MinTIC Improves Internal Processes and Provides Agile Access Thanks to Google Workspace
The Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies of Colombia (MinTIC) is the entity responsible for designing, adopting, and promoting policies, plans, programs, and projects in the sector.
It has more than 3,000 public servants, including officials and direct contractors, who work to facilitate access for Colombian residents to ICT and its benefits.
Through its public policy on government and digital services, the entity seeks to strengthen the relationship between citizens and the state and improve service delivery.
To this end, in 2010, they created the Connectivity Agenda program to drive the digital transformation of municipalities and governorates, initially including the creation of domains and two free email addresses.
Despite the increase in digital transformation initiatives, territorial entities still lacked efficient communication and collaboration tools, making it difficult to interact with users and perform daily functions effectively.
Additionally, work was carried out in isolation without clear guidelines, and these entities lacked the resources and budget to implement a digital policy to help reduce the digital divide.
In this context, MinTIC identified the need to implement technological platforms to enhance user interaction, improve efficiency in daily functions, and provide digital communication channels between the state and citizens.
In its quest to improve accessibility, security, ease of use, and cost-effectiveness, the Ministry found Google Workspace to be the ideal solution to meet its needs.
Tools and Connectivity to Improve Services
With a progressive adoption of Google Workspace licenses since 2015 and support from the partner Xertica.ai, MinTIC has been expanding its digitization initiatives in municipalities and governorates. The implementation of solutions like Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, and Meet has enabled these entities to have more productive and secure collaboration, communication, and management tools.
Additionally, with the use of Forms, they were able to capture information from citizens and internal users to make better decisions based on accurate data.
Through this digital strategy, named "Mi Colombia Digital," they also created user-friendly electronic offices with integrated digital authentication systems and PQRS (Petitions, Complaints, Claims, and Suggestions).
Results
The implementation of Google Workspace under MinTIC's digital strategy has benefited more than 8,800 institutions with over 36,000 email licenses. Today, over 22,000 public servants and citizens are strengthening their technological capabilities.
"The Ministry of ICT provides free digital tools to strengthen the digital skills of public servants across the country. These tools promote collaborative work through Google Workspace, allowing institutions to work more efficiently, remotely, and flexibly from anywhere," said Alejandro Caballero Matiz, Coordinator of Digital Citizen Services, MinTIC.
Additionally, the adoption of Google Workspace applications running in the cloud saved Colombian public entities nearly COP 14 billion in 2023, a process facilitated through the Colombian State Virtual Store. This was achieved by eliminating costs associated with developing, maintaining, and providing technical support for websites, email accounts, and collaborative work tools, as the Ministry acquired discounted licenses and distributed them free of charge.
Email was a key factor in this process. MinTIC achieved 100% adoption among its public servants, with over 1,000% growth in new users. Similarly, the adoption rate for communication solutions exceeded 65%, while collaboration and office tools grew by over 52%. These improvements allowed officials to optimize and digitize key steps in territorial entity processes.
The adoption process also included workshops focused on women, improving their relationship with technology. Over 650 women, including public servants and teachers, were certified to enhance their digital skills and improve their work and living conditions.
In this context, MinTIC considers it essential to support educational institutions nationwide in establishing electronic offices and accessing Google Workspace benefits to extend digital training to as many people as possible from an early age.
The incorporation of Google Workspace for Education solutions has benefited 5,500 Colombian educational institutions by providing electronic offices, collaboration tools, and free virtual classrooms that improve teaching processes and help students continue their studies, start businesses, or find better jobs.
