Government role in digital identity strategic, whether decentralized or cloud-based

Easier and more universal access to government services is one of the promises of the digital economy, and what kind of digital identity can best support the economies of the new future is being interrogated this week at an industry event and in a new white paper.

The IdentityNORTH Spring Symposium 2023 is running April 12 and 13 as a virtual event, with a general theme of promoting decentralized digital ID as a piece of foundational infrastructure.

The event revisits the six barriers to effective digital identity identified at its last event, and features presentations on the digital governance capabilities established by Ukraine while at war, how to avoid accidental harms, and developments in digital ID in Canada and elsewhere.

Okta pitches cloud citizen identity platforms

A white paper written by Intermedium and commissioned by Okta makes the case that sorting out digital identity should be considered a strategic priority by governments around the world.

The paper focusses on Australia, as Intermedium is a consultant on ICT use in the public sector of Australia and New Zealand, but largely applies elsewhere.

Okta equates cloud-based citizen identity platforms with customer identity and access management (CIAM) in ‘Creating a Seamless Citizen Experience: The Future of Digital Identity in Government.’

For digital government services to reach widespread availability, the cost of implementation, the combination of ease of use and security, and robustness of digital identity systems need to be improved, according to the paper. Authentication also remains a common technical challenge in digital identity systems.

The five key benefits of cloud citizen identity platforms are simplified identity management at scale, lower costs than in-house, proprietary systems, improved information sharing, stronger security and adherence to identity governance regulations and policies.

The white paper goes on to examine Australia’ experience with consumer expectations, its framework for cybersecurity, and the importance of the ‘Tell Us Once’ principles in driving adoption.

Article Topics

digital government  |  digital identity  |  government services  |  identity management  |  Okta