Bermuda's public and private sectors must work together in order for the Island to become the world's leading e-commerce jurisdiction says Government's e-business consultant Nigel Hickson.

Speaking at the monthly meeting of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) at the Bank of Butterfield yesterday, Mr. Hickson was joined by Marisa Hall from the Ministry of Telecommunications as he explained what initiatives have been implemented and the progress of the national e-business plan.

Mr. Hickson said that e-business was "a fundamental re-engineering of business", which involved more than simply websites, mobile phones, laptops and other technological innovations.

He said within two to three years, there will no longer by definitions such as "e-business" or "e-commerce", as these concepts will simply be accepted as a part of everyday business.

Mr. Hickson says the vision in the Ministry of Telecommunications is: "Bermuda, through its provision of e-business services and transactions, will become the leading jurisdiction for sophisticated and secure e-business. Bermuda will exploit this leadership at the forefront of the global digital economy to enhance the quality of life for all her people."

Mr. Hickson said in order to become the leading e-business jurisdiction, the Ministry's goal was to identify the synergies that will help achieve this goal.

He said outwardly, the intention was to attract sophisticated, mature and intelligent business such as Fortune 500 companies, while inwardly, the aim was to demonstrate sophisticated "e-awareness". And one of the ways in which this can be done is by ensuring Government is a leader in the field of e-business.

Mr. Hickson said Bermuda got off to a good start by passing the Electronic Transactions Act in 1999 and commended Government's consultation with the private sector saying: "It is good because it is broad and Government and businesses had input."

He said such cooperation was not the standard in the UK which meant the country's e-business initiatives were progressing slowly.

Mr. Hickson explained some of the initiatives the Ministry was working on such as the CSP Authorisation Scheme, the e-business survey, scholarships, e-learning and the web awards which drew 300 entries this year.

He said the aim of the e-business survey was to find out what the current level of e-business was in Bermuda, not only in conventional businesses, but also in sectors such as retail, hospitality and restaurants.

He said the survey was designed to identify strengths and weaknesses, what policies can be improved, as well as establishing problems such as cost, infrastructure and advice.

Of 8,000 businesses and individuals surveyed, 80 percent believed e-business will have an overwhelming impact on the future business environment, and 90 percent of companies surveyed had Internet access.

And one of the most important points according to Mr. Hickson was: "The majority believe they will be fully involved in e-business in the next two to three years."

And the most important concept to be identified was how the changing nature of business would help benefit customers.

Ms Hall explained the two major initiatives of Government were the national plan for e-business which will be made public and the e-Government report which will be used by Cabinet.

She explained that the aim of the national plan was to build on Government's achievements to date and to chart the next wave of how e-business will emerge.

The aim, Ms Hall said, was to "position Bermuda in that sophisticated niche in the offshore market ... to be radical but realistic".

She explained that the national plan would be discussed in February at a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce. It would then be submitted to Cabinet in April and possibly discussed in Parliament in May, although Ms Hall explained that this was a provisional time frame and may take longer.

It is hoped the plan will outline the Island's strengths and weaknesses, improvements that are needed to the infrastructure, as well as policy initiatives, target audiences and creating new liaisons with businesses and Governments around the world.

Ms Hall said the Government was committed to leading by example by modernising the civil service to be fully electronic and customer-focused, thereby increasing Government efficiencies.

Mr. Hickson added: "One of the advantages in Bermuda is if you have to come to a place to do business, it might as well be a nice place."