MALTA: IT Asset Management Audit

This year the Malta National Audit Office conducted an audit on IT Asset Management across government Ministries and Departments. Essentially the audit assignment sought to analyse the processes and procedures regulating the management of IT assets across the Public Service. The review was carried out across three ministries and two departments, namely the Ministry for Economy and Industry, the Ministry for Health, the Ministry for Justice, Equality and Governance, the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, and the Government Printing Press. Feedback was also sought from the Chief Information Officer of the Ministry for Finance and Employment, the Chief Information Officer of the Office of the Prime Minister, the Treasury and MITA^[1].

The key recommendations made by the NAO in this audit report, essentially were the following:

• setting up of a Task Force in order to, amongst others:
  • draw up an IT asset management strategy in line with current or proposed asset management framework;
  • investigate the possibility of integrating the functionality of the present MITA asset management solution within the new asset management solution to be selected. This would ensure that the proposed integrated system retains the current functionality of MITA’s asset management solution and builds on it;
  • consider the viability of importing data from IT management and software licensing tools used by MITA into the proposed new Asset ManagementSystem;
  • evaluate the possibility and feasibility of extending the current Corporate Financial Management Solution functionality which caters for accrual accounting requirements to include IT operational needs; and
  • ensure the integration between the Corporate Financial Management Solution and any IT asset management solution which Government may opt for.
• use of a single integrated asset management system, accessible to all key stakeholders of the process, rather than placing the data on different systems which are not integrated.
• updating of the MF circular 14/1999, which covers inventory management for Government owned assets, to ensure alignment with the definitions listed in the draft International Public Sector Accounting System documents and the Government of Malta Information and Communications Technology Information Security policy.
• adoption of one unique asset identification number that is to be used by all stakeholders, as opposed to the current situation where an IT asset may be given different asset numbers depending on the inventory it is registered in.
• regular physical stock takes to reduce the possibility of discrepancies found in some of the audited sites.
• periodic asset verification by asset custodians.

This report may be accessed through the National Audit Office website www.nao.gov.mt or Facebook page www.facebook.com/NAOMalta

[1] The Malta Information Technology Agency is the government agency that manages the implementation of IT programmes in Government and provides the infrastructure needed to execute ICT services to Government.