New connections at RINIS consultation meeting
The cloud and the growing need for connection and knowledge sharing were the main topics at RINIS’s consultation meeting last summer. Clients and participants shared their experiences and insights on data sharing. “Ultimately, everyone here is keen to optimise the delivery of digital services to citizens and businesses alike.”
Annual consultation meeting
RINIS’s periodic consultation meeting is a major platform for participants, clients and the foundation itself. “Throughout the year, our account managers speak to participants and clients on a one-on-one basis, but the consultation meetings are a great opportunity to explore common ground and establish new connections. Our aim is to promote collaboration and the mutual sharing of knowledge”, Liam Muitjens explains. Liam works as an account manager and business consultant at RINIS.
This year’s topic was connection, a subject that is closely in keeping with RINIS’s mission to facilitate digital co-operation between the various government policy areas. From the very first conversation, the participants were uncovering unsurmised networks and opportunities for co-operation. Muitjens: “It was interesting to see how people found out they were already in touch with each other in some way. Or seeing new opportunities for co-operation within chains, for instance that of the Tax and Customs Administration and debt relief.” This consultation round was held at the Tax and Customs Administration offices in Apeldoorn.
The cloud
A salient topic of discussion at the consultation meeting was the cloud hub RINIS is currently working on. There is a need for this kind of hub as an increasing number of public authorities are using the cloud. Before long, participants and clients will be be able to stay permanently connected with the RINIS network via an extremely secure link-up to this hub. Operating from their own Microsoft Azure environment, they will be able to continue to use RINIS’s services as well as remain connected to other national and international networks. Examples include the Diginetwerk, TESTA and GDI services. Where participants or clients express an interest in the hub, we sit down for an intake interview before we go on to establish a joint action plan. This can be anything from a new link-up or a full blown migration plan, which sees us migrate an existing link-up with an underlying service to a link-up via the Azure cloud hub.
“At the consultation round, we discussed the progress we are making whilst also picking up useful information on where the organisations themselves are at and what their needs and requirements are”, Muitjens comments. To many organisations, migrating to the cloud proved to be a complex pathway. Muitjens: “For instance, one of the people in attendance said they had not asked the right questions of vendors in their call for tenders. As a result, the organisation did not get what they needed. This kind of information helps others to be better prepared when it comes to their own migration plans.”
The value of consultation
The meeting also covered various other topics. For one thing, it appeared that several participants were looking to put in place a strategy to deal with APIs. “Everybody’s keen to be able to consult each other’s datasets, ideally directly and in real-time. Something in which we obviously have a part to play. We are currently gathering all the information and questions raised. The idea is to then take matters up with our participants and clients in greater detail.”
In all technical and less technical talks, one thing hit home again for Muitjens.“We are all there to serve citizens. This is the guiding principle for every organisation. Digital services need to run and be delivered as efficiently as possible, without unnecessary costs or complications. Which is exactly what we are all working hard to achieve.”