Promoting the application of specialized digital signatures in State agencies

(LSO) – Currently, the application of specialized digital signatures in State agencies is a necessary need for administrative reforms, gradually building e-government. Therefore, over the past time, the Provincial People’s Committee has promoted the application of specialized digital signatures in State agencies.

In 2015, the Provincial People’s Committee issued a plan to deploy the use of specialized digital signatures in State administrative agencies. Accordingly, every year, Department of Information and Communications has actively coordinated with departments, committees, agencies, District People’s Committees and Commune-level People’s Committees to synthesize needs to register for the use of digital certificates, specialized digital signatures to send for the granting of  the Government Cipher Committee to serve the sending and receiving of electronic documents and electronic transactions among state agencies in the province.

The leader of Huu Lung District Justice Division signed the document electronically

In addition, in order to ensure the effective implementation of digital signatures at all levels, sectors, every year, Department of Information and Communications organizes the training to disseminate and guide the process of applying digital signatures for 100% of cadres, civil servants granted digital signatures in the province; integrating with the fostering of knowledge for specialized information technology officers in agencies and units to ensure ready support for users in applying digital signatures in agencies and units. The Department also focuses on reviewing IT technical infrastructure, intranet systems, Internet networks, specialized data transmission networks of the Party and State agencies for smooth and continuous operation and information security ensuring.

With the attention and direction of the Provincial People’s Committee, up to now, 100% of departments, committees, agencies, all functional levels from district to commune have been granted digital certificates, digital signatures and digital signature applications in exchanging electronic documents among State agencies. Up to now, Department of Information and Communications has asked Department of Digital Authentication and Information Security under the Government Cipher Committee to newly issue 669 personal digital certificates, 263 organizational digital certificates and grant 1,572 digital signatures to organizations and individuals from the provincial to the commune level. The number of electronic documents with digital signatures exchanged, sent – received in four levels from early 2020 up to now is 166,607 documents, reaching the rate of nearly 100% (excluding confidential documents).

Department of Industry and Trade is one of the pioneering units in using IT in the application of specialized digital signatures in particular. Mr. Phung Quang Hoi, Director of Department of Industry and Trade, said that right after being granted the Department’s digital signature and the personal digital signature, the Department has synchronously implemented them with the integrated use of the document management and work administration software. From the beginning of the year up to now, the Department has issued 1,578 documents, including 1,500 digitally signed documents, reaching the rate of 95%. The application of digital signatures saves time and money. In 2020, it is estimated that the Department will save 20 million dong because of not using postage stamp costs  to send paper documents.

The application of specialized digital signatures in the activities of State agencies has contributed to reducing costs, saving time for storing, sending and receiving documents; shifting to the working style of handling work in the network environment to promote administrative reforms, step by step successfully building e-government. Mrs. Trieu Thi Hong Nhung, Head of Huu Lung District Justice Division said that using digital signatures in sending and receiving electronic documents is very convenient. In the past, using paper documents, it was very time consuming to send, receive and process documents. Now, as long as she has a computer and stable internet network connection, she can process documents instantly and be assured of its legal validity.

Mr. Nguyen Trong Hung, Head of IT Division, Department of Information and Communications, said that to promote the application of specialized digital signatures in State agencies, next time, the Department will continue to review and send requests to Department of Digital Authentication and Information Security to grant digital signatures to the remaining subjects. At the same time, the Department will continue to supervise and guide agencies and units to implement digital signatures according to regulations.