Aging Manitoba information systems at risk: auditor general
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/03/2022 (1304 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Manitoba’s auditor general has found the province is failing to manage risks related to its aging information systems.
Auditor general Tyson Shtykalo’s report says the government is not identifying, analyzing or reporting risks adequately.
“Standards used to rate systems are outdated, the risk factors considered are limited, and the departments are not involved in the ratings process,” a release from the auditor’s office stated. “As a result, the report notes some risk ratings could be inaccurate.”
Shtykalo released a 36-page audit report Thursday.
It includes eight recommendations to improve the province’s ability to identify security vulnerabilities and other risks to aging online systems, including the websites Manitobans use to pay fees and register for programs.
The government needs to understand how to properly maintain and modernize online information systems to prevent system outages and security breaches.
“As information systems age, there are risks the technology will become obsolete, and support will not available,” Shtykalo said. “Identifying and managing the risks associated with aging systems would reduce threats of adverse impacts, such as extended system outages, decreased system reliability, and security vulnerabilities.”
A branch of the labour department is responsible for regularly assessing IT systems for each provincial department. Those assessments have determined most of the government’s technology is too old and needs to be replaced — including 57 per cent of the province’s databases.
But the audit revealed the province’s inventory of its own IT systems was inaccurate and incomplete, and the risk assessment rating process used to determine the life cycles of the technology is also out of date.
The auditor general recommends the province update its inventory and assessment tools, get first-hand feedback from department employees who use the technology, and improve its assessments of its own IT systems going forward.