Post on 12-Mar-2020
transcript
Government
Supreme Council of Information & Communication Technology
Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2 0 1 3
Introduction 1
Background 4
Topline Findings 6
Detailed Findings 9
ICT Penetration 9
ICT Usage 13
IT Workforce and ICT Skills 20
ICT Satisfaction 25
Benefits and Barriers to ICT Adoption 26
Conclusion 28
Appendix: Methodology 30
Contents
For nearly a decade now, Qatar has been
focused on developing a knowledge-based
economy that relies on the production,
distribution, and use of data and information. A
main focus of this transformation has been the
concerted, nationwide effort over the past five
years to make Qatar’s government work better
for those it serves. Not surprisingly, information
and communication technology (ICT)
applications that improve the productivity,
efficiency, and transparency of the government
have been at the core of this modernization
effort—improving the delivery of a broad range of
e-government services to the public as well as
enhancing the interaction among government
entities in managing government resources.
Today, a review of the ICT landscape shows that
the country—including its government sector—is
more connected than ever before. According to
the World Economic Forum’s 2013 Networked
Readiness Index, which measures a country’s
capacity to fully benefit from new technologies in
terms of economic competitiveness, citizens’
daily lives, and overall social growth, Qatar ranks
23rd out of 144 countries, a leap from 28th in
2012 and up from 39th in 2005. This ranking
recognizes Qatar as the most networked country
in the Arab world.
The nation’s successes in modernizing and
improving its government, under the leadership
of the Ministry of Information and Communication
Technology (ictQATAR), have been recognized in
a host of international benchmarking studies. In
the United Nations E-Government Survey 2012,
Qatar jumped to 27th out of 193 countries on its
online services index. The UN survey also placed
Qatar at number 9 on the e-participation index,
which assesses how well a government engages
citizens in public policymaking through the use of
e-government programs. And the survey ranks
Qatar 48th—up sharply from 62nd in 2010—on
the e-government development index, a
composite indicator measuring the willingness
and capacity of a national administration to use
information and communication technology to
deliver public services. In addition, Qatar ranks
among the top 10 countries in the world in the
World Economic Forum’s Global Information
Technology Report 2013 on indicators that
measure ICT usage and government efficiency,
government procurement of advanced
technology, government prioritization of ICT, and
the importance of ICT to the government’s vision.
Prior studies of the ICT landscape commissioned
by ictQATAR found that the government sector
has been leading the way in driving overall ICT
1
Introduction
Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
usage, setting a swift pace for ICT adoption
across all sectors in Qatar. A new large-scale
survey of employees in a wide range of
government entities as well as a survey of IT
executives across the government confirms this
trend. This, the resulting report—Qatar’s ICT
Landscape 2013: Government, measures the
penetration and usage of ICT in the government
sector. This report is a companion to the recently
released Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Business
and Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Households
and Individuals.
Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
reveals a highly connected government
workforce with a majority of employees routinely
using computers and the Internet for work
purposes. The number of IT employees in the
government sector has grown since 2008, and, in
addition, the majority of government entities now
have fully or partially automated core processes.
The report also indicates that Qatar’s
government has made significant strides in
improving its online presence. Finally, the survey
reveals that IT security continues to be a strong
area of focus and investment for IT executives
in government organizations in Qatar. Indeed,
organizations indicated that, on average, roughly
30 percent of their ICT spending was allocated
to IT security.
Despite great progress, the report identifies
areas for improvement, including employee
training. In addition, there is room for progress
when it comes to the percentage of government
organizations that have a Web presence, with
a goal of 100 percent, more in line with the most
advanced nations of the world, and the number
of public services online, with a target of 160
online services by 2015, as outlined in Qatar’s
National ICT Plan 2015.
In the meantime, it is encouraging that citizens
and residents who use online services—either
through the Ministry websites or Hukoomi,
Qatar’s award-winning e-government
portal—report that they are highly satisfied with
the quality of current online services.
Indeed, recent developments bode well for
achieving a state-of-the-art government that is
more responsive to the public. The second
generation of Hukoomi offers advanced services
that are faster and more accessible than ever
before, and the portal has experienced
exponential growth since it launched in 2008.
Specifically, public use of online services has
grown 40 percent since 2009, to more than 2.7
million transactions in 2012. As noted, ictQATAR
continues to expand these online
offerings—which include the ability to pay traffic
violations, obtain a passport or visa, and pay
utility bills online, as well as to access
government documents, service application
forms, and general information. In 2012, a
national legal portal was launched along with the
Qatar Customs Clearance Single Window portal.
In a move to create a more efficient and effective
government from within, Qatar’s government
resource planning portal, known as Mawared,
was launched in 2012 to help streamline and
improve HR and finance service delivery across
all government agencies. One of the most
important initiatives in the iGov program, its aim
is to enhance the interaction among government
entities in managing government resources, as
well as to advance the country’s move to
becoming a paperless government.
To increase government connectivity and
transparency, ictQATAR has rolled out the
Government Network, a single, secure,
communications platform that will link all
government entities to one another through a
single network connection. According to the
government landscape study, the benefits of the
Government Network, namely the ease of
Introduction
2 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
exchanging information, more secure processes,
and increased operational efficiency, were clear
to many of the organizations surveyed. Nearly
half of all government organizations are
connected to the network.
ictQATAR is committed to regularly tracking and
reviewing ICT progress in key sectors of the
economy, both within the country and compared
to regional and global peers, in publications such
as this one. As a result, Qatar will be able to judge
where it stands at any point—and to identify any
roadblocks or challenges it faces—and then to
make timely adjustments and additional
investments in new programs and initiatives
when necessary. This will insure that the country
continues to advance on the path toward
transforming itself into a highly connected,
knowledge-driven economy.
Introduction
3 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
In order to continually track Qatar’s progress
toward enhancing public service delivery—one of
the country’s key goals in its effort to create a
vibrant, inclusive, knowledge-based economy—
ictQATAR commissioned International Data
Corporation (IDC) to conduct a large-scale study
on the current state of ICT penetration and usage
within the government community in 2013. This
follows similar studies in 2008 and 2010. The
purpose of the research was to assess the
current levels of ICT access and usage among
government employees and organizations in
Qatar and to provide insights on ICT
development in the sector over time. In addition,
Qatar was benchmarked against selected
regional and international peers.
The study was primarily based on interviews
conducted with government employees and
government IT executives between mid-February
and May 2013. Government organizations
(ministries, authorities, and councils) with
regulatory authority or those involved in setting
standards or that play a key role in developing
and implementing national strategies and
policies were considered for the study; for-profit
government enterprises, charitable
organizations, and the military were excluded.
In total, IDC conducted in-person interviews with
408 employees (representing 34 out of the 54
government organizations under consideration.
The respondents varied by seniority, gender, age,
experience, and education level. Only employees
with computers were interviewed.
In addition, researchers surveyed 38 IT
executives in government—one each from
38 of the 54 government organizations under
consideration for this study—using a
self-administered questionnaire. In addition,
in-depth face-to-face interviews with 11
IT executives were used to further explore the
issues raised in the questionnaire.
IDC also conducted secondary research to obtain
data on the government sector in Qatar using a
range of resources, including international
organizations that capture ICT-related country
data, past reports, and market data and market
forecasts available online. To gauge its
advancement toward universal ICT penetration
and usage in the government arena, it is essential
for Qatar to measure its progress against regional
and international peers. Thus, throughout this
report, Qatar is benchmarked against various
countries, including developed economies,
knowledge economy champions, e-government
champions, and emerging e-government
champions across the globe. (See the appendix
on page 30 for more details on the study
methodology.)
Background
4 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
Findings in this, the resulting report—Qatar’s ICT
Landscape 2013: Government, are organized into
five sections:
ICT Penetration examines the development of
and access to ICT, including the availability of
personal computers for government employees,
network connectivity, online presence, and IT
security, among other issues.
ICT Usage looks at government employee
usage of PCs, mobile devices, and the Internet;
online public service offerings; and the adoption
of emerging technologies.
IT Workforce and ICT Skills summarizes the
state of the IT workforce and the level of
preparation and capacity to take advantage of
ICT, including employee ICT skills, the ability of
government to recruit IT personnel, and
employee ICT training.
ICT Satisfaction explores employees’
expectations regarding the quality of their
Internet connection and their satisfaction related
to online public service offerings.
Benefits and Barriers to ICT Adoption
identifies areas in which government
organizations and employees have benefited
from the use of ICT, and outlines the challenges
they face in advancing its use.
Background
5 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
Overall, Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013:
Government reveals that ongoing developments
in the country’s ICT environment across
government organizations have resulted in a
good deal of progress over a relatively short
period of time. This includes steady growth in the
government sector’s ICT maturity, particularly as
it relates to the availability of infrastructure;
employee usage of computers, the Internet, and
online tools for communication; the increasing
automation of government processes and
procedures; and the enhanced online presence
of government entities and e-services.
Still, the report also identifies several challenges
that must be addressed in order for Qatar to
achieve its goal of establishing a vibrant,
innovative, inclusive ICT sector that will fuel its
economy and provide societal benefits for all.
Looking at the data from this survey, several clear
trends emerge:
Government organizations and employees
in Qatar are highly connected—to the
Internet and to one another. In 2013, the
number of personal computing devices installed
per 100 permanent employees in the government
sector reached 101; this number includes
desktop computers, laptops, and tablets. All
government organizations are connected to the
Internet at speeds of 2 Mbps or greater, while 55
percent have an Internet connection of between
4 Mbps and 16 Mbps, with 42 percent of
organizations having connections of 32 Mbps or
higher. Further, all government organizations are
connected to a LAN, while 84 percent of them
have an intranet. Nearly half are already
connected to the Government Network, a safe,
reliable network linking government agencies,
allowing for improved data sharing and enhanced
security for e-services.
A majority of employees use computers and
the Internet on a routine basis. Sixty-nine
percent of employees routinely (at least once a
week) use a computer for work purposes and
65 percent of employees with computer access
can get on the Internet. On average, government
employees who use a PC report that they
spend 25.9 hours per week on a computer for
work-related purposes, a substantial increase
over the 18.6 hours spent in 2010. Email and
word processing are the most commonly used
applications, followed by Web browsers and
spreadsheet software, with increased usage of
all four since 2010. Employees report that they
use the Internet most commonly for sending work
emails, searching for work-related information,
and communicating with colleagues.
Qatar’s government has made significant
progress in improving its online presence.
Ninety-five percent of government entities now
report having a Web presence, with 82 percent
having a bilingual (Arabic and English) site. The
comprehensiveness of government websites
Topline Findings
Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government6
has also increased significantly over the
past several years, with 51 percent of the
organizations indicating that they have all their
public information available on their websites,
compared to 30 percent in 2010 and 21 percent
in 2008. A large majority of government
employees believe that their organizations have
thus far been effective in reaching out to citizens
and residents, as well as in introducing various
online services. Currently, on average, an
estimated 35 percent of public services are
offered online by government organizations.
It is expected that by mid-2014, 51 percent of
public services will be offered online. The
majority of organizations provide inquiry services
(87 percent), as well as transactional services
(37 percent) and transactions with online
payment functionality (26 percent).
However, Qatar still has a way to go to achieve
the 100 percent Web presence of many of its
benchmarked peer countries. There is also room
for improvement in the amount of information
available online and the number of transactional
e-services offered to the public.
Qatar is well on its way to becoming a
paperless government. Eighty-seven percent
of the organizations surveyed indicated that
they have fully or partially automated processes
for areas such as human resources, finance,
procurement, and inventory processes and
systems. Of the entities that have taken steps
toward automation, 94 percent report that they
have automated the human resources function,
followed by other core processes including
finance (88 percent), IT (55 percent), and
procurement (52 percent).
IT security remains a top priority for ICT
executives. Organizations indicated that, on
average, roughly 30 percent of their ICT spending
was allocated to IT security. More than half of the
government organizations have incorporated
IT security planning and strategy into their
work, including key areas of concern such as
identity management and access control; IT
risk–based security strategies/policies; business
continuity and disaster recovery planning; and
ICT asset classification policies. One-third of
the organizations surveyed also indicated that
they comply with some type of information
security standard.
In addition, 58 percent of the government
organizations interviewed employ an IT official
such as a security officer or another employee
dedicated to IT security–related issues;
55 percent had an IT security incident response
procedure in place. However, nearly 40 percent
of the organizations surveyed do not have
an IT risk–based security strategy or policy,
and slightly more than half of the organizations
surveyed are aware of the Government
Information Assurance (GIA) policy. Many
IT executives highlighted the need for unified
security protocols across government
departments to simplify the process of providing
IT security, as well as to make it more effective.
Emerging technologies help boost
awareness of government services and
enhance interactions with the public.
The increasing penetration of smartphones has
resulted in government entities developing a
number of mobile applications for employees
and customers. Specifically, 58 percent of
government organizations indicated that they
have already deployed or are planning to deploy
new mobile applications for citizens and
residents; 50 percent have extended or plan to
extend existing applications to mobile platforms.
Interestingly, only 5 percent of organizations said
that they have not deployed nor are they planning
to deploy any mobile applications. The most
important reason for deploying mobile
applications is to increase awareness about
available services, followed by to manage/
improve relationships with citizens/residents,
to gather ideas/feedback on services, and to
acquire and share knowledge within the
Topline Findings
7 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
organization. Respondents indicate that now
through 2016, mobile applications, along with
face-to-face meetings, will be the most popular
ways government employees communicate with
citizens and residents, while social media will
increase in popularity. While mobile applications
have clearly caught on in Qatar, use of any kind of
cloud computing service has not. Sixty-eight
percent of the government organizations do not
yet use cloud computing services.
The world has noted Qatar’s progress with
e-government. Qatar ranks among the top 10
countries in the world when it comes to ICT usage
and prioritization by the government according to
the World Economic Forum’s Global Information
Technology Report 2013. The country scores
high in four indicators: ICT use and government
efficiency; government procurement of advanced
technology; government prioritization of ICT;
and importance of ICT to the government’s vision.
Qatar also ranked 48th out of 193 countries on
the willingness and capacity of governments to
use ICT to deliver public services in the United
Nations e-government development index 2012,
a jump from 53rd in 2008. And in the same study’s
e-participation index, which assesses the quality,
relevance, and usefulness of government websites
in providing online information and participatory
tools and services to its citizens, Qatar scored
.63 on a 0–1 scale.
ICT training and recruitment of IT
professionals continue to be a challenge.
While government employees’ confidence in their
ICT skills has increased since 2010, still only 36
percent reported that their computer skills are
adequate and there is no need for improvement.
Seventy-five percent of employees indicate that
they have not received any ICT training within the
last three years, due to lack of time, adequacy of
existing skills, or lack of sponsorship. However,
government employees anticipate they will
receive more than 11 hours, on average, of ICT
training by mid-2014. In terms of recruitment,
government organizations are actively looking
for IT professionals—among the government
organizations that reported having at least one
open ICT position, the average number of open
positions was 12. The least widely available skills
among government organizations in Qatar are
those related to mobile technology, geographic
information systems, and IT security.
The benefits of ICT are well understood by
government employees and organizations,
but barriers to adoption still exist.
Executives indicated that ICT has benefited their
organizations in numerous ways, including
improving corporate communication, providing
better product/service support, and enhancing
internal workflow and customer relationships.
But while half of the IT executives surveyed
indicated that there were no barriers to further
ICT adoption, 29 percent mentioned lack of
in-house technical expertise, 26 percent cited
the inability to hire IT professionals with the
required skills, and 16 percent mentioned budget
constraints. Thirty percent of employees name
work-related pressures and lack of time as
limitations on their ICT use at work.
Topline Findings
8 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
ICT Penetration
PCs and Mobile Devices
The overall number of personal computing
devices installed per 100 permanent employees
in the government sector stands at 101 in 2013,
an increase from 70 in 2010. The number of both
desktops and laptops per 100 employees also
showed large increases—desktops increased
from 58 in 2010 to 77 in 2013 and laptops from
12 in 2010 to 20 in 2013. Ninety-three percent of
the PCs installed in the government sector are
dedicated computers, while 7 percent are shared
among employees (see Figure 1).
Penetration of company-provided mobile devices
also increased, from 2.4 percent of employees in
2010 to 3.2 percent in 2013. Not surprisingly, the
percentage of employees provided smartphones,
including Blackberries, by their government
organization increased even more over the same
time period—from 1.6 percent to 3.2
percent—while standard mobile phones
decreased significantly from .8 percent to .1
percent.
Network Connectivity
Government organizations are connected to
one another and to the Internet as never before.
All government organizations in Qatar are
connected to a LAN, while 84 percent of them
have an intranet, up significantly from 64 percent
in 2010. And all the organizations that
participated in the survey said they are
connected to the Internet in 2013—same as in
2010. However, there is a gradual decrease in the
number of extranet connections, which are
extensions of an organization’s intranet to users
outside the organization (usually partners,
vendors, and suppliers), from 55 percent in 2010
to 47 percent in 2013. The decrease could be the
result of the adoption of alternative networks that
enable government and nongovernment
organizations to connect with one another.
A leased line is the most common type of Internet
connection, used by 63 percent of government
organizations. In 2013, none of the organizations
Continuing nearly a decade of progress, the 2013 landscape data once again shows
gains in nearly every key indicator of ICT penetration, usage, and skills among
government organizations and their employees. The following provides further details.
Detailed Findings
9 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
Source: Government IT Executives Survey, 2010, 2013; 2010 n=44, 2013 n=38
Note: Tablets not tracked in 2010
Note: Penetration calculated using 5 percent trimmed mean
Figure 1: Number of Devices Installed in Government Sector (per 100 employees)
Desktops
Laptops
Tablets
Overall
77
20
4
101
58
12
70
2010 2013
indicated that they have a dial-up connection,
compared with 14 percent in 2010. And only 3
percent of government organizations have a
wireless network.
In Qatar, all government entities are connected to
the Internet at speeds of 2 Mbps or greater; 55
percent have an Internet connection of between
4 Mbps and 16 Mbps, with 42 percent having
connections of 32 Mbps or higher (see Figure 2).
information from their organization” and that their
organization “shares information and data
between internal divisions and departments.”
Online Presence
When it comes to online presence, 95 percent of
government organizations have a Web presence,
with 82 percent having a bilingual (Arabic and
English) website, a significant increase from the
73 percent with a bilingual site in 2010.
Eighty-eight percent of the organizations that
have a website use the .qa domain.
Not only has online presence increased, the
comprehensiveness of government websites
has also increased significantly over the
years—51 percent of the organizations with
a website indicated that they have all of their
public information available on their websites,
compared to only 30 percent of such
organizations in 2010, and 21 percent in 2008.
Nearly 92 percent of the organizations provide
most of the relevant contact information, as well
as information on the services provided online.
Despite this robust Web presence, Qatar lags
behind other nations in both the percentage of
government entities that have a Web presence
and the comprehensiveness of those sites (see
Figure 3).The majority of organizations (76 percent)
indicated that they are connected to other
government or nongovernment organizations
through a network. Forty-seven percent of the
government organizations surveyed are already
connected to the Government Network, a secure,
reliable network that connects Qatar’s
government agencies. This network allows for
improved data sharing and enhanced security for
e-services.
The increased connectivity in the government
sector has helped government employees share
information both within their organizations and
across the wider public sector. More than 82
percent agreed that “it is easy to obtain
Detailed Findings
10 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
Source: Government IT Executives Survey, 2013; Government organizations with Internet access n=38
Figure 2: Speed of Internet Connection among Government Organizations
2 Mbps4 Mbps
8 Mbps16 Mbps
32 Mbps64+ Mbps
24%
21%
26%
18%
3%
8%
Figure 3: Comprehensiveness of Government Websites
7%2%
0%
22%30%
51%
No public information
displayed on our website
All public information
available online on our website
2008 2010 2013
Source: Government IT Executives Survey, 2008, 2010, 2013; Government Organizations with websites 2008 n=28, 2010 n=44, 2013 n=36
Level of Automation
One of Qatar’s long-term goals is to become a
paperless government. This study shows that the
nation is making progress toward that end,
showing a steady increase in the automation of
its core processes. Eighty-seven percent of the
organizations surveyed indicated that they have
fully or partially automated their core processes,
such as human resources (HR), finance,
procurement, and inventory processes and
systems, compared with 68 percent in 2010. The
human resources function is the most commonly
automated of the core processes. Among those
organizations that have automated their
processes, 94 percent indicated that they have
automated HR. This is followed by finance (88
percent), IT (55 percent), and procurement (52
percent) (see Figure 4).
Website Hosting and Content Management
The use of third parties for hosting websites is
low among government organizations, with 86
percent of them indicating that they host their
websites internally. Fourteen percent host their
websites with an external provider; 6 percent
have a provider based in Qatar, and 8 percent
have an international provider hosting their
website. Interestingly, the use of external
providers decreased to 14 percent in 2013 from
28 percent in 2010.
The use of third parties for developing Web
content is also low in government organizations,
with 89 percent indicating that they develop their
content internally. The use of third parties for
posting content on their websites follows the
same trend, with 91 percent of the organizations
indicating that they post their content internally. A
similar pattern can be seen when it comes to
managing IP addresses, with 84 percent of
government organizations indicating that they
manage their own IP addresses.
IT Security
IT security continues to be a strong area of focus
and investment for IT executives in government
organizations in Qatar, with organizations
indicating that, on average, roughly 30 percent of
their ICT spending was allocated to IT security. IT
executives surveyed report that more than half of
their organizations incorporate different aspects
of IT security planning and strategy, including
identity management and access control; IT
risk–based security strategies/policies; business
continuity and disaster recovery planning; and
ICT asset classification policies. Nearly one-third
of the organizations surveyed also indicated that
they comply with some type of information
security standard. Fifty-eight percent of
organizations interviewed employ an IT official,
such as a security officer or another employee
dedicated to IT security–related issues.
CS/Q-CERT, Qatar’s National Center for
Information Security, is available to government
organizations for counsel and assistance.
Fifty-three percent of government organizations
indicated familiarity with CS/Q-CERT, while 55
Detailed Findings
11 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
Figure 4: Processes Most Commonly Automated by Government Organizations
HR (Human resources)
Finance
Information technology
Procurement
Inventory
Public relations/Communications
Marketing
Quality assurance
Publishing
Social services
Online training
94%
88%
55%
52%
48%
39%
18%
18%
6%
3%
3%
Source: Government IT Executives Survey, 2013; Organizations that have automated their processes n=33
percent had an IT security incident response
procedure in place. Awareness of the
Government Information Assurance (GIA) policy
was reported at similar levels (see Figure 5).
An overwhelming majority—87 percent—of IT
executives believed that their organization had a
secure Internet connection. In addition, 95 percent
of government organizations surveyed indicated
that they use antivirus solutions to protect their
data, and roughly two-thirds reported that they
use authentication/authorization solutions.
The incidence of online threats has increased in
countries all over the world, and Qatar is no
exception. IT executives report an increase in the
incidence of online threats, with 5 percent of the
organizations surveyed reporting that they were
victims of an online threat in the last 12 months.
By comparison, no organizations reported
experiencing a threat in the 12 months prior to the
2010 survey. Another 3 percent of the
organizations in the 2013 survey reported being
victims of an online threat more than 12 months
prior, compared to 2 percent in 2010.
Finally, many organizations raised the need for
unified security protocols and guidelines across
government departments to simplify the process
of providing IT security, as well as to make it more
effective.
Detailed Findings
12 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
Source: Government IT Executives Survey, 2013; n=38
Figure 5: Percentage of Government Organizations That Responded “Yes” to an Element/Action Related to IT Security
Having an IT risk–based security strategy or policy
Performing identity management and access control
Having a dedicated person looking after IT security–related issues
Being aware of GIA policy in relation to information assurance/security
Having an IT security incident response procedure
Creating a security culture through constant awareness
Having familiarity with the ictQATAR (CS/Q-CERT) security program
Having an ICT asset-classi�cation policy
Having a business continuity planning and disaster recovery management policy
Providing training on IT security in the last 12 months
Complying with ISO 27001 or any other information security standard
61%
61%
58%
55%
55%
55%
53%
53%
50%
45%
32%
Detailed Findings
ICT Usage
PCs and Mobile Devices
Sixty-nine percent of the employees in the
government sector in Qatar routinely (at least once
a week) use a computer at work, according to
statistics provided by the IT executives. Desktop
PCs are the most commonly used devices for
computing purposes, with 99 percent of
employees who use a computer saying they use
a desktop. Other computing devices such as
laptops and tablet PCs are less pervasive, with
only 25 percent of government employees using
a laptop and 11 percent using a tablet.
In terms of other telecommunication devices,
landline telephones remain the most commonly
used devices, with 97 percent of surveyed
government employees using them. Interestingly,
the usage of smartphones is much higher than
that of standard mobile phones, with 48 percent
of employees using a smartphone compared
with 36 percent using a regular mobile phone
(see Figure 6). Thirty-four percent of government
employees don’t use any kind of mobile phone
for work purposes.
The amount of time government employees who
use a PC spend on a computer for work-related
purposes has increased significantly since 2010,
from 18.6 hours per week to 25.9 hours per week,
on average. Assuming a 40-hour workweek,
employees spent more than 64 percent of their
working hours on a computer.
Email and word processing remain the most
commonly used applications by PC users in
the government sector, followed by Web browsers
and spreadsheet applications. In 2013 there
was an increase in usage of all four of these
applications compared with 2010, with word
processing showing the highest growth in
usage. Interestingly, the utilization of specialized
internal applications decreased significantly
in 2013, which may be attributable to Qatar’s
cross-government efforts to standardize the use
of internal software applications (see Figure 7).
13 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
Figure 6: Usage of ICT Technologies by Government Employees
Figure 7: PC Applications Used by Government Employees at Work
PC-Desktop
Laptop
Tablets
Printers
Landline (telephone)
Smartphone
Standard Mobile Phone
99%
25%
11%
91%
97%
48%
36%
Email access
Word processor
Spreadsheet
Web browser
Graphics
Specialized internal application
90%96%
84%99%
67%78%
76%81%
11%13%
41%14%
2010 2013
Source: Government Employees Survey, 2013; n=408
Source: Government Employees Survey, 2010, 2013; 2010 n=380, 2013 n=408
Detailed Findings
Aside from activities such as text processing
using a program like MS Word (99 percent)
and performing basic arithmetic functions using
a spreadsheet (78 percent), file management
is the most common activity carried out by
government employees at 94 percent. Only a
small portion of PC users do more advanced
activities such as detecting and solving
computer problems (15 percent), connecting
computers to a local area network (11 percent),
and writing a computer program using a
specialized programming language (9 percent).
The behavior of employees related to securing
their data remains an issue in Qatar. Not all
government employees interviewed back up their
data. Eighty-four percent of employees indicated
that they back up their data at least occasionally,
while 61 percent do it regularly. In all, 67 percent
of the government employees surveyed said they
back up their work-related data onto the hard
disk of the PC they use, while 55 percent
indicated that they back up their work-related
data onto a removable device such as an external
hard disk, flash memory, or an optical disk. Only
19 percent of employees use a central location
such as a server when backing up data (see
Figure 8).
Internet
In 2013, 65 percent of employees who use
a PC have access to the Internet at the office.
In addition, Internet usage is widespread:
96 percent of those with Internet access use it.
Overall, 95 percent of Internet users in the
government sector use it on a daily basis, while
the remaining 5 percent utilize the Internet at
least once a week.
On average, government employees in Qatar
spend 19.6 hours per week using the Internet for
work-related purposes, a substantial increase
from the 12.5 hours a week spent on the Internet
in 2010. Given a 40-hour workweek, employees
spend close to 50 percent of their working hours
on the Internet.
Not surprisingly, 94 percent of government
employees who currently use the Internet at work
believe that the Internet is important for
performing their daily work duties. This opinion is
widely held and is consistent across categories
such as age, years of experience, job seniority,
establishment type, education level, nationality,
and gender.
The main tasks that government employees
perform online remained consistent since 2010,
including sending work-related emails (with or
without attachments), searching for work-related
information online, communicating with
colleagues as well as citizens and residents, and
scheduling business appointments (see Figure 9).
14 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
Source: Government Employees Survey, 2013; n=408
Figure 8: Prevalence of Data Backup Practices among Government Employees
Yes, I do that regularlyYes, I do that occasionallyNo
16%
61%24%
Detailed Findings
Although communicating with colleagues is
a primary reason for Internet use among
government employees, most still prefer to
communicate via telephone (97 percent),
face-to-face interaction (95 percent), or email
(89 percent); fewer communicate by instant
messaging or chat (44 percent). Close to a
quarter of employees still prefer to communicate
via signed formal letters, while work-related
communication among government employees
via social networking is still in the nascent stage
at 6 percent.
Half of the Internet users in the government sector
use instant messaging for communication, and its
use is higher among top and middle management
compared with other employees. The majority
instant-messaging users (73 percent) use it on a
daily basis.
When looking at the use of online media by
government employees, exclusive news websites
are most often accessed at 43 percent. Social
media networks are used by 21 percent of
Internet users among government employees,
15 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
Source: Government Employees Survey, 2010, 2013; Employees who use the Internet at work 2010 n=367, 2013 n=393
Figure 9: Tasks Performed by Government Employees at Work Using the Internet
Sending work-related emails
Sending emails with attached �les (documents, pictures, etc.)
Searching for work-related information
Communicating with colleagues
Scheduling business appointments
Communicating with citizens and residents
Keeping viruses, spyware, and adware off your computer
Checking a receipt of work-related payments
Placing orders for equipment/supplies
Finding, downloading, and installing software
Posting messages to chat rooms, newsgroups, or online discussion forums
Creating a Web page/blog
Using the Internet to make calls
Using peer-to-peer �le sharing for exchanging documents,movies, music, etc.
None of the above
94%99%
59%88%
64%78%
74%77%
55%61%
55%57%
13%13%
9%12%
14%12%
28%10%
18%6%
7%4%
9%3%
8%1%
2010 2013
1%1%
Detailed Findings
while forums and blogs are used by 18 percent
(see Figure 10).
Lack of time was cited by 45 percent as the
biggest barrier to the use of online media for
work-related purposes. Close to one-third of the
Internet users indicated that online media is
blocked in their office, while another 7 percent
indicated that their organization discourages the
use of online media. Sixteen percent of Internet
users do not use online media because they feel
it is not relevant to their work (see Figure 11).
The use of the Google search engine, in either
Arabic or English, for work-related purposes has
increased significantly over the years. The local
version of the search engine, google.com.qa,
is particularly popular among Internet users in
the government sector (85 percent), up from 55
percent in 2010. Google’s growth is leading to a
decline in the usage of other search engines such
as Yahoo, where usage decreased by 16 percent
from 2010 to 2013. Use of a government
organization’s public website by its employees
has also increased. On average, government
employees accessed their organizations’ websites
5.7 times a week in 2013, up from 1.9 times in 2010.
E-Services
An overwhelming majority of employees—87
percent—believe that it is important to make
government services available online. This
sentiment is even stronger among government
employees in top and middle management.
Employees (86 percent) also believe that their
16 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
Source: Government Employees Survey, 2013; Employees who use the Internet at work n=393
Figure 10: Usage of Online Media by Government Employees
Personal Work-related I don’t use at work
Exclusive news websites
17%
10%
79%
11%
11%
82%
23% 30
%57
%
Forums and blogs
Social media networks
Figure 11: Barriers to Usage of Online Media for Work-Related Purposes by Government Employees
Pressure of work, not enough time
It is blocked in my organization
It is not relevant to my work
My organization discourages usage of online media
Internet speed is too slow
Not secure
No barriers
Not enough websites in Arabic
I am not aware of online media
Others
Don’t know
45%
32%
16%
7%
7%
5%
3%
2%
1%
1%
1%
Source: Government Employees Survey, 2013; Employees who use the Internet at work n=393
Detailed Findings
organization has been effective in introducing
various online and mobile services, while 87
percent believe that their organization is effective
in reaching out to Qatar’s citizens and residents.
Some of the IT executives interviewed believe
that the introduction of online and mobile
services has resulted in increased usage by
citizens and residents. For example, introducing
online payment options has significantly
increased the on-time payments of bills.
The push to move more services online in Qatar
is reflected in government organizations’ ICT
budgets. The survey found that government
organizations currently allocate 23 percent of their
ICT budgets to providing public services online.
The majority of government organizations (87
percent) provide inquiry services (providing
information on services) to citizens and residents,
while more than a third (37 percent) provide
transactional services (for example, information
on outstanding traffic fines, utility bills, applying
for an ID card), while another 26 percent provide
enhanced transactional services with online
payment functionality. Approximately 3 percent
of the organizations do not provide any services
online. As for the future, the executives surveyed
estimated that on average, 35 percent of public
services are currently offered online by
government entities, while another 16 percent of
services are planned for online launch. By
mid-2014, government organizations are expected
to offer 51 percent of public services online.
Despite the growth of online channels available to
government organizations, including social media,
face-to-face interaction is still the most popular
channel used by them to communicate with the
public. Websites and call centers are the other two
most popular channels, with email, SMS, social
media, and traditional media the other major
channels. Organizations expect traditional
channels such as face-to-face interaction and
telephone call centers to remain popular through
2016, with mobile applications expected to catch
up in popularity. Interaction through the Hukoomi
portal is also expected to increase significantly
through 2016 (see Figure 12).
17 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
Figure 12: Channels of Interaction with Citizens/Residents among Government Organizations
Face-to-face
Organization website
Telephone call centers
SMS
Traditional media
Social media
Mobile applications
Hukoomi portal
Government Internet portal
95%92%
87%87%
79%92%
74%74%
71%66%
63%68%
45%61%
39%92%
29%50%
26%47%
Currently Through 2016
Source: Government IT Executives Survey, 2013; n=38
Detailed Findings
18 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
Use of e-Government Services by
Government Employees
Awareness and use of services through Hukoomi,
Qatar’s e-government portal, decreased among
government employees in 2013 compared with
2010. Awareness dropped from 88 percent to 84
percent. A similar decrease is also noted in terms
of usage. In 2010, 41 percent indicated that they
use the services in the Hukoomi portal, while only
19 percent indicated the same in 2013. In 2013,
more than three-quarters of employees were
aware of various government services provided
online through portals other than Hukoomi.
The majority of government employees who
visited the Hukoomi portal (83 percent) are aware
of the Hukoomi Contact Center, but only 29
percent have used it in last 12 months. Sixty-four
percent of all government employees surveyed
indicated that they are aware of the Government
Contact Center, while 10 percent said they have
used it, whether more than 12 months ago,
incidentally in the last 12 months, or regularly
(see Figure 13).
Emerging Technologies
The increasing penetration of smartphones
among government employees, citizens, and
residents has resulted in organizations
developing mobile applications for both internal
(employees) and external (customers, suppliers)
stakeholders. A majority (58 percent) of
government organizations indicated that they
have already deployed or are planning to deploy
new mobile applications for citizens and
residents, and 50 percent have made or plan
to make existing applications for external
stakeholders available on mobile platforms.
In terms of internal stakeholders, 47 percent of
government organizations indicated they have
already deployed or are planning to deploy new
mobile applications, while 37 percent indicated
that they are making existing applications
available on mobile platforms. Only 5 percent
of the organizations surveyed said they have
not deployed nor are they planning any mobile
applications.
Not aware of it at all
I have used it incidentally in the last 12 months
Aware of it, but have never used it
I use it on a regular basis (at least every month)
I used it more than 12 months ago
Government Contact Center
Hukoomi Contact Center
5%2%
3%54%36%
29%12%13%28%17%
Source: Government Employees Survey, 2013; Government Contact Center (all employees) n=408, Hukoomi Contact Center (employees who visited the Hukoomi portal) n=82
Figure 13: Employee Awareness and Usage of Hukoomi Contact Center and Government Contact Center
Detailed Findings
19 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
Among reasons to use mobile applications, IT
executives found increasing awareness about
available services to be the most important (66
percent). Managing or improving relationships
with citizens and residents (60 percent)
and gathering ideas or feedback on services
(49 percent) are the other major reasons for
developing mobile applications (see Figure 14).
While mobile applications have clearly caught
on in Qatar, use of any kind of cloud computing
service has not. Sixty-eight percent of the
government organizations surveyed do not use
any kind of cloud computing services.
Figure 14: Reasons to Deploy Mobile Applications in the Government Sector
Increase awareness about available services
Manage/improve relationship with citizens and residents
Gather ideas/feedback on services
Acquire and share knowledge within the organization
Collaborate with citizens and residents on a speci�c project or activity
Respond to citizen/resident questions/complaints
Create wider awareness on topics and programs (beyond e-services provided)
Moderate conversations about public services
Don't know/unsure
66%
60%
49%
43%
37%
11%
11%
9%
3%
Source: Government IT Executives Survey, 2013; Organizations using or planning to use mobile apps for public interactions n=35
Detailed Findings
20 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
IT Workforce and ICT Skills
IT Workforce in Government
The total number of permanent IT professionals
working in public administration, defense, and
compulsory social security in Qatar in 2012 was
estimated at 1,856.1 According to the 2013
Government IT Executives Survey, IT employees
in the government sector make up 4.7 percent of
that sector’s permanent workforce, an increase
of 1 percent over 2010 and 1.4 percent over 2008
(see Figure 15).
ICT Skills
Government employee ICT skills are critical to
future progress in the sector. Non-IT employees’
confidence in their ICT skills has improved
steadily since 2010 but still remains low—36
percent of government employees in 2013
indicated their computer skills were adequate
compared with 28 percent in 2010. Not
surprisingly, employee confidence is directly
related to education level, with university
graduates being more confident than diploma
holders and those with lower educational levels.
Graphics and spreadsheets (both at 33 percent)
and email (27 percent) are the main areas where
employees feel further training is required to
improve their skills.
Fifty percent of employees report that self-study
is the most important source of obtaining
ICT-related skills, with 43 percent supplementing
their skills through formal education at an
education institution, 20 percent through a
vocational center, and 17 percent through
a an adult education center. Ten percent say
they obtain their ICT skills directly on the job
(see Figure 16).
1 Estimated based on Qatar Statistics Authority labor force data 2012 (http://www.qix.gov.qa/portal/page/portal/qix/subject_area/Statistics?subject_area=183), and findings from the Government IT Executives Survey, 2013
Figure 15: IT Employees as a Percentage of Permanent Employees (estimated)
2008
2010
2013
3.3%
3.7%
4.7%
Source: Government IT Executives Survey, 2008, 2010, 2013; 2008 n=28, 2010 n=44, 2013 n=38
Note: Penetration calculated using 5 percent trimmed mean
Figure 16: Source of ICT Skills for Government Employees
Self-study using books, CD-ROMs, online courses, etc.
At a formal educational institution
Vocational training courses (demanded by your employer)
Training courses at an adult education center (but not on your employer’s initiative)
On the job
50%
43%
20%
17%
10%
Source: Government Employees Survey, 2013; n=408
Recruitment of IT Professionals
Government organizations are actively looking for IT
professionals. Among the government organizations
that reported having at least one open IT position,
the average number of open positions was 12.
For the mid-2013–mid-2014 period, unified
communications (83 percent); datacenter
management (78 percent); and governance, risk
management, and compliance (73 percent) are
the strategic focus areas in which the existing
employees are most skilled, followed by storage
and availability (69 percent), content/document
management (68 percent), and enterprise search
(67 percent). The least widely available skills are
those related to mobile technology, geographic
information systems, and IT security (see Figure 17).
Reflecting the lack of skills in strategic focus
areas shown at left, areas of focus for recruitment
between mid-2013 and mid-2014 by government
organizations include collaboration tools, IT
security, and automation of services. They will
also be looking for employees with skills in GIS,
storage and availability, and ERP (see Figure 18).
Detailed Findings
21
Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
Figure 17: Skills Availability in Strategic Focus Areas, Mid-2013–Mid-2014
Figure 18: Focus Areas of Recruitment by Government Organizations, Mid-2013—Mid-2014
Uni�ed communication (6)
Datacenter (18)
Governance, risk management,
and compliance (15)
Storage and availability (26)
Content management/document management (25)
Enterprise search (6)
ERP/GRP (21)
Virtualization (21)
Cloud computing (9)
Automation of organizational and
public services (20)
Business intelligence and analytics (9)
Collaboration tools (7)
IT security (32)
Geographic information systems (GIS) (10)
Mobile technology (27)
83%
78%
73%
69%
68%
67%
57%
57%
56%
55%
44%
43%
28%
20%
0%
Collaboration tools (7)
IT security (32)
Automation of organizational and public services (20)
Geographic information systems (GIS) (10)
Storage and availability (26)
ERP/GRP (21)
Enterprise search (6)
Business intelligence and analytics (9)
Cloud computing (9)
Virtualization (21)
Content management document management (25)
Governance, risk management, and compliance (15)
Mobile technology (27)
Datacenter (18)
29%
25%
20%
20%
19%
19%
17%
11%
11%
10%
8%
7%
7%
6%
Source: Government IT Executives Survey, 2013; Organizations focusing on the given ICT area, the basis for each area is indicated in parentheses
Source: Government IT Executives Survey, 2013; Organizations focusing on the given ICT area, the basis for each area is indicated in parentheses
The technology area most likely to be outsourced
is mobile technology, followed by geographic
information systems (GIS). Cloud computing,
collaboration tools, and automation of
organizational and public services are the other
strategic areas most likely to be outsourced (see
Figure 19). The primary reason for outsourcing
these technologies is the low availability of skills
inside the organizations.
ICT Training
ICT training of permanent non-IT staff has
decreased—from 6.8 percent in 2010 to 1.8
percent in 2013—according to IT executives
surveyed. Meanwhile, 19 percent of IT employees
received training in the last 12 months. Twenty-nine
percent of the government organizations surveyed
indicated that they provide training online, slightly
lower than the 32 percent reported in 2010.
Between mid-2013 and mid-2014, government
organizations are expected to make higher levels
of investment in training existing IT staff in IT
security, business intelligence and analytics, cloud
computing, and collaboration tools (see Figure 20).
Detailed Findings
22 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
Figure 19: Strategic Focus Areas for Outsourcing among Government Organizations
Figure 20: Strategic Focus for ICT Training among Government Organizations, Mid-2013–Mid-2014
Mobile technology (27)
Geographic information systems
(GIS) (10)
Cloud computing (9)
Collaboration tools (7)
Automation of organizational and
public services (20)
Virtualization (21)
ERP/GRP (21)
Enterprise search (6)
Governance, risk management,
and compliance (15)
Storage and availability (26)
Datacenter (18)
Content management/document management (25)
IT security (32)
89%
60%
33%
29%
25%
24%
19%
17%
13%
12%
11%
8%
6%
IT security (32)
Business intelligence and analytics (9)
Cloud computing (9)
Collaboration tools (7)
Virtualization (21)
Automation of organizational and public services (20)
Geographic information systems (GIS) (10)
Content management/document management (25)
Governance, risk management, and compliance (15)
ERP/GRP (21)
Uni�ed communication (6)
Datacenter (18)
Storage and availability (26)
Mobile technology (27)
53%
44%
33%
29%
29%
25%
20%
20%
20%
19%
17%
17%
15%
11%
Source: Government IT Executives Survey, 2013; Organizations focusing on the given ICT area, the basis for each area is indicated in parentheses
Source: Government IT Executives Survey, 2013; Organizations focusing on the given ICT area, the basis for each area is indicated in parentheses
When asked about ICT training, a large
majority—75 percent—of government employees
indicated that they had not received any ICT
training within the last three years, with more
males than females reporting the lack of training
(see Figure 21).
Lack of time (44 percent), the adequacy of
existing skills (32 percent), and lack of
sponsorship (23 percent) were the top three
reasons given for employees not undergoing
ICT training. Other reasons cited were lack of
suitable courses (8 percent), difficulty of courses
(2 percent), and affordability (1 percent).
Not surprisingly, employer sponsorship plays
a major role in employees’ participation in ICT
training activities. Of those employees who
availed themselves of ICT training in the last 12
months, 83 percent were sponsored by their
employers. In all, 93 percent of Qatari employees
indicated that they received at least partial
sponsorship, compared with 71 percent of
expatriates in the government sector.
The most common types of training received by
government employees include word processing,
presentations, and spreadsheets. These were
followed by Internet browsing and emailing,
as well as general computer skills. Of the
employees who received ICT training in the last
12 months, only 43 percent received training in
e-government-related topics (see Figure 22).
Detailed Findings
23 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
Yes, within the last three months
Yes, more than three years ago
Yes, between three months and a year ago
No, I have never received training
Yes, between one and three years ago
Male
Female
Overall
50%31%12%6%
2%
37%22%23%15%4%
46%29%14%8%
2%
Source: Government Employees Survey, 2013; n=408
Note: Percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.
Figure 21: ICT Training Received by Government Employees
Figure 22: Type of ICT Training Received by Government Employees
General computer skills
Text processing, spreadsheets, and presentations
Internet browsing and emailing
Online databases and search engines
E-government-related topics
Other
17%45%36%2%
12%52%33%2%
14%52%31%2%
Basic
Did not receiveIntermediate
Advanced
36%31%26%7%
93%7%
57%29%12%2%
Source: Government Employees Survey, 2013; Employees who have received ICT training in the last 12 months n=42
Note: Percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.
Government employees are not taking full
advantage of Web-based training opportunities.
Only 17 percent of employees indicated having
received any online Web-based training. In
addition, awareness and usage of Qatar’s
National e-Learning Portal, which provides
thousands of online courses, is low. Only 4
percent of those surveyed have used the portal,
while another 31 percent are aware of it but have
never used it. Close to two-thirds of employees
are not even aware of the portal’s existence.
Young employees are more aware of the portal
than their older colleagues.
Moving forward, government employees
anticipate receiving an average of more than
11 hours of ICT training between mid-2013 and
mid-2014. Employees with lower education
levels expect to receive more hours of training
than university graduates or those with higher
education levels.
Detailed Findings
24 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
ICT Satisfaction
Satisfaction among government employees in
the quality of Internet connectivity at work as well
as in e-government services is generally high. On
a scale of 1 (very dissatisfied) to 7 (very satisfied),
80 percent of government employees assessing
Internet service gave it a score of 5 or higher.
Eighty-two percent of employees also cited
satisfaction with the reliability (6.0) and speed
(5.9) of their Internet service (see Figure 23).
Regarding e-government services, a large subset
of government employees who have used
Hukoomi are satisfied with the quality of the online
services provided, an increase in satisfaction
compared with 2010. In all, 86 percent of the
government employees who use Hukoomi
indicated that they are satisfied, giving it a score of
5 or higher on a 7-point scale. Satisfaction levels
were consistent across all the services evaluated,
with “applying for an exit permit” showing the
greatest satisfaction levels (6.7) as well as the
largest increase in satisfaction compared with 2010
(5.9). Paying bills online and transactions related to
residence permits are the other two top-rated
online services (see Figure 24).
Government employees who used the Hukoomi
Contact Center also indicated high levels of
satisfaction. Politeness of staff was the most
highly rated aspect of the contact center (6.4),
followed by the quality of solutions provided. The
number of unsuccessful attempts to get
connected/on-hold duration received the lowest
satisfaction scores (5.5).
Detailed Findings
25 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
Figure 23: Government Employees Satisfaction with the Internet 1 (Very Dissatisfied) to 7 (Very Satisfied)
Reliability of the Internet at work
Speed of the Internet at work
Overall Internet service provided at work
5.96.0%
5.8%5.9%
5.9%5.8%
2010 2013
Source: Government Employees Survey, 2010, 2013; Employees who use the Internet at work 2010 n=367, 2013 n=393
Figure 24: Government Employees’ Satisfaction with Online Services Provided through Hukoomi 1 (Very Dissatisfied) to 7 (Very Satisfied)
Applying for an exit permit
Paying bills online (e.g., from Kahramaa or Qtel)
Applying for a new residence permit; renewal/reactivation/cancellation of an existing one
Applying for a smart card to use Hukoomi services
Applying for or renewing a visa
Applying for a Health Card
Changing company details
Using Post Box online to track mail (track and trace service)
Overall satisfaction with the services used on the Hukoomi website
5.96.7
6.36.5
6.06.4
6.16.3
6.06.2
5.86.0
5.46.0
5.96.0
6.2
2010 2013
Source: Government Employees Survey, 2010, 2013; Employees who visited the Hukoomi portal 2010 n=max 126, 2013 n=max 82
Note: Overall satisfaction was not measured in 2010
Benefits and Barriers to ICT Adoption
Benefits
The IT executives surveyed believe that ICT has
brought significant advantages to their
organizations. Sixty-eight percent indicated that
improved corporate communication (internal and
external) and provision of product/service
support were the greatest benefits, followed by
enhanced internal workflows (61 percent) and
enhanced customer relationships (50 percent). In
general, these benefits were also the most highly
rated in the 2010 survey, with the only difference
being that “facilitating knowledge management”
was cited among the top four options in 2010
instead of “providing product/service support”
(see Figure 25).
The benefits of the Government Network, namely
the ease of exchanging information (89 percent),
more secure processes (78 percent), and
increased operational efficiency (72 percent)
were clear to many of the IT executives surveyed.
On the other hand, the main reasons cited by
interviewees for why they did not connect to
the network were security concerns and the fact
that their infrastructure/skills did not support
joining. Forty-four percent of the organizations
that are not connected to the Government
Network indicated they are satisfied with their
current setup.
Barriers
Indeed half of the IT executives surveyed
indicated there were no barriers to ICT adoption.
However, 29 percent cited the lack of required
employee skills in the use of ICT technologies
and 26 percent cited an inability to hire IT
26 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
Detailed Findings
Figure 25: Benefits of ICT for Government Organizations
Improved corporate communication (internal and external)
Better provision of product/service support
Enhanced internal work�ows
Enhanced customer relationships
Reduced costs
Increased availability of and accessibility to business information
Offering online/mobile services to the public
Improved logistics
Improved coordination with customers/suppliers
Facilitatation of knowledge management
Facilitation of scienti�c research and development (e.g., product development)
Security
58%68%
33%68%
63%61%
56%50%
0%37%
35%34%
0%34%
40%32%
33%29%
58%24%
33%13%
0%3%
2010 2013
Source: Government IT Executives Survey, 2010, 2013; 2010 n=43, 2013 n=38
professionals with the required skills as the most
prominent barriers (see Figure 26).
When asked specifically about the challenges
faced when deploying mobile applications in their
organizations, executives indicated that getting
executive support (34 percent), justifying the
expense (31 percent), and measuring impact on
core objectives (31 percent) were the main reasons.
Government employees were asked about
the factors limiting their use of ICT at work,
and the majority (51 percent) cited no limitations
to ICT use at work. However 30 percent cited
work-related pressures and lack of time as
limitations on their ICT use at work, followed
by limited access to the Internet (11 percent)
(see Figure 27).
27 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
Detailed Findings
Figure 26: Barriers to ICT Adoption for Government Organizations
Figure 27: Factors Limiting Government Employees’ ICT Usage
No barriers at all
Lack of in-house technical expertise
Unable to hire IT professionals with the required skills
Budget constraints
Company-speci�c policy around security of documents and databases that does not facilitate usage of ICT in some/key areas
Lack of budget for staff training on new technologies
Employee resistance
Scale of organization
Lack of trust in ICT (security and privacy issues, for example)
50%
29%
26%
16%
11%
11%
11%
3%
3%
No limitations to ICT use at work
Pressure of workload, not enough time
Limited access to the Internet
Lack of security in Internet transactions
No budget for staff ICT training courses
Lack of websites in Arabic relevant to organization’s business
Lack of skills required to use computers/Internet
Websites of Qatari organizations (government and private) are not informative
Lack of trust in ICT (e.g., security/privacy issues on the Internet)
Technology is too complicated
The websites of Qatari organizations (government and private) are not user-friendly
Internet not available at work
No bene�t in incorporating ICT into work practices
Others
51%
30%
11%
8%
5%
5%
4%
4%
3%
3%
2%
1%
1%
1%
Source: Government IT Executives Survey, 2013; n=38
Source: Government Employees Survey, 2013; n=408
Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
highlights the many areas where government
organizations have made strides in using
technology to create a more responsive and
transparent government that serves the needs of
all Qatar’s people.
Since 2010, the country has done a good job of
implementing its infrastructure strategy—the
ratio of PCs to employees is now more than
1-to-1, staff members use PCs and the Internet
regularly, and the automation of core processes
has been fully or partially implemented by an
overwhelming majority of organizations. While
government employees don’t use social media to
reach the public as much as they could, those
interviewed report that they plan to harness the
benefits of this medium in the future.
Qatar has also made significant progress in
improving its online presence. Ninety-five
percent of government organizations today have
a Web presence, and the percentage of
organizations offering information and
transactional services has grown. Citizens and
residents who use such online services are
satisfied, and a majority of government
organizations have already deployed or plan to
deploy mobile applications to make doing
business with the government even easier and
more efficient. Overall, there has been significant
progress toward Qatar’s goals of achieving wide
accessibility, effectiveness of all key government
services, and the target of 160 online services
by 2015.
The nation continues to improve its rankings
in a number of important global studies, including
those that measure a government’s networked
readiness and its ICT usage and prioritization—
including ICT usage and government efficiency,
government procurement of advanced
technology, government prioritization of ICT, and
the importance of ICT to the government’s vision.
Nevertheless, the research points to two main
areas for improvement. They are the need to
implement the national IT infrastructure
protection standards at each government
organization (to ensure the security of
government resources) and enhanced ICT
training for government employees (to keep ICT
maturity at a high level).
Indeed, IT security is foremost in IT executives’
minds, and government organizations in Qatar
are already spending a significant portion of their
budgets on it. However, as the landscape study
points out, only 60 percent of these organizations
have an IT risk–based security strategy, and the
same percentage of government employees
regularly back up data. Moving forward,
Conclusion
28 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
Conclusion
29 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
implementing the national IT security
standards—which include data backup, file
storage, unified security protocols, and a
technology obsolescence policy, among other
features—would help secure the government’s
precious resources. In addition, a security
communication plan in each government
organization would let all staff know the level of
threat to the technologies they use. Other
potential solutions to current security concerns
include cloud technology, which is not commonly
used by government organizations, and a more
robust role for CS/Q-CERT, the nation’s
information security center, in supporting
government organizations.
Improved ICT training of employees is the other
area where improvements would greatly enhance
Qatar’s efforts toward its goal of building an
advanced ICT sector, which is critical to the
growth of a knowledge economy. Implementing
long-term training programs to ensure
government staff are current with ICT trends
and knowledge and encouraging employees to
use a portion of their work time to take advantage
of online ICT courses and knowledge-sharing
sites are strategies to consider. In addition,
Qatar’s National E-Learning Portal is a good
resource for professional development on
ICT-related issues.
These and other future developments will help
ensure that Qatar’s government continues to lead
the way and drive ICT advances across all
sectors. It will also guarantee that Qatar
continues to build a state-of-the-art government
that is highly connected and responsive to the
people it serves.
Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government is
based on a large-scale, sample-based study of
the current state of ICT penetration and usage
among 408 government employees at 34
organizations, and 38 IT executives, one each
from 38 of the 54 core government organizations
(ministries, authorities, and councils) considered
for the study.
Primary research was based on face-to-face
interviews conducted between mid-February
and May 2013, with structured questionnaires
covering 2012 and the first quarter of 2013. The
54 core government organizations considered for
the study included entities of a regulatory nature
or those involved in setting standards or that
have a key role in developing and implementing
national strategies and policies. All for-profit
government organizations, charitable
organizations, and the military were excluded.
The organizations that participated in the survey
are listed below.
Government Employees Survey
Senior government administrative staff members
were asked to nominate a sufficient number
of employees based on factors such as gender,
age, and nationality. Face-to-face meetings
were arranged with these employees—only
government employees that use a computer were
interviewed for the study. The margin of error
from the government employees’ sample is ±4.9
percent, a 95 percent confidence level. The
margin of error increases when the results are
analyzed by subgroups. A profile of the
respondents is detailed in the charts below
(see Figures 28–33).
Appendix: Methodology
30 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
Figure 28: Profile of Respondents by Job Position
Figure 29: Profile of Respondents by Gender
General management, director, or top managementMiddle managementOther employee
14%
35%50%
MaleFemale
75%
25%
Source: Government Employees Survey, 2013; n=408
Note: Segments do not total 100 due to rounding.
Source: Government Employees Survey, 2013; n=408
Appendix: Methodology
31 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
IT Executives Survey
In total, 38 IT executives from 38 of the 54
government organizations considered for the
survey were polled through a self-administered
questionnaire. In-person assistance was also
provided to these executives in order to facilitate
data collection. In addition, in-depth face-to-face
interviews with 11 executives (nine from the
original 38 organizations and two from additional
organizations) were conducted to further
explore the issues raised in the questionnaire.
The government organizations that participated
are listed below.
Secondary Research
In addition to the primary survey, secondary
research was conducted to obtain further
statistics and insights on Qatar’s government
sector, as well as the country’s economic,
demographic, and ICT landscape, in general.
Sources included:
• International organizations that capture
ICT-related country data, such as the
International Telecommunications Union (ITU),
the United Nations (UN), and the World Economic
Figure 32: Profile of Respondents by ExperienceFigure 30: Profile of Respondents by Nationality
Figure 33: Profile of Respondents by Education Level Figure 31: Profile of Respondents by Age
Less than 2 years of experience2 to 4 years of experience5 to 7 years of experience
8 to 10 years of experienceMore than 10 years of experience
14%
14%
18%
45%
9%
QatariArab expatNon-Arab expat
55%
4%
41%
Preparatory/IntermediateSecondary/High SchoolPre-University Diploma
University/Graduate (Bachelor’s)Higher DiplomaPost-graduate (Master’s or Ph.D.)
4%21%
52%
11%
2%
10%
Less than 29 years30–34 years35–39 years
40–44 years45+ years
12%
28%
20%
19%
21%
Source: Government Employees Survey, 2013; n = 408Source: Government Employees Survey, 2013; n=408
Source: Government Employees Survey, 2013; n = 408Source: Government Employees Survey, 2013; Employees who specified age n=392
Forum (WEF)
• IDC’s in-house database of past reports,
market data, and market forecasts
• The Internet, for relevant databases, articles,
and reports on the government sector
An internationally developed list of data
indicators was used for benchmarking purposes.
They appear below. The countries ultimately
selected for comparison are listed in Table 1.
Partnership Indicators
The Partnership on Measuring Information and
Communication Technology for Development
was launched in 2004 to improve the availability
of internationally comparable ICT statistics. Its
task group on e-government, in collaboration
international organizations including the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), has
developed a set of seven globally comparable
e-government core indicators:
1. EG1—Proportion of persons employed in
central government organizations routinely
using computers
2. EG2—Proportion of persons employed in
central government organizations routinely
using the Internet
3. EG3—Proportion of central government
organizations with a local area network (LAN)
4. EG4—Proportion of central government
organizations with an Intranet
5. EG5—Proportion of central government
organizations with Internet access, by type of
access
6. EG6—Proportion of central government
organizations with a Web presence
7. EG7—Selected Internet-based online services
available to citizens, by level of sophistication
of service
Appendix: Methodology
32 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government
Table 1: International Benchmarking—Country List
Country
Republic of Korea
Netherlands
Singapore
Ireland
Estonia
Belgium
UAE
Saudi Arabia
Kuwait
Oman
Bahrain
Morocco
Tunisia
Colombia
Chile
Mexico
Malaysia
Kazakhstan
e-Government Champions*
The top two countries in the United Nations’ online e-government index
A small country that rapidly developed into a knowledge economy, and is also an e-government leader
Knowledge Economy Champion
Emerging e-Government Champions
Developed Economies
Three relatively small countries that quickly developed into solid knowledge-based economies
Five other countries that are part of the Gulf Cooperation Council
Morocco and Tunisia are regional peers that are fast-developing when it comes to e-government
The fastest-growing economies in terms of e-government development
Regional Peers
GroupingRationale for
Selection
Source: IDC 2013
*Champions are defined as countries that are leaders and have scored high in the relevant rankings
Organizations That Participated in
the Executive Survey
Advisory Council
Civil Aviation Authority
General Authority For Minors Affairs
General Retirement and Social Insurance Authority
General Secretariat for Development Planning
Hamad Medical Corporation
Institute of Administrative Development (IAD)
Ministry of Business and Trade
Ministry of Culture, Arts, and Heritage
Ministry of Economy and Finance
Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs
Ministry of Energy and Industry
Ministry of Environment
Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning
Ministry of Social Affairs
National Human Rights Committee
Primary Health Care Corporation
Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Qatar Financial Markets Authority
Qatar Foundation for Child and Women Protection
Qatar Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking
Qatar Foundation for Elderly People Care
Qatar General Electricity and Water Company (Kahramaa)
Qatar Investment Authority
Qatar Media Corporation
Qatar Museums Authority
Qatar News Agency
Qatar Orphan Foundation
Qatar Ports Management Company
Qatar Statistics Authority
Qatar Tourism Authority
Qatar University
The Social Rehabilitation Center
State Audit Bureau
Supreme Council for Economic Affairs and Investment
Supreme Council for Family Affairs
Supreme Council of Health
Supreme Judiciary Council
Organizations That Participated in
the Employee Survey
Civil Aviation Authority
General Directorate of Customs
General Retirement and Social Insurance Authority
General Secretariat for Development Planning
Hamad Medical Corporation
Institute of Administrative Development (IAD)
Ministry of Business and Trade
Ministry of Culture, Arts, and Heritage
Ministry of Economy and Finance
Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs
Ministry of Energy and Industry
Ministry of Environment
Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Labor
Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning
Ministry of Social Affairs
National Human Rights Committee
Primary Health Care Corporation
Public Prosecution
Public Works Authority (Ashghal)
Qatar Development Bank
Qatar Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking
Qatar Foundation for Elderly People Care
Qatar General Electricity and Water Company (Kahramaa)
Qatar Museums Authority
Qatar National Olympic Committee
Qatar Orphan Foundation
Qatar Ports Management Company
Qatar Tourism Authority
Qatar University
The Social Rehabilitation Center
State Audit Bureau
Supreme Council of Health
Supreme Education Council
Appendix: Methodology
33 Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Government