Kapish has welcomed the release of the Australian Government’s first official data strategy. Developed in consultation with private, research and not for profit sectors, the Australian Data Strategy was released on December 14, 2021.

Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business, Stuart Robert, said ‘The Data Strategy is part of our commitment to deliver better services to all Australians, and it will power our national ambition to become a modern, data-driven society by 2030,’ Minister Robert said.

‘Through the Strategy and accompanying Action Plan, we outline how we will create, use and share data across all levels of government, while maintaining the right safeguards to keep this data secure.’

The Government has stated that first priority of the strategy’s Action Plan is ensuring robust security settings for Australian Government data, especially as part of the transition to the cloud.

Kapish recently recorded the dual achievements of ISO 27001 certification and PROTECTED level assessment by Information Security Registered Assessor Program (IRAP). Kapish earned the stringent certification and assessment for Citadel IX, its secure cloud EDRMS and managed service for public sector and regulated enterprises.

The platform and managed service are already protecting more than 50,000 users at key organisations including the CSIRO, NSW Crown Solicitor’s Office, Brisbane City Council and Victoria University, as well as multiple Royal Commissions.

The new Australian Data Strategy highlights cyber and information security as a mission-critical priority for Australia’s Federal Government. Cyber intrusions on government systems, critical infrastructure and other information networks are a real threat to Australia’s national interests, heightened by ransomware attacks being on the rise during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Citadel Group CEO Mark McConnell said that although cloud-based technology has introduced exciting new ways of collaborating, that benefit comes with a myriad of challenges for privacy and security, particularly for sensitive government data.

“Both the ISO 27001 certification and IRAP assessment are testament to the hard work and commitment of Kapish and the Citadel Group to bringing unparalleled security to our clients,” explains Mark.

“To achieve the recognition, we addressed 119 processes for ISO and 850 processes for IRAP assessment. It’s a process that is incredibly complex and requires significant effort, but the rewards for our clients are worth it.”

Citadel Group CEO Mark McConnell

“Citadel’s history has always been about managing and securing complex data for our customers – from long running contracts managing the Enterprise Information environment in Defence, through our diversification into Pathology and Oncology Information with Citadel Health and our work on Citadel IX. 

“There can be a tendency to view secure cloud solutions through the prism of current operations – customers may have already invested in Infrastructure, Resources and Perpetual Licenses. However, this leads to a continued cycle of overinvestment in inflexible infrastructure and technology.

“Citadel IX has proven repeatedly that there are 20-50% Total Cost of Ownership savings for our customers. The Citadel IX secure cloud environment can be deployed in less than a day and we have had customers live on our platform within two weeks of contract signature.

“We have traditionally seen organisations operate a “build and run themselves” approach, which customers think provides them flexibility, but ends up being more costly, less secure and ultimately less flexible.  Most customers have developed a series of data silos and have trouble accessing, integrating, and ultimately securing their data.

“COVID has driven a world where we all need to access our data and information anywhere in an increasingly threatening security environment.

“Customers typically have an environment where they have a combination of legacy (on premise) solutions, custom developed applications and new and emerging cloud services. This transition leads to further fragmenting of Government Data and increasing the opportunity for cyber-attacks. The National Freight Data Hub (announced as part of the Australian Data Strategy) is a fantastic initiative and needs to be delivered securely to provide wide access to valuable data, whilst protecting that data.”

The targeting of Western governments by state-sponsored hackers has emerged as a major issue in recent years, and will only grow worse McConnell believes.

“The threats to Western governments will only continue to increase, as the value and utility of data increases. The IRAP PROTECTED Cloud Security provided by Citadel IX is a Defence in Depth model that not only prevents and deters known threats but is a continuous process of identifying what the new threats are and feeds into a continuous learning loop to allow us to improve our security over time. Citadel IX is the only Content Manager Cloud Platform that has been IRAP Assessed to PROTECTED and found to be Highly Compliant.”