Gobind said this means all procurement applications have to go through a strict and thorough process aimed at eradicating “problems of the past” involving overlapping applications.
In a statement, he said this will also prevent the procurement of systems which are ineffective or outdated, and other related problems, including those involving vendors.
Gobind said the ministry has also established a committee to oversee the new scheme and to propose further improvements, which will further enhance procurement processes moving ahead.
“Steps have been taken to build and create digitally resilient systems which will ensure transparency in the process by which these systems are acquired, and thereafter, to ensure that the data stored within these systems are secure at all times,” he said.
He said the Cyber Security Act, which came into effect on Aug 26, serves as a means to strengthen cybersecurity in various sectors by providing cybersecurity standards for organisations, including government entities.
National Security Council director-general Raja Nushirwan Zainal Abidin said last week various federal government agencies have overlapping ICT systems and are at risk of cyberattacks because of weak cybersecurity.
Utusan Malaysia quoted Raja Nushirwan as saying that nearly 20% of the 740 different ICT systems managed by government bodies were non-functional.
He said about 150 of these systems, classified as dormant, have unknown ownership, reflecting a lack of awareness regarding data management among government officials.
Raja Nushirwan said one of the causes for the weak ICT systems is the alleged collusion between government officials and IT vendors to procure such systems without the necessary scrutiny.
“When a division secretary joins a department, they have a friend who is a vendor selling that (ICT) system, and they ‘collude’ (to install that ICT system at the department),” he said at a town hall session on the National Security Index in Putrajaya.
“But unbeknownst to them, separate systems (already) exist. Ultimately, we have 740 systems, and out of that number, 150 are unknown.”