We need to discuss the possibility of including measures to strengthen the protection of critical IT infrastructure at the national and local government levels in the national defense budget increase, in order to ensure the continuity and security of public service delivery, said Edžus Žeiris, director of the IT company SIA “ZZ Dats,” at the forum “Local Government – Builder of the Digital Society.”
“Given the geopolitical context, the shortage of qualified specialists, and funding opportunities, we must seek solutions to jointly strengthen critical IT infrastructure to help state and local government agencies provide everyday services, ranging from e-services to heating and utility payment systems. If, for national defense and security needs, there are conceptual plans to move toward spending 5% of GDP starting in 2026, then it should be considered that a portion of these funds should also be allocated to public sector IT security management. “This would be an investment in national security,” emphasizes Edžus Žeiris, Director of “ZZ Dats.”
The forum “Local Government – Builder of the Digital Society” was opened by Gatis Ozols, Deputy State Secretary for Digital Transformation at the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development (VARAM); Gints Kaminskis, Chairman of the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments; Ģirts Ozols, Chairman of the Board of the State Joint Stock Company “Latvian State Radio and Television Center” (LVRTC); Edžus Žeiris, Director of SIA “ZZ Dats”; and Ilze Kukute, Head of the State and Local Government Sector at “Swedbank” AS.
Representatives from the Ministry of Defense, the State Joint Stock Company “Latvian State Radio and Television Center” (LVRTC), “ZZ Dats,” and others participated in the discussions; Ventspils shared its IT security experience, while specialists from the Madona municipality discussed the results of digitization as they move toward digital governance. Discussions at the Local Government Forum covered current topics in cybersecurity and data security in the digital environment, including the importance of sharing ICT resources, the creation of secure, sustainable, and effective solutions, incident management, as well as the use of artificial intelligence tools in municipal work. In the forum’s closing session, Oskars Pakers, Technical Director of “ZZ Dats,” led a masterclass on the application of artificial intelligence tools, drawing on examples from the municipality’s daily operations.
The forum “Local Government – Builder of the Digital Society” was organized by SIA “ZZ Dats” and “Swedbank” AS, in cooperation with LVRTC, with the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments serving as the information partner.
