E-Government Authentication Frameworks: a gap Analysis

Electronic government security is one of the major obstacles facing the deployment of e-government projects around the world. A fundamental aspect of e-government security is authentication, where users' identities are verified before they are granted access to the requested services. Electronic government authentication frameworks provide guidelines and descriptions for the processes of authentication needed and the technologies involved to achieve various trust levels required for delivering e-government services. However, current e-government authentication frameworks vary in the level of details they provide and have been subject to various updates to cover new authentication requirements that arise from the deployment of advance services. This has led to limited or non-adoption of these frameworks by government agencies. In this paper we review and analyse current published e-government authentication frameworks to identify possible gaps that have led to the limited adoption of these authentication frameworks by government agencies, using a holistic approach to capture different aspects and perspectives that influence the authentication processes in an e-government context. Our holistic approach uses Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) to develop a conceptual model relevant to the authentication concept in the context of e-government. The conceptual model aids in studying the activities involved in the authentication processes and in capturing the interdependencies between these activities. Using the model as a comprehensive tool for analysing current authentication frameworks, we have identified some common gaps and limitations in these frameworks and have illustrated how the model can be used as a guide for enhancing current authentication frameworks.