Video Message, CIO Day
Delivered by the State Secretary for Finance, Jan Kees de Jager, on 25 November 2008 at Noordwijkerhout.
Good morning. I'm delighted to have the opportunity to speak to you all today. I'm sorry that I can't be with you in person, but I shortly need to attend the Senate debate on the budget.
Chiefs or Indians? That's the choice you face today. To me the choice is clear. Having vision is an essential part of being a CIO. You must be Chief Information Officers. The title alone says it all!
IT now has such a central place in our society that we can no longer imagine a world without it.
And IT is crucial to the Netherlands' Tax and Customs Administration. Just imagine: in terms of production, the organisation is now ten times bigger than it was ten years ago. Yet we operate with the same amount of staff as we did then. It is only IT that has made this possible.
In the years to come, the Tax and Customs Administration faces more big challenges. All its main systems are being redeveloped. The existing systems are enormously complex. For one thing, they are all closely intertwined, which means for example, that different systems need to be consulted in order to answer a simple question from a member of the public. We're going to change all that.
We're going to get rid of this complexity. This is our great project, right now. It's a project that requires vision, for it will not happen overnight. Brick by brick, we are building strong, future-proof foundations: a new architecture. You achieve such goals not by taking a short-term view, but by setting your sights on the end objective and on how you plan to get there. My goal is less complexity in our processes and in our IT.
So how do I plan to get there? Well, my message today has been about bricks, foundations and architecture, but there is something else we also need, and that is cement. Our cement is cooperation. That applies within our organisation, of course. But it applies equally to our dealings with the outside world. Cooperation with the business community, for example. With you. That is how we will build the foundations, and shape the architecture, of our organisations.
And so that is also my message to you. Be a Chief Information Officer. Show some vision, look ahead and stay the course.
I'm afraid I'll have to leave it there and get to the Senate now. I wish you all an inspiring conference and I hope to be able to meet you in person on another occasion.