8 Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research — VANguard E-Authentication Service

Summary

The ‘VANguard’ electronic authentication service, developed and administered by the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, enables business-to-government online transactions to be conducted securely.

VANguard provides the following services:

• The VANguard User Authentication Service provides agencies and business with assurance of the authenticity of each party. Agencies redirect their business users to VANguard for authentication before they can access secure agency web sites or applications.
• The VANguard Signature Verification Service enables agencies to have PDF forms or XML-based content signed by business users and verified by VANguard.
• VANguard’s Timestamping Service provides independent, verifiable electronic evidence of the date and time of an electronic transaction.
• VANguard’s Security Token Service enables agency systems and business systems to conduct secure online transactions. Agencies and businesses obtain security tokens from VANguard to enable authentication.

VANguard represents an important step forward in progressing the Government’s online service delivery agenda by providing effective authentication mechanisms to enable secure business-to-government online transactions. Importantly, the development of VANguard as a dedicated service that can facilitate e-authentication on a whole-of-government basis offers reduced cost and complexity for business by avoiding the need to meet different authentication requirements imposed by individual agencies.

Avoiding costly duplication of authentication solutions across government agencies offers major benefits from a government perspective. The VANguard service serves to insulate agencies from the technology used to authenticate business users and eliminates the requirement for agencies to manage Public Key Infrastructure credentials.

Two major government business initiatives rely on VANguard providing key infrastructure elements and underpinning authentication services. These are the Standard Business Reporting program (a multi-agency program involving the Treasury, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, the Australian Taxation Office and state revenue offices, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics) and the Australian Business Number/Business Name project, specifically the Business Online Services project element.

More generally, VANguard has entered into working arrangements with Centrelink, the Department of Defence, the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, the Australian Government Online Services Project, the Victorian Office of Small Business and the South Australian Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure.

As VANguard usage is not mandated, successful expansion in the uptake of VANguard services has depended on effective dissemination of project information to other agencies and strategic involvement in government e-business initiatives such as Standard Business Reporting.

Relevant chronology

February 2006 — Cabinet approved funding of $30.8 million over three years for Electronic Authentication, Notary and Validation Services (VANguard);

July 2006 — project initiated within the e-Business Division of the then Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources;

February 2007 — Agreement by a range of agencies to participate in VANguard pilot project (Centrelink, Victorian Office of Small Business, South Australian Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure, and Gayndah Eidsvold Mundubbera Council Consortium);

August 2007 — VANguard engaged to provide critical infrastructure and underpinning authentication services to the Government’s Standard Business Reporting (SBR) program, a multi-agency program involving the Treasury, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, Australian Securities and Investments Commission, the Australian Taxation Office and state revenue offices;

February 2008 — VANguard pilot project concluded;

July 2008 — VANguard engaged to provide critical infrastructure and underpinning authentication services to the Australian Business Number/Business Name Project, specifically the Business Online Services Project;

2008–09 — VANguard customer base established. Arrangements in place with Centrelink, Department of Defence, Australian Fisheries Management Authority, Australian Securities and Investments Commission, SBR project, Business Online Services project, Australian Government Online Services project, Victorian Office of Small Business and South Australian Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure; and

April 2010 — Delivery of secure token service, claims engine, timestamping and user authentication to SBR project due.

Key observations from case study

Major innovations

Development of e-authentication services to enable business to government online transactions to be conducted securely, with a brokerage model using dedicated infrastructure facilitating application on a whole of government basis.

Observations and lessons learned

• Innovation responded to a need — Facilitation of business to government transactions in the context of the broader governmental online service delivery agenda dependent on having authentication mechanisms available to provide adequate level of security for a wide range of transactions;
• Importance of leadership — Senior Executive within the Department provided strong backing for the initiative, enabling funding for the project to be obtained via the 2006 Budget process. This support was maintained, despite subsequent budget funding cutbacks;
• Importance of developments in technology and legal framework — A general move internationally to the adoption of e-authentication technologies, combined with resolution of the legal status of e-authentication products, gave confidence that an effective outcome could be achieved; and
• Fostered by promotional activities — The brokerage role assumed by VANguard required the Department to act proactively to disseminate information about its capabilities to other agencies on a bilateral basis and to actively participate in significant cross government business process initiatives where VANguard might potentially have a role.

 

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