for civil servants.
Director of DoIT, Mrs. Anna-Belle Skelton-Malone, told the Department of Information and Public Relations that the department strives to equip Government users with the information technology tools that enhance their productivity to ensure that business processes are effectively executed.
She said at this point Microsoft Office 2003 is considered to be out of date even though it is still functional. “In order to deliver efficient services to the public and seamlessly carry out business transactions with the rest of the world, an upgrade to Office 2007 was essential,” she said.
Mrs. Skelton Malone explained that with technology rapidly changing, the department is cautious when approaching any application upgrade, which usually includes waiting at least one to two years before upgrading to the next version. “This gave enough time for major issues and bugs to be resolved before introducing the application to the BVI Government’s production environment,” she said.
Mrs. Malone Skelton outlined the range of benefits that Microsoft Office 2007 provides the users, which include less storage space being used because files are smaller; the reduced possibility of file corruptions and improved integration of business among Microsoft Office 2007 and other applications.
DoIT has organised the upgrade process into four phases. The first phase, which was completed on May 29, included all departments located in the Central Administration Building. Upon completion, the department reported that a total of 300 computers were upgraded and that after completing the training session, employees expressed they were more comfortable with using the new application.
Phase two, which began on June 4, includes upgrading departments such as the Virgin Islands Shipping Registry, Trade and Consumer Affairs, Information and Public Relations, Disaster Management, Post Office, Audit, Cabinet Office, Conservation and Fisheries, Youth Affairs and Sports, Her Majesty’s Customs, Library Services, Labour, Immigration, House of Assembly, Solid Waste, Environmental Health, High Court Registry, Fire and Rescue Services and the Civil Registry and Passport Office. The Archives and Records Management Unit, Training Division, Internal Audit, Law Reform Commission and the Court Reporting Unit will be also upgraded during phase two.
The upgrades in phase three will target departments such as Agriculture, the BVI Fishing Complex, Public Works, Water and Sewerage, the Sandy Lane Centre and the Social Development inclusive of the Rainbow Home. Phase four will focus on upgrading the departments located on the sister islands of Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke and Anegada.
The mission of the Department of Information Technology is to provide a competitive edge to all Government departments through the creative use of information technology and services so that they will be able to deliver efficient and effective services to the Virgin Islands (UK) community.
British Virgin Islands News