Quality indicators
- Client satisfaction with the secure communications network and secure telecommunications infrastructure
- Availability to clients, and reliability, of communications through the secure network (including cable delivery)
- Client satisfaction with the level of physical security at overseas chanceries and residences, including responsiveness to unexpected events
Quantity indicators
- Number of posts and Commonwealth entities with access to the secure communications network and secure telecommunications infrastructure
- Number of clients serviced, types of services provided and volume of traffic handled
- Number of overseas missions for which security services are provided, including security review services
- Number of security clearances and reviews processed
Client satisfaction—secure communications network and telecommunications infrastructure
A majority of departmental staff now have access to the SATIN system. Apart from some early teething problems staff have welcomed the increased functionality and efficiency it delivers. More Australian Government agencies are seeking access to the system. The ADCNET legacy system continues to operate to a satisfactory level in just under half of our overseas missions.
We sought client views and feedback on both the ADCNET and SATIN systems through a variety of mechanisms.
External feedback
- A departmental representative held regular meetings with representatives of external organisations. Client feedback on the level of service provided by the department was positive.
- The department provides services to ministers' parliamentary and electorate offices through dedicated account representatives. Ministers and office staff expressed their appreciation for our responsiveness in dealing with problems and the development of innovative solutions for remote access communications.
Internal feedback
- Formal governance arrangements such as the Information Technology Strategy Committee, the Technical Advisors' Group and the Consultative Committee on Information Management were effective mechanisms for internal feedback. These committees agreed that staff satisfaction with the department's IT and communication systems was high, user-friendliness had increased and the systems had facilitated more efficient work practices.
- Regional management and heads of mission meetings, post liaison visits and divisional and post evaluation processes all provided opportunities for staff at posts to provide feedback. In addition, in November and December 2002 we undertook a Post Implementation Review of the SATIN deployment based on surveys and group and individual interviews at eight Asian posts. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with overseas users recognising the improved accessibility and efficiency of SATIN and the benefit of a standardised global IT system. A number of minor technical problems revealed by the survey have been solved.
- The Global Support Centre help desk provides full-time support services to clients to assist with the use of the department's information management and communications systems, including rectification of problems. The help desk delivers first-level telephone user support on issues related to the department's secure and non-secure information and communications systems. The Centre provided services to 9353 departmental and other Australian Government agency clients in Australia and overseas and in ministers' parliamentary and electoral offices. A total of 73 821 enquiries were received, mostly relating to minor faults in hardware or software. Some 68 per cent of enquiries were resolved to the client's satisfaction without the need for escalation to higher-level support teams. The balance of enquiries were referred to second or third-level support teams for resolution. The majority of problems reported to the help desk were resolved within 48 hours.
Availability and reliability of communications
The department continued to look at ways of streamlining and improving efficiency in the provision of electronic communication services to clients in 15 Australian Government agencies, seven ministerial and parliamentary offices and in overseas missions.
The increased use of email by clients has allowed the gradual phasing out of telememos (in 2001–02) and of central handling of faxes. Staff can now fax directly to or from individual branches, including directly to or from desktop computers.
The provision of the mobile secure communications system (the FlyAway unit) ensured ministers and government officials had access to secure communications to Canberra from remote or temporary office locations. FlyAway units were provided to staff in Manila when the Australian chancery was relocated and to the Australian Representative Office in Baghdad.
A large-scale program has begun to provide Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) backup capacity to 40 posts to ensure communication links remain in place regardless of the circumstances of supplier companies. The Voicenet speed dial service has been expanded to over 27 posts, with nine more to be connected in the coming months, achieving significant savings on international communications costs. The department plans eventually to provide this service to all posts as local technology permits.
We are investigating the usefulness of new technologies, including open source operating systems and applications, improved secure voice systems and improved encryption key delivery and management. An IT accounting application has been implemented across the department, measuring in the first instance Internet and Voicenet usage. This will help in the development of equitable charging mechanisms.
We have implemented the SATIN Global Management System (SGMS), a comprehensive network management system covering most installed components of the department's IT network. This is a proactive management system that aims to provide improved visibility and control of all elements of our IT network—covering router management, network discovery, application response times and servers. The enhanced ability to examine and evaluate the department's IT infrastructure will ensure that it remains focused on serving the system's business goals. Further development of the SGMS is continuing.
The department signed new contracts for the supply of international terrestrial and satellite telecommunications links in May 2002. These contracts have enabled us to expand significantly our bandwidth capacity (necessary for the successful operation of the SATIN system at posts) at a minimum additional cost. The efficiencies achieved through the contract for the provision of terrestrial services enabled the department to deliver improved satellite telecommunications links to 18 posts in regions where terrestrial links are problematic. Under the improved arrangements, all posts will have access to a minimum of 128 kilobytes of bandwidth per site.
The increase of bandwidth to posts has provided staff overseas with access to desktop Internet through the SATIN system.
Client satisfaction—security of overseas missions
The difficult security environment in 2002–03 placed significant strains on posts. Posts expressed a high level of satisfaction with our responsiveness to their security needs—through rapid advice on evolving security situations, special security assessments and inspection advisory visits at short notice, and through a significant increase in the level of physical security afforded by the new funding made available to the department and its rapid disbursement to posts. We made a particular effort to keep partner agencies informed of key developing security situations and our management of these events. Agencies expressed confidence in the measures in place and the approach taken.
We placed emphasis on providing appropriate training for staff before their departure on posting and our efforts to improve the relevance and structure of this training were well received. Staff noted in particular the value of the training provided in IT systems vulnerabilities.
| Indicators | 2002–03 | 2001–02 |
|---|---|---|
| Number of posts and Commonwealth entities with access to the secure communications network and secure telecommunications infrastructure | 108 | 104 |
| Number of clients1 | 113 (approx) |
120 (approx) |
| Types of services: | ||
| Cables analysed2 | 146 498 | 136 849 |
| Cable pages printed3 | 1 225 660 | 1 539 270 |
| Fax pages4 | 0 | 19 600 |
| Telememos forwarded5 | 0 | 142 |
| Number of overseas missions for which security services are provided, including security review services6 | 88 | 87 |
| Number of security clearances and reviews processed | 776 | 896 |
|
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Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Annual Report 2002–2003
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