在1979年7月之前，台灣還沒有資訊一詞，連電腦(Computer)也還是個新鮮事。擔任資策會執行長長達12年、現任神通電腦副董事長兼總經理的果芸回憶，當年還在陸軍擔任副司令的他，與素有台灣「科技教父」之稱的李國鼎長談發展國家資訊產業的看法，彼此相談甚歡；李國鼎先生對他說：成立資策會是要運用電腦相關技術，將台灣傳統勞力密集產業轉型成高科技產業，這是個「艱鉅的工作」。

神通電腦副董事長兼總經理果芸：資策會以推動台灣資訊工業發展為己任。
MITAC Inc. Vice Chairman & President Kuo Yun: “III’s mission has been to promote the development of the Taiwanese information industry.”

艱鉅的任務，推動資訊工業發展

果芸毅然接下這項艱鉅任務，並提出三個構想：培訓人才、普及觀念、創造環境。這也是資策會成立初期努力的三大方向：培訓資訊人才、推廣資訊應用、發展資訊產業。

在培訓人才方面，果芸前執行長非常驕傲地說，在他離開資策會時，教育訓練處共培育至少27萬的高科技人才；現在各大電腦公司裡的領導人，不少是出身資策會。

在普及觀念方面，則是舉辦資訊週、資訊月的活動。進資策會第一份工作就是籌備資訊週的現任財宏科技董事長林真真說，自1980年12月起舉辦第一屆之資訊週(月)的活動，讓民眾認識電腦，讓工商政府人士願意使用資訊技術，是今日資訊應用蓬勃的主要原因。幾乎與資策會同步成長的資訊工程研究所所長范長康說，他剛進資策會時，就常被李國鼎先生指派至立法院及政府單位，向立委及官員說明，何謂電腦化、資訊化，資訊週(月)的辦理則是更大規模的全面加速了資訊應用觀念的刺激與引導。

在創造環境方面，第一步就是建立市場，果芸前執行長回憶，當時神通電腦和宏碁電腦剛剛成立，資策會協助業者向財政部交涉申請電腦零組件進出口免稅優惠，並協助新竹科學園區設立，爭取廠商進駐。果芸前執行長感慨地說，現在很多人都不知道資策會為發展與扶植國內電腦軟硬體產業，曾做過許多關鍵性的貢獻。

財宏科技董事長林真真：資策會應發展所長，發展大型且共通性的系統規劃專案。
Financial eSolution Chairman Lin Chen-Chen: “III should focus on its strengths, such as the planning of large-scale, shared information system platforms”.

擔任政策幕僚，率先規劃政府資訊化系統

資策會在李國鼎先生統籌規劃下成立，在創立章程中明白訂定「向政府及工業界提出發展計算機工業之報告建議，並協助政府擬定短中及遠程發展計畫；以及對政府、公共事業及工業界提供服務，建立其所需之計算機系統。」係首要工作。

在當時的行政院長孫運璿先生支持下，政府相當重視此項新興產業的發展，於1981年12月的全國經濟會議通過資訊工業為策略性工業，成為我國重要的產業之一。1982年成立「行政院資訊發展推動小組」(簡稱院資推)，同時任命資策會執行長擔任執行秘書。1984年李國鼎先生取法新加坡成立「行政院行政機構電腦化服務團」，資策會亦指派專人參與，范長康表示，資策會在實質推動政府資訊化業務外，還扮演一個非常重要的角色，就是協助政府推動資訊產業發展，包括計畫的構想形成與協調溝通。

第一個重要任務：銀行自動化系統

基於這樣的使命，資策會於1980年底開始規劃國內資訊系統的專案服務，果芸前執行長表示，資策會第一個任務就是規劃銀行自動化系統。

李國鼎先生任職財政部長期間，曾到日本參訪，他看到日本各家銀行投資大筆經費建立銀行自動化系統時，他認為，台灣的銀行也應仿效，但是不應該花大錢進行個別銀行建立，要達到所有銀行可以互通的自動化，應該要設立一套共用系統，讓所有銀行可以透過此系統聯繫。林真真佩服地說，李國鼎先生是國內提出共用化系統概念(Commonality)的第一人。

但是，當時國內銀行業對資訊系統的概念，僅限於行內(In House)的自動化系統，對於跨行的自動化系統，仍持保守態度。後來，資策會邀請美國史丹福研究中心(SRI)的專家前來台灣提供最先進的銀行自動化系統工程概念，經多次討論，林真真提出建議：銀行內部系統由各銀行自行負責，共通系統平台則由政府成立新單位(即金資中心)主導，這項提議獲得李國鼎先生大力支持。

果芸前執行長表示，當時，資策會派駐六個系統工程師，包括現任經濟部國營會執行長黃重球、前拓宇科技總經理周慶馨進駐第一銀行，在兩年內完成存摺存款連線系統等電腦化示範作業。另派林真真進駐金資中心，建置完成跨行通匯及ATM轉帳等財金系統。林真真說，當年建置的外部共通化系統平台及內部Core-Banking的系統，為國內銀行資訊系統沿用至今。

林真真進一步說明，在銀行自動化的帶動下，台灣軟體產業快速起飛；因為，銀行業電腦化的深度與廣度，居各個行業之冠，在建置過程中，軟體產業開始建立完整的資訊系統概念；此外，在這一段時期，網路科技也逐漸成形，中華電信從專線通訊(Leased Line)方式改採s.25，銀行正可適時採用。

影響最深遠的任務：戶役政資訊系統

「在政府落實推動資訊化中，建立戶役政資訊系統，是一項重要的典範，」果芸前執行長說。

1985年，內政部啟動戶役政系統資訊化，1986年4月完成戶役政資訊需求分析，1987年林真真自金資中心調回資策會，接任系統工程處處長，主導戶役政系統溝通協調，林真真分析，這一套戶役政系統雖不像金資中心的系統涉及十幾家銀行間的複雜資訊作業，但其最大的困難點，在於其資料屬性都是文字而不是數字，因此，電腦擅長處理數字的能力，在必須進行大量文字處理的戶政系統資訊化上，卻顯得相當不足。

當時，電腦的中文字資料庫只有一萬三千五十餘個字，但是，中文的姓名就有高達三萬個字，包括冷僻艱深的字、父母為嬰兒取名自行造字，因此，除內政部臨時編組成立國字整理小組，整理出7萬多個中文字並進行電腦編碼外，資策會還特別協調法務單位透過法規，規範國人不可隨意造字。此外，林真真說，資策會也透過編碼方式，成功地將過去一百年的所有書面戶籍資料電腦化。從書面轉換至電腦的過程中，戶籍異動工作仍持續進行，所以，必須一邊轉換，一邊還得考量資料的時間差，確實是一項高難度挑戰。

另戶政資訊系統作業單位及使用人員眾多，具有資料量龐大的特性，資策會首創開放式軟體架構（Open Software Architecture），戶役政系統需要大量的電腦及網路設備，採用開放式軟體架構，其應用軟體程式具可攜性（Portability），能提供一致性的使用者介面及操作方式，並可與不同電腦硬體廠牌相容，簡化人員培訓時間，同時，硬體設備也不會被單一廠商壟斷。

果芸前執行長說，戶役政資訊化成功地整合全國人口資料庫，不但提高政府效率，民眾也享受便利的服務；范長康推估，此系統建置完成，節省民眾時間成本的價值高達新台幣20億元。

同時，這項計畫結合國內業界的力量，包括中國嘉通、中華電腦、宏碁科技、神通電腦、友訊科技等十餘家廠商，業者在實際參與軟體發展、測試、系統建置、上線輔導、系統運作及維護等工作後，也因此累積大型系統建置經驗，使得日後有能力獨立承接政府大型專案。

挑戰不可能的任務：政府資訊化系統規劃

在果芸前執行長積極帶領推動下，資策會另完成數項高風險的大型資訊系統開發，這些大型資訊專案，對全民有利，在當時，業者尚未建立完整技術能力，正需要資策會全力投入。

其中包括交通管理自動化系統建置，原本這項系統技術國內必須完全仰賴國際大廠；自資策會參與木柵捷運自動化收費系統與台北市電腦號誌系統，分別協助法商CGA公司執行系統除錯檢測以及中華顧問工程司發展多主機Unix環境下即時(Real Time)監控核心軟體，順利突破這兩項專案的技術瓶頸，更證明國人有能力承攬大型交通自動化系統的開發工作。

另一成功案例，則是海關通關自動化系統；以往報關行沒有電腦作業系統輔助，貨物通關都要各報關人員親自到海關處理，報關行為節省時間，每個通關口都派員排隊，小小報關櫃台每天都擠滿了人；而在資策會協助海關建置通關自動化系統後，資策會派駐海關協助處理資訊化系統的代表林真真說，這項系統不僅節省不必要的人力物力，更是台灣政府邁向現代化的重要指標。

此外，還包括打敗美國飛航專業公司Mitre，取得建置航空管理應用系統，協助商業司進行電子資料交換系統等；這些協助政府推動資訊化所執行的專案，不僅提升政府效能、提供諸多便民措施，也打造了一座台灣資訊業界極佳的練兵場域。

協助中華軟協會員，累積大型資訊系統建置經驗

果芸前執行長表示，資策會以推動台灣資訊工業發展為使命，硬體與軟體的推動一樣重要；因為台灣硬體產業發展快速，吸引許多人才投入，相對而言，軟體呈現發展弱勢；但是，隨著硬體產業發展趨於成熟，軟體將成為未來創造高附加價值的重要知識產業。

曾任中華軟協第五、六屆理事長、現任榮譽理事長殷允中說，軟協會員與資策會互動密切；事實上，資策會還是中華軟協成立的重要推手之一。

1983年初，中華軟協在工業局主導、資策會出面協調整合相關業者而順利成立。設立之初，資策會協助軟協完成資訊軟體業承包政府機構之「資訊軟體計費要點」及「資訊軟體業專長分類分級要點」，這兩項要點於同年9月經行政院核定通過。殷允中表示，「資訊軟體計費要點」沿用至今，是政府資訊化、委外和業者承包政府專案的一項重要工具；至於「專長分類分級要點」原本立意良善，擬依照業者規模及各自專業進行分類分級，以利承接合適的專案。

在業者參與政府資訊化部份，殷允中分析，初期資策會不僅扮演政府與軟協的溝通橋樑，同時負責專案初期規劃。現在回顧起來，戶役政系統極具指標性意義，在這項專案中，資策會負責與政府部門溝通，應用軟體交由中國嘉通、資通、精業等公司開發執行，網路系統則由大同、友訊負責。

中華軟協榮譽理事長殷允中：資策會應擔任產業領頭羊角色，帶領台灣走到全世界。
Information Service Industry Association Chairman Emeritus Yin Yun-Chung: “III should play a leading role in bringing Taiwan's information industry onto the global stage.”

政府大型資訊系統需具備專業專才，業者難以單獨完成

殷允中表示，政府推動資訊化服務委外立意良善，可以提供國內軟體業者練兵的機會；只是，初期相關作業程序和標準未臻完備，而民間業者的技術專業度及財務穩健性，也有待加強，尤其需要資策會居間扮演溝通協調的角色。林真真進一步分析，80年代台灣的軟體資訊業蓬勃發展，新興軟體公司陸續出現；這些新成立的軟體公司規模有限，不少是因為承接到案子即成立，雖然，以台灣人特有的打拚精神，以及快速而具彈性的應變能力，這些小型軟體公司得以支應多數中小型系統的軟體開發需求，但是面對大型軟體系統，就必須再強化整體規劃能力。

果芸前執行長認為，資策會的任務是推動國內資訊產業發展，因此，如何協助健全台灣資訊產業環境，並補強業者在發展大型系統時，所缺乏的關鍵技術及企業整體組織能力，就是資策會的重要任務。

林真真在任職資策會時，曾主導多項大型政府專案，她說明，政府大型資訊專案的規模可觀，從人工為主的作業流程，在資訊化的過程中，要克服的問題相當多，包括跨部會的協調問題、專業的技術問題等，而資策會的角色功能，正符合執行政府大型系統專案所需，於是肩負起這項重責大任。

資策會成立十幾年來，積極協助政府推動落實資訊化工程，算是初步達成李國鼎先生的期待。范長康說，國內軟體廠商在實地參與政府資訊化建置的過程中，開始建立起自己的能力，90年代之後，除了系統規劃及特定領域外，已限縮系統的建置工作，為民間業者創造更大的舞台。

資策會資工所所長范長康：資策會的任務隨時代變遷，也適時調整，協助產業發展。
III Information Engineering Institute Director Fan Chang-Keng: “III’s role has evolved over time; by making changes when necessary, III has been able to continue supporting the development of the information industry.”

時空轉換，業者需求不同，對資策會期許不同

林真真表示，2000年之後，因為技術快速發展，政府軟體專案大都涉及應用軟體、通訊、視訊等各式新的軟體技術，專案的規模較以往大，不是一家廠商可以獨立完成；所以，軟體業界傾向採取組織戰的模式，進行業界整合，共同承作政府專案。在此趨勢下，殷允中建議，未來資策會可以將重心放在規劃和整體協調，將開發計畫的專案交由產業界執行，達到協助業界分工合作的目的。

果芸前執行長則表示，資策會的核心任務，就是持續研發新技術、訓練資訊人才、以及提出大型、共通的系統開發計畫。這些年，資策會在WiMAX等先進技術開發做得不錯，應持續投入研發。另人才培育也是非常重要的，目前，大學生的素質有待提升，果芸前執行長說，以神通電腦為例，有人才培育需求時，都會先送到資策會數位教育研究所，經過學習磨練後才予以重用；果芸前執行長也建議，以資策會所擁有的優秀人才，可思考提出更前瞻的大型共通性計畫。

以金融自動化為例，30年前因李國鼎先生的真知灼見，開啟國內金融自動化的序幕；如今，網路時代來臨，大環境已經改變，過去以封閉性為主的金資系統架構，已無法完全因應目前開放式網路環境的需求。林真真指出，中國信託在2000年時，已將Core-Banking資訊系統升級至第二代，相較於第一代系統設計概念是以銀行為核心，第二代的系統設計則是以客戶為主，因為設計理念不同，設計的架構也各異；第二代系統為滿足客戶需求，會以架設完成Last-Mile(最後一哩)為重要考量，如在便利商店裝置ATM等的作法，同時，也致力提供更多即時資訊服務，如迅速完成結帳流程、每日計息等。

面對第二代系統需求，不少國內銀行基於經費問題考量，捨自行建置一途，改採向外商購買，或直接在第一代系統上進行修正，如此，反倒形成疊床架屋的現象，造成系統不穩定，前一陣子發生某些金融行庫大規模當機，就是導因於此。

所以，林真真認為，如果資策會再次主導第二代銀行資訊系統的開發計畫，不僅可以強化國內的銀行資訊系統，也有助於提振國內軟體資訊產業發展信心；果芸前執行長也認為，如果系統開發成功，應有機會外銷至大陸或其他國家，創造出更大的效益。

台灣的市場規模太小，開拓國際市場才能開啟新的發展契機，因此，殷允中期許資策會未來可以作為產業的領頭羊，帶領台灣軟體廠商走向國際市場。他指出，資訊硬體產品有90%以上可以在全球市場流通，原因是產品的標準程度高而且無語言文化障礙；但是，軟體產業不同，特別是應用軟體產品，出口時，一定會面臨不同語言、文化及使用方式不同的問題。所以，如果軟體業可以創造出模組化(Module)的產品，和其他語言的軟體結合，完成加值產品開發，就能外銷到非華語的區域；殷允中進一步說明，當台灣軟體產業跨入國際市場時，一定會面臨困難，這時，若透過資策會主導，打一場有組織的整體戰，則可整合國內軟體業者的專長，切入國際市場，適時提供服務。殷允中表示，資策會主導發展的WiMAX計畫，就是一個與國際接軌的成功案例，他非常期待在資策會的帶領下，台灣軟體產業可以有更多機會與國際市場互動，並且能夠提前掌握標準制定的契機，以創造更大的商機。

	資策會對台灣資訊產業發展的五大貢獻
	綜合四位實際參與台灣資訊產業發展的受訪者觀點，資策會對於台灣資訊產業發展的貢獻，可歸納出以下五點: 1. 普及資訊教育：      辦理資訊週及資訊月，不僅讓國人認識資訊科技的應用，也讓國外友人知道台灣推動資訊科技的現況。同時，成立教育訓練處、資訊科學展示中心，將資訊科技教育深入各個年齡層，真正達到全民學電腦的目標。 2. 擔任政府智庫幕僚：      行政院於1982年成立「行政院資訊發展推動小組」(簡稱院資推)，資策會執行長擔任該小組執行秘書；1984年成立「行政院行政機構電腦化服務團」，資策會指派專人參與服務團；到1994 年成立「國家資訊通信基本建設專案推動小組」 (簡稱NII小組)，資策會在其中擔任智庫幕僚，協助政府規劃資訊產業長期發展方向，同時，在其間扮演溝通協調的角色。 3. 訂定軟體計價方式：      軟體屬於無形資產，本因智慧財產而有的高價，在台灣，卻因流血殺價競爭，使得價值難以彰顯。為此，資策會協助成立中華軟協，希望藉由制度化促成同業建立競合關係，在業界形成良性循環，以提升軟體產業的整體價值。此外，資策會也和軟協合作，制定「資訊軟體計費要點」，確保產業的整體利益。 4. 訂定軟體工程開發標準：      資策會對於軟體工程驗收系統及維護資料的蒐集和整理等，作出相當貢獻，並制定一套標準的軟體工程開發導引，讓後進業者在開發軟體工程上，無需從零開始，而是有前輩的經驗可循。此外，這套標準不僅教導軟體工程師建構軟體的標準化流程，也提供使用者使用軟體的作業程序，提供雙向溝通的重要基礎。 5. 引進國外軟體工程的最新技術及專才：      資策會隨時掌握國際間最新技術的發展動向，提供國內業界創新的技術與構想；同時，資策會也藉由協助經濟部或是政府單位執行科技專案計畫，帶動民間軟體企業應用最新的觀念和技術。

 In July 1979, the concept of “information technology” was almost unknown in Taiwan, and computers were still a novelty. Kuo Yun, Vice Chairman & President of MITAC Inc., who held the position of President of the Institute for Information Industry (III) for a total of 12 years, recalls having long, stimulating talks with Dr. K.T. Li (the “father of the Taiwanese information industry”) about developing the information industry while Kuo was still serving as Deputy Commander in Chief of the Army. Dr. Li stressed that the reason for establishing III was to leverage the power of information technology to transform Taiwan’s traditional, labor-intensive industries into hi-tech industries; Li warned Kuo that this would be no easy task.

A Challenging Mission to Promote the Development of the Information Industry

After boldly taking on this difficult task, Kuo Yun proposed the adoption of a three-pronged strategy:  manpower cultivation, spreading awareness, and creating an environment conducive to the growthof the information industry. These were the three areas on which III focused in the first few years after its establishment; in particular, III concentrated on cultivation of IT talent, promoting the widespread adoption of IT applications, and nurturing the growth of the information industry. On the manpower cultivation side, Kuo Yun recalls proudly that, by the time he left III, the Education and Training Office had trained a total of over 270,000 hitech specialists. Kuo notes that many of the senior managers at Taiwan’s leading IT firms were trained by III.

To spread awareness of the importance of information technology, III organized the “Information Week” and “Information Month” activities. Lin Chen-Chen, the Chairperson of Financial eSolution, whose first job at III was organizing Information Week, explains that the aim of Information Week (which was first held in December 1980) was to familiarize the general publicwith computers and encourage business enterprises and government agencies to adopt information technology; the success of Information Week was one of the reasons why IT applications are so widely used today. Fan Chang- Keng, Director of III’s Information Engineering Institute,much of whose career has been spent at III, recalls that, when he first joined III, K.T. Li often sent him to give presentations at the Legislative Yuan or at government agencies, explaining to legislators and government officials what was meant by “computerization” and “e-enablement”. Fan is convinced that the Information Week and Information Month activities make an important contribution towards spreading awareness of IT applications and encouraging their widespread adoption.

As regards the building of an environment conducive to information industry growth, the first step was to create a market for IT products and services. Kuo Yun recalls that, when MITAC and Acer were first established, III lobbied the Ministry of Finance on their behalf to have import and export duty waived for computer components, and helped to bring about the establishment of the Hsinchu Science-based IndustrialPark as a base for these companies to operate from. Kuo says that many people today have no idea just how much big a contribution III made towards nurturing Taiwan’s computer hardware and software industries.

In its Advisory Role, III Takes the Lead in Planning the Establishment of e-Government Systems

 III was the brainchild of Dr. K.T. Li. The III's Charter stipulated that III's main tasks would be to put forward recommendations on information industry development to government agencies and to industry, to help the government to formulate short-, mid- and long-term development plans, and to provide a range of services to help government agencies, state-owned enterprises and private companies establish the information systems they needed.

Thanks in no small part to the active support provided by the then Executive Yuan Premier Sun Yun-Suan, the government began to attach considerable emphasis to the development of this important new industry. At the National Economic Conference in December 1981, the information industry was designated a key strategic industry. 1982 saw the establishment of the Executive Yuan's National Information and Communications Initiative Committee; the President of III was appointed Secretary General of the Committee. In 1984, borrowing an idea from Singapore, K.T. Li established the Executive Yuan Agencies Computerization Service Team, and III assigned personnel to join this Team. Fan Chang- Keng notes that, besides implementing e-government initiatives, III also played an important role in helping the government with information industry promotion, including the formulation of ideas for information industry development, and coordinating the putting of these ideas into practice.

The First Major Task: Development of Banking Automation Systems

In accordance with its mission, towards the end of 1980 III began to implement planning for the first of the special projects that it was to undertake. Kuo Yun explains that the first task with which III was entrusted was the planning of banking automation systems.

While Dr. K.T. Li was serving as Minister of Finance, during a visit to Japan he noticed that Japanese banks were all investing heavily in banking automation systems. Dr. Li felt that Taiwan's banks should follow their example, but without wasting money on the establishment of separate systems by each individual bank. Dr. Li decided that, to achieve the goal of automating inter-bank communication, what was needed was a system that could be shared by all of Taiwan's banks, enabling them to communicate with one another easily. Lin Chen-Chen says admiringly that Dr. Li was the first person in Taiwan to advocate the concept of system commonality.

At the time, Taiwan's banks were focusing on in-house automation, and had little interest in inter-bank system development. III subsequently arranged for experts from the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in the U.S. to visit Taiwan to provide training in advanced banking automation system concepts. After intensive discussion, Lin Chen-Chen proposed that, while the individual banks should be left to set up their internal automation systems themselves, the government would set up a new agency (today’s Financial Information System Center) to develop the inter-bank system platform. This proposal won the support of Dr. Li.

Kuo Yun recalls that III assigned six system engineers – including Huang Chung-chiu (currently Chairman of the State-owned Enterprise Commission, Ministry of Economic Affairs), and Chou Ching-hsin (former CEO of e-ToYou) – to undertake the deployment of a model automated passbook deposit system at First Commercial Bank; this project was completed successfully within two years. Lin Chen-Chen was assigned to the Financial Information System Center to complete the establishment of inter-bank remittance and ATM transfer systems. Lin Chen-Chen notes that the inter-bank system platforms and internal core banking systems that were developed during that period have continued to provide the foundation for subsequent banking computerization initiatives. Lin Chen-Chen went on to say that, thanks to the stimulus provided by banking automation, this was the period in which Taiwan's software industry began to take off. While the banking sector achieved a level of automation unmatched in any other industry, in the process of bringing this about the Taiwanese software industry began to reorient itself towards the development of complete information systems. During this same period, networking technology was also beginning to take shape. Chunghwa Telecom’s switch away from leased line to s.25 technology helped banks to improve their networking capabilities. The Project that had the Most Far-reaching Impact: the Development of the Household Registration and Military Service Registration Systems Kuo Yun notes that the establishment of the household registration and military service registration information systems played an important role as a model of successful information system development.

The Ministry of the Interior began the process of computerizing the household registration and military service registration systems in 1985. System requirements analysis had been completed by April 1986. Lin Chen-Chen, who was transferred back from the Financial Information System Center to lead III’ s System Engineering Division in 1987, and given responsibility for coordinating the establishment of the household registration and military service registration systems, notes that, although this set of systems was not as complex as the banking system, which had to integrate the operations of a dozen or so different banks, there was a major problem in that the data that had to be processed comprised text rather than numbers. While good at processing numbers, computers proved to be less able to cope with large quantities of text information.

At that time, the Chinese character database for computer systems comprised only a little over 13,050 individual characters. However, around 30,000 different characters are used in Chinese family and personal names, including some very obscure characters, and new characters invented by the parents when naming their child. The Ministry of the Interior established a Chinese Character Collation Team to assign computer codes to over 70,000 characters; in addition, III arranged for the judicial authorities to create new regulations making it illegal for citizens to create new, “unofficial” characters. Lin Chen-Chen explains that III succeeded in computerizing all of the household registration data for the past hundred years. While this process of computerization was underway, everyday household registration work – including changes of household registration - still had to continue; the potential for “time-lag” problems made all of this a very challenging task.

The household registration system would be used by a large number of different agencies and a very large number of people; the quantities of data, and the amount of work that the system would have to perform, were massive. III therefore decided to adopt innovative open software architecture; this was the first time that open architecture of this kind had been used by III. Liang Chin-Tsuan, who was involved in the planning and deployment of this system, says that, given the large number of computers and networking devices that would be using the household registration system, the use of open software architecture and software portability would make it possible to provide a uniform user interface, while at the same time making the system compatible with computer hardware produced by different manufacturers. Not only did this make the process of training government employees to use the new system much easier, it also ensured that the orders for computer hardware would not be monopolized by a single manufacturer.

Kuo Yun says that the computerization of household and military service registration operations succeeded in creating an integrated population database covering all of Taiwan’s citizens. The efficiency of public administration was enhanced, and members of the public were able to access government services more conveniently. Fan Chang-Keng estimates that the amount of citizens’ time that was saved by the establishment of this system was worth around NT$ 2 billion.

Around a dozen companies participated in the household registration and military service registration system computerization project; they included Electronic Data Systems Taiwan, Chunghwa Computer, Acer, MITAC, and D-Link. Their participation in software development, testing, system deployment, provision of guidance to help bring the system online, system operation and maintenance, etc., enabled the companies involved to gain experience in large-scale project implementation; the know-how that they acquired helped them to subsequently take on large-scale government information system projects on their own.

A Challenging Mission: E-Government System Planning

Under the vigorous leadership of III President Kuo Yun, III completed a number of other large-scale, high-risk information system projects that brought significant benefits to the people of Taiwan. During this period, when private-sector companies in the information industry were still building up their capabilities, III's participation in these projects was vitally important.

One example was the establishment of transportation management automation systems. Taiwan had originally been entirely dependent on foreign multinationals for this type of system. III was involved in the establishment of the automated ticketing system for the Mucha Line of the Taipei Mass Rapid Transit System, and the computerization of traffic lights in Taipei City. III helped French company CGA with system error detection, and assisted China Engineering Consultants in the development of core real-time monitoring software for a multi-server Unix environment. III was able to ensure that all obstacles encountered in these two projects were overcome quickly, providing further confirmation that Taiwanese engineers possessed the capabilities needed to undertake large-scale transportation automation system development.

Customs clearance automation constituted another example of successful large-scale information system establishment. In the past, the lack of computerized systems meant that customer brokers had to send personnel to the customs office for every single consignment. To save time, the customs brokers would assign personnel to queue at every counter, making the customs offices as rowdy as a trading floor. Lin Chen- Chen, who was assigned to assist with the deployment of the automated system that III developed for the Customs, says that, besides helping to save time and effort, the new system was also an important sign of the government’s commitment to modernization.

III also saw off competition from US navigation systems firm Mitre to secure the tender to develop Taiwan's air traffic control management system, and helped the Commerce Department to deploy an EDI system. Besides improving government performance and making life more convenient for Taiwan's citizens, these e-government projects also provided valuable hands-on experience for Taiwan's information industry.

Helping the CISA's Member Companies to Acquire Experience in Large-scale Information System Deployment

Kuo Yun explains that, given III's mission to promote information industry development in Taiwan, equal emphasis had to be given to hardware and software industry development. The rapid growth of the IT hardware industry meant that this industry was initially more successful than the software industry in attracting talented employees. However, as the IT hardware industry reached maturity, it became clear that the software industry had the potential to develop into an important, high-value-added knowledge-intensive industry.

Yin Yun-Chung (who served two terms as Chairman of the Information Service Industry Association of the R.O.C., and now holds the title of Chairman Emeritus) describes the close collaboration between the Software Association's member companies and III, and notes that III played an important role in the establishment of the Association.

CISA was established in early 1983, with support from the Industrial Development Bureau; III undertook much of the coordination and liaison work. When the Association first came into being, III helped the Association to draw up the Guidelines for Software Pricing and Guidelines for Software Firm Classification to help software firms securing tenders from government agencies; both of these Guidelines were approved by the Executive Yuan in September 1983. Yin Yun-Chung notes that the Guidelines for Software Pricing are still in use today, and have played an important role in e-government development, outsourcing of information system projects and the awarding of tenders to private-sector software firms. The idea behind the Guidelines for Software Firm Classification was a good one; projects could be awarded to software firms according to their scale of operation and specialist capabilities.

Regarding private-sector participation in e-government initiatives, Yin Yun-Chung notes that, besides serving as a bridge for communication between government agencies and the private sector, in the early days the III also undertook the initial planning for e-government projects. Looking back, Yin feels that the household registration and military service registration system project showed the way forward; while III handled liaison with government agencies, application software development was outsourced to pr ivate-sector companies such as Electronic Data Systems Taiwan, Ares and Systex, while the provision of networking systems was entrusted to Tatung and D-Link.

Given the Range of Specialist Expertise Needed for Participation in Large-scale Government Information System Projects, Companies Need to Cooperate to Achieve Success in this Area

Yin Yun-Chung feels that the basic philosophy behind e-government project outsourcing was a good one, serving as it did to provide the Taiwanese software industry with opportunities to hone their capabilities. However, in the early days the relevant operational procedures and standards were not always as comprehensive as they should have been; this, coupled with the limited expertise and limited financial resources of many private-sector firms, made the coordinating role played by III that much more important. Lin Chen-Chen points out that the 1980s were an era of rapid growth for Taiwan's software industry, with new firms springing up all the time. The problem was that a high percentage of these firms were small-scale operations; many software companies were established specially for a particular project. Given the drive and perseverance that typify the Taiwanese character, these small firms were usually able to cope with small or medium-sized software development projects, but they had not yet acquired the capabilities needed for successful deployment of largescale information systems.

Kuo Yun notes that, as III had been set up to promote the development of the information industry as a whole, one of III's main responsibilities was to help in the creation of an environment conducive to the growth of the IT sector, while providing the key technologies and organizational skills needed to supplement the capabilities of private-sector firms undertaking largescale information system projects.

Lin Chen-Chen, who supervised many large-scale government informat ion system projects while working at III, explains that projects of this type can be very large indeed, and that the shift away from manual to computerized operation presents many problems, including both issues relating to inter-agency coordination and purely technical issues. III's special mission made it ideally suited to implementing largescale government information system projects, a role that it took on with great success.

Having participated actively in the implementation of government e-enablement projects, by the time it entered its second decade the III was already beginning to fulfill the expectations that Dr. K.T. Li had held for it. Fan Chang-Keng notes that, by participating in government projects, Taiwan's software companies were gradually able to build up their own capabilities. By the 1990s, III was much less heavily involved in government information system projects, although it still undertakes some system planning, and continues to implement projects in particular, highly specialized, fields; this repositioning of III's role has created more room for the ongoing development of private-sector software companies.

With the Passing of Time, the Private Sector's Needs have Changed, and their Expectations of What III Should be Doing for Them Have Evolved Too

Lin Chen-Chen notes that, since 2000, as a result of the rapid pace of change in information technology, almost all government software projects involve a wide range of new application software, communications and video technologies. The scale of individual projects is much larger than it was in the past, making it impossible for any one company to handle an entire project by itself. Today, software firms bidding for government projects tend to do so as consortiums. Yin Yun-Chung believes that, in light of this trend, in the future III will need to focus more on planning and coordination, while outsourcing the actual implementation of the projects to the private sector. In this way, it should be possible to develop an effective division of labor between the government and the private sector.

Kuo Yun says that the core mission of III should be to continue to develop new technologies, provide training programs to cultivate IT talent, and provide highplanning for large-scale, shared system platforms. He points out that, in the last few years, III has achieved considerable success in the development of WiMAX and other advanced technologies; Kuo feels that III should continue to allocate resources to R&D activity of this type. Manpower cultivation is also very important, as the caliber of the graduates being produced by Taiwan's universities still leaves something to be desired. Kuo Yun says that MITAC relies heavily on III's Digital Education Institute to meet its manpower cultivation needs; only those employees who have undergone III's rigorous training programs are entrusted with major responsibilities. Kuo believes that, given the wealth of talent available to III, the potential exists for thedevelopment of new cutting-edge shared platform projects.

Taking banking automation as an example, 30 years ago Dr. K.T. Li's prescience and vision laid the foundations for the development of banking automation in Taiwan. Today, however, in the era of the Internet, “closed” banking system architecture is no longer able to cope fully with the new networking environment. Lin Chen- Chen notes that, by 2000, Chinatrust Commercial Bank had already upgraded its core banking information system to a second-generation system. Whereas the firstgeneration system had been very much bank-focused, the emphasis in the design of the second-generation system was on the customer, and on marketing. The structure of the new system reflected this difference in the underlying design philosophy. To meet customer needs, the new system made last-mile connections a key priority. Chinatrust Commercial Bank made the system as easy to access as possible, for example by installing ATM machines in convenience stores. The Bank has also been working to introduce a wide range of new real-timeinformation services, including rapid settlement and daily interest calculation services.

Faced with the need to establish second-generation systems, cost considerations have led many Taiwanese banks to purchase new information systems from overseas suppliers, or make do with upgrading their first-generation system, rather than undertaking the establishment of a second-generation system inhouse. As a result, banks'  information systems have not always been as stable as they should be; hence the recent instances of banks suffering large-scale system breakdowns.

Lin Chen-Chen believes that a new-generation banking information system development program led by III would not only help to strengthen the information systems of Taiwan's banks, it would also provide a boost to the confidence of the Taiwanese software industry. Kuo Yun believes that, if the process of system development was successful, a new-generation banking automation system of this kind could be exported to China, and possibly to other countries, creating even more benefits.

The small size of Taiwan’s domestic market makes the development of overseas markets a must. Yin Yun- Chung hopes that III can lead the way for the Taiwanese software industry's expansion onto the international stage. Yin points out that the reason why 90% of IT hardware products can be marketed worldwide is that these products have been standardized, and that there is no language barrier to overcome. With software, and particularly application software, companies that want to develop the export market need to overcome languagerelated and cultural problems, as well as issues relating to differences in IT user behavior between countries. Yin believes that if the Taiwanese software industry were to focus on developing modularized products that could be integrated with non-Chinese-language software, this would provide the basis for the development of high-value-added software products that could be exported successfully not just to Chinese-speaking countries, but to other countries as well. Yin goes on to say that, while the software industry would inevitably be faced with challenges when developing international markets, III could play a guiding role here, helping the Taiwanese software industry to make a concerted effort, integrating the special strengths of individual firms, and providing the services needed to help Taiwanese software firms develop overseas markets successfully. Yin Yun- Chung is full of praise for Taiwan's WiMAX project, which has been led by III, and which constitutes a fine example of Taiwan successfully keeping pace with global trends. Yin is confident that, with guidance from III, Taiwan's software industry will be able to secure more opportunities for effective interaction with other countries in the future, thereby achieving a greater say in standards formulation and putting itself in a better position for developing new business opportunities.

	The Five Key Areas Where III has made an Outstanding Contribution to the Development of the Information Industry in Taiwan
	On the basis of the views expressed by the four interviewees – all of whom played an active role in the development of Taiwan's information industry – the contribution that III has made to the development of Taiwan's information industry can be seen to encompass five key areas: 1. Promoting IT Education      The holding of the Information Week and Information Month activities helped not only to give people in Taiwan a more in-depth understanding of information technology applications, but also to show to foreign visitors the extent to which IT was being actively developed in Taiwan. At the same time, the establishment of III's Education and Training Center and the creation of the Information Science and Technology Exhibition Center made IT education available to people in all age groups, in line with the government's goal of “computing for all”. 2. Serving as an Advisory Body and Brains Trust for the Government      The President of III also serves as Secretary General of the National Information and Communications Initiative Committee, established by the Executive Yuan in 1982. In addition, III assigns personnel to serve on the Executive Yuan Agencies Computerization Service Team, which was set up in 1984. III has also played an important role in the National Information Infrastructure promotion team that was established in 1994, serving in an advisory role as a brains trust to help the government to formulate long-term strategies for the development of the information industry, while also assisting with coordination and communication. 3. Establishing Pricing Standards for Software Purchasing      Despite the intrinsically high value of software as an intangible asset with a high intellectual property component, in Taiwan the software market has in the past been characterized by cutthroat price competition that hindered value creation. To put an end to this situation, III helped to establish the Information Service Industry Association of the R.O.C., anticipating that the building of a more regularized industry environment would encourage software firms to collaborate more extensively with one another, creating a “virtuous circle” that would help the software industry as a whole to create more value. III also collaborated with the Association on the drawing up of the Guidelines for Software Pricing, which proved highly beneficial to the development of the software industry as a whole. 4. Formulation of Software Development Standards      III has made a major contribution towards the collation of knowledge relating to software project acceptance inspection and information system maintenance, and has formulated standards to guide the process of software development. This means that new entrants in the software industry do not have to start from scratch; they can benefit from the experience of the longer established firms. Besides providing software engineers with standardized procedures to follow when developing new software, III has also provided operating procedures for software users to follow, thereby providing a solid foundation for two-way communication between software firms and software users. 5. Introducing the Latest Software Technology from Overseas, and Recruiting Foreign Experts to Work in Taiwan      III has cont inued to moni tor the latest developments in information technology overseas, helping Taiwanese industry to keep pace with new technology and new ideas. At the same time, by assisting the Ministry of Economic Affairs and other government agencies with the implementation of Science and Technology Development Plans, III has helped to stimulate the adoption of the latest concepts and technologies by private-sector software companies.