'Although [these two organizations] were very closely related, they remained two separate departments working towards the same goals,' said Jonson Yue, senior manager, solution and industry marketing at HP. 'By bringing the two functions within OGCIO, we see a unification of policy and implementation body under a single platform and leadership.'

Yue, an active industry contributor to Hong Kong's e-government policy, said the merger also gives OGCIO a better position to promote and implement IT initiatives among the executives of government departments as well as their IT departments.

'For the working staff within OGCIO, having a single department also reduces the impression of a hierarchical difference between the two,' said Patricia Lau, consultant at PA Consulting. The company provides business and management consulting services for organizations in both the public and private sectors. 'For the service and technology suppliers, it also brings a centralized and single point of contact,' she said.

Changing roles

The new government department also marks a new role for the government's IT operation.