Keeping pace with Egypt's orientation towards digital transformation, the State Information Service (SIS), as one of the official state institutions, in cooperation with MCIT, took the initiative to digitize technologies to renovate the way of managing workload effectively, as well as to create and introduce new value. This achieves the aspired objective of converting all information, data and paper information archives into repository and retrievable data; thereby reaching full digital transformation.

Attaining this objective, SIS has successively taken several strides, some of which are related to its main headquarters (HQ), while others are related to its HQ in NAC, as follows:

SIS set the initiative to establish a department for digital transformation within its organizational structure. Its mission is to technically apply digital transformation in SIS, and to fully bear responsibility for equipping the technological means with the latest applications and programs for the digitization process. This aims at furnishing SIS with a digital infrastructure via the technology means needed for the application, and qualifying the technical cadres to carry out the digital transformation process. SIS has taken several steps in this field:

• Offering training courses on digital transformation for the department's employees at MCIT.

• Attending all periodic meetings at MCIT to follow up digital transformation procedures in all state institutions.

• Collecting all information needed, furnished by MCIT, to digitally transform SIS.

SIS digitally equipped its NAC HQ, in cooperation with MCIT and the Ministry of Defense, by furnishing it with all necessary electronic applications and installing them. The HQ became ready to the digital transformation. Furthermore, the applications are now being tested to resume transfer to NAC Unified Data Center, pending the full translocation of SIS to NAC HQ.

The Egyptian official media digital repository is a specific platform and electronic content dedicated for preserving, documenting, managing (depositing and retrieving) data, and providing media activities released by media agencies of various ministries, institutions, organizations, and parliamentary councils. Moreover, it provides digital archiving of SIS media outputs, in addition to preserving and archiving its historical legacy of papers, documents and journal volumes.

The idea of creating the Egyptian official media digital repository began in 2019, in implementation of the state’s approach towards digital transformation. In September 2020, SIS Chairman approved the creation of the repository. Phase I of the project, i.e., the repository platform, was delivered in May 2022.

The Egyptian official media digital repository seeks to achieve several strategic goals; including the compatibility with the Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS): Egypt Vision 2030. Salient foundations of which are digital transformation, transparency, governance and combating corruption, for the essential role in the rise of the "New Republic." The digital repository is also the cornerstone of motivating and developing SIS message.

Phase I of the project has been completed and is pending to be launched at the official and media level. The project aims, in phase I and the subsequent targeted milestones, at making SIS the locomotive for the official media of the state. It constitutes knowledge-specific and informational contents for all activities of the official state institutions, in line with Egypt Vision 2030, which launches digital transformation and governance as major determinants of the New Republic. Moreover, it activates and develops the role of SIS as an official house for digital preservation and documentation, and a major media and information resource for all state agencies. Furthermore, SIS provides an interactive service for citizens, researchers, foreign correspondents, and journalists on what is released by the official media.

It displays print and visual news of the activities of the President displayed on the official website of the Presidency. It tackles internal affairs, foreign affairs, speeches, telegrams, phone calls, foreign visits, activities of the First Lady, and statements of the Presidential spokesperson. It is mainly sub-divided into:

• Presidential News.

• Presidential Spokesman.

• State Information Service.

Each sub-division displays all publications of media materials in all their forms; printed and visual, such as books, pictures, periodicals and videos. They are sub-divided into:

• SIS Historical Archive.

• Information and Research Sector.

• SIS Chairman Office.

• Local Media Sector.

• External Media Sector.

• Central Service Sector.

The Parliamentary Council Media Caucus is subdivided into: The House of Representatives and the Senate. 

It displays what is released by the media offices and the official websites of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and what is provided via direct contact with the SIS Communication Department. They include news and statements, committee reports, minutes of meetings, the legislation, as well as media materials in various forms; printed, audio and visual.

The Egyptian government media Caucus is divided into more than forty sub-divisions of the official websites of the Cabinet, ministries, and government agencies. It presents their releases and what they provide via direct contact with the SIS Communication Department. They include news and statements, publications in various forms; periodicals, reports and books, as well as media materials in various forms; printed, audio and visual.

Preliminary objectives - which have been achieved in the first phase - are to build a digital platform that allows:

• Depositing and documenting the knowledge-specific content accumulated throughout SIS history (texts, audio-visual materials, data and statistics).

• Linking the digital repository with the SIS website on the Internet so that users can search the digital repository from inside and outside SIS.

• Retrieving the knowledge-specific and informational content of SIS through search engines, making it viable and visible.

• Fully logging in and browsing digital content at multiple levels of access according to the category of the user.

• Compiling all media materials on the Egyptian State on one platform.

Project Accomplishments to Date:

• Establishing a repository with preliminary specifications that allow uploading media materials in various forms and storing them on a server.

• Training SIS employees on processing, depositing, publishing, and reviewing these materials to achieve the goal of this project.

• Easily searching and retrieving these materials by researchers and those interested.

• Fully logging in and browsing digital content at multiple levels of access according to the category of the user.

• Compiling all media materials on the Egyptian State on one platform.