The ICT Network heard presentations regarding the progress of the priority business cases. Mr. Andreas Christoforides (International Computer Centre - ICC) made a presentation on ICT Services and Sourcing, ERP Systems (Payroll), Information Security and Disaster Recovery, Common Applications (e-mail), and ICT Training. This work has resulted in reports, soon to be finalized, that outline the strength of these areas for further action within the UN system, and describe the way forward for future development. In addition, the ICC reports that it has already commenced training activities under that initiative. The Network thanked the ICC for this work and agreed to establish working groups to take these areas forward.

A presentation of a proposal/charter for the development of a business case for the ICT Development Network was made by ITAG Representative, Mr. Stephen Fazio (UNICEF). The presentation described the key elements of the proposal, which would document, inter alia, the current network capabilities and global communication requirements of participating organizations, and recommend an appropriate model to satisfy the requirements. The presentation stressed that while this proposal emerged from discussions to address issues related to interagency communications during emergency situations, it should be seen in a broader context of building a global capacity to share communications capabilities across the UN system. The presentation also stressed that given the complex nature of the subject matter, the business case would emerge only after the analysis described in the proposal, and therefore the proposal did not constitute an actual business case to develop a global network capability. The Network expressed its appreciation to the ITAG for the proposal. It concluded that while the proposal provided a significant foundation upon which to move ahead with the project, it needed further development before it could be moved forward.

The development of a business case framework constitutes a priority area of the network and is an area that also meets the Network’s current need to evaluate business needs, options, risks and measure benefits. To this aim, the ICT Network invited Forrester Research to present the High-Level Business Case tool it had developed in conjunction with the UN. Mr. Ed Blinder (UN) introduced the presentation and noted that this tool was now the standard method for performing business case analysis with the ICT function of the UN Secretariat. It was noted that this contribution offered valuable perspective, which will in turn be considered by the ICT Network working group entrusted with furthering the development of this initiative.

The heart of the Network’s subsequent discussion regarding the progress of the outline business cases was whether or not the result to date was sufficiently rigorous for addressing the key elements of the UN System ICT Strategic Framework. The Network concluded that it should revitalize the implementation by adopting a programme of work addressing the eight priority areas identified at the 4th ICT Network meeting. The Network secured the time commitment of most organizations attending this meeting, and annex III shows the scope of the work and each organization’s commitments and participation.

Decision 1

The Network requested ITAG to strengthen the proposal on the Inter-Agency Connectivity Business Case by including a more detailed description of the business-related problems being addressed, the options available, the implications of non-action, the expected benefits from the investment, and the range of projected costs involved, should the preferred option be introduced. Since the proposal uses one vendor, Cisco, to perform the study, the Network also requested ITAG to clearly indicate their approach to avert any potential conflict of interest in the contracting of Cisco Systems and any issues of single-sourcing that may emerge from their contractual status during the drafting of the business case.

Decision 2

It was concluded that 8 working groups would form, one for each priority business case initiative. Each of these groups would define the terms of reference, advance the business case and provide a progress report to the network at the next meeting, with status reports occurring at regular intervals prior to the next meeting. It was recognized that each of the groups would require a solid participation under the guidance of a lead agency. For business case initiative number 6 on ICT Governance and best practices, the Network further agreed to include a consideration of the ICT Network’s method of governance and the terms of reference. Annex III defines each working group and the participants.