The federal Department of Defence has committed to a substantial information technology reform agenda in the wake of a damning review of its ICT systems.

The Defence Management Review released today by Defence Minister Brendan Nelson (pic) severely criticised the Department of Defence's internal IT department for being unable to provide basic services to users.

In a statement responding to the review's criticisms, Defence said it would drive a "substantial information technology reform agenda".

"Our strategy will focus on customer support and improving and rationalising our information management systems," Defence said.

Defence agreed with all of the report's recommendations relating to IT. This included the advice that its CIOG (CIO Group) -- led by Air Vice Marshal and CIO John Monaghan until his resignation last month -- develop a customer prioritisation model and enhance its communication with customers.

"The Secretary and CDF [Chief of the Defence Force] will ask the new CIO to give the highest priority to developing a better model of customer engagement that includes agreed priorities, mutual obligations, performance measures and a robust feedback mechanism," Defence said.

Defence also accepted recommendations that it:

• Develop quantitative and qualitative benchmarking of IT service levels for its administrative information systems
• Establish single responsibility for technical control over deployed networks and systems that interface with CIOG-controlled networks
• Develop an ICT strategy that better informs a new business plan. This would be a priority for the new CIO, said Defence.
• Maintain the CIOG as an independent group
• Make CIOG responsible for all ICT service delivery in Defence
• Develop and implement Defence-wide management information systems. Defence said it would continue to rationalise existing systems.
• Move to a single enterprise resource planning (ERP) system in 10 years.

Also: Defence fails basic ICT services test