The activities of Bahrain IT Expo 2012 being held the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Al Ghazal Ballroom with participation of over 50 exhibitors from public and private sectors, and will continue for till Wednesday 11th of April 2012.
The IT Expo 2012 aims to enable visitors to explore the latest products and eServices provided by ministries and private entities in Bahrain and support the national economy through furthering partnerships between local and global providers.
Subsequent to the announcement of the eKey system which aims to streamline the government procedures for citizens and residents through the creation of a single personal account to enable users an easy and convenient access to eServices through a Single Sign on entry of information. The eGovernment Authority allocates a platform at its IT Expo pavilion at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel (AL Gazal Ballroom) specifically for visitors to register their identity verification using their ID Cards during the three days of the exhibition. For this purpose, special platforms will also be launched in various locations in Bahrain to perform the registration process. It worth mentioning that His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Technology (SCICT) is the first personal account created in the eKey system during the inauguration of the exhibition.
To create an eKey account, user needs to perform a few steps by entering the user’s name and other personal information from the smart card such as expiry date, block No, and serial number found on the smart-card. Upon successful competition of information, user can benefit from a number of eServices, e.g. ePayment services.
To complete the two other levels of authentication, the user has to insert the smart card in the authenticator which displays on screen the second and third level of the authentication process, and the device requests the user to enter passcode, smart card and a fingerprint for verification and by this all levels of authentication is fully complete for the user and thereby can benefit from eServices through the eKey system.
On the 10th of April, the first sessions of Bahrain International eGovernment Forum will commence which address eGovernment and Mobility concepts chaired by Richard Kerby, UNDP Resident Representative.
In the eGovernment track, Talal Abu Ghazalah, Chairman of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG) will present the best mechanism of service delivery to citizens, Deoksoo Park Director, Informatization Strategy Office of Information Culture Division Director, MOPAS will share the experience of eGovernment of Korea, Matt Poelmans Director of CitizenVision Senior Advisor will focus on Citizen Centered eGovernment in the Netherlands , Hannes Astok, Senior eGovernment Expert of E-Estonia will expose eGovernment Journey and Challenges Ahead for Estonia, and Bill McCluggage, Advisory Technology Consultant, EMC Computer Systems will highlight the United Kingdom’s ICT Strategy and Delivery of eGovernment.
The Mobility track involves group of international experts; Raul Zambrano Global Lead on ICT for Development and e-governance United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will share the experience of Mobile Technologies and Empowerment and how it enhances human development through participation and innovation; Ralph Simon CEO and Founder, Mobilium Global Founder will present a paper on Mobile Entertainment Forum Americas and What’s Coming Next; Kei Shimada Director, Business Development Future Communications Department, Dentsu on Japan’s experience “Thinking Smart” and Dr. Julia Glidden Managing Director 21cCentury Consulting talks about: The Internet of Things and Open Data – A Gateway to Smart Cities.
Participants to this year’s IT Expo include Gartner from United Arab Emirates, CrimsonLogic from Singapore, and from Bahrain: Polytechnic Bahrain, Gulf Future Business, Tamkeen, Al Zayani Computers Systems, Information Village, Bin Hindi Informatics, Hi-Net Bahrain Green Data Center and Consumer Advisory and eMagazine, beside the eGovernment Authority pavilion that encompasses other government ministries and entities :Ministry of Interior, Transportation, Housing, Works, Labour, Education, Municipalities and Urban Planning, Health, Energy, Industry and Commerce and Foreign Affairs. Central Information and Communication Organization, Social Insurance Organization, Civil Aviation Affairs, Civil Services Bureau, University of Bahrain, the Tender Board, Public Management Institute as well as Electricity and Water Authority.