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The Information Assurance Technical Programme (IATP)

IATP is a pan–government programme, directed by the Central Sponsor for Information Assurance (CSIA) in the Cabinet Office and delivered through CESG, the National Technical Authority for Information Assurance, in partnership with Industry.

What is Information Assurance?

Information Assurance (IA) is the confidence that information systems will protect the information they carry and will function as and when they need to, under the control of legitimate users. This confidence is vital, as the conduct of UK business, national security and economic and social well-being all depend on such information systems, no matter what form the information takes or how it is shared or stored.

Background

ICT (Information and Communications Technology) is a critical asset for any organisation and government departments have committed to revolutionise the provision of public services (the Transformational Government agenda). The embedding of IA within the ICT is essential to achieving this agenda. The resulting National IA Strategy takes a holistic approach to IA and provides a single framework for IA for the whole of the UK. IATP is central to the National IA Strategy.

What is the programme all about?

Back in 2004 a business case was drawn up for the programme. The drivers included:

• A failing and fragmented UK IA industry due to lack of government investment
• Potential loss of sovereign IA industry sector
• Pace of technology change and inability to provide Her Majesty’s Government (HMG) with the secure communications it needs
• Increasing threat to HMG networks and the move to more vulnerable and complex communications to enable e-government and flexible working

The IATP Vision

By 2011, IATP will enable UK Government to use the latest information communications technology (ICT) to support its business, while maintaining the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information held within those business systems. Recognising the volatile nature of the IA environment, the programme will also have enabled UK Government departments to use best available solutions to manage the risks to their ICT operations. In achieving this, the programme will have created an environment where:

• UK Government can work closer and more cohesively with the UK ICT industry
• UK Industry is able to provide more cost effective and faster time to market for IA business solutions

IATP has two strategic objectives to realise this vision:

• the creation and support of a sustainable sovereign IA industry sector (including the development of an ‘intelligent customer mechanism’ to operate across Government and Industry)
• development (with Industry to meet HMG needs) of early IA capability.

The Intelligent Customer Mechanism (ICM) is at the heart of the Programme’s work. It is a collaborative way of working which enables the UK Government to manage its information in an assured way.