CybExer Technologies and the Estonian Information System Authority have developed a novel e-learning tool for advancing cyber hygiene among public servants and public service providers of Estonia. It provides a training environment for lifelong learning on cyber threats for public sector employees. Moreover, it is an invaluable mechanism for increasing trust and effectiveness of public institutions by enabling a secure and inclusive digital transformation of all types of public services. The project DigiTest was launched as a three-year pilot. The first iteration was published in 2017 with updated versions in 2018 and 2019. The updates reflect changes in the threat landscape.

The e-learning tool is used to develop capacities within ministries, government agencies and health workers. For the pilot, 50 000 licences were prepared for the Information System Authority to manage the cyber hygiene course on behalf of the public sector. This accounts for around 50% of the entire government workforce. The impact of the project on individual and organisational capability has led to a continuation of the course beyond the pilot.

DigiTest’s success instils great confidence in its ability to deliver results globally. Interest has already been shown by governments across Eastern Europe, CIS countries and the Middle East

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• Estonia

• Youth
• Older persons
• Women
• Indigenous and nomadic peoples
• People with disabilities
• The unemployed
• The poor
• Migrants
• Refugees and internally displaced people
• Remote and rural communities
• Public service

The software and the fundamental operational principles of the cyber hygiene e-learning course are independent of the environment in which it is used. The value lies in the learning approach and in the customised learning content that can and has been developed according to different needs. Importantly, the same platform has already been implemented in various private sector organisations and substantive discussions are already underway with the public sectors of other countries. Moreover, the Estonian Information System Authority has been considering the possibilities of opening up the e-learning platform to schools.

In short, the cyber hygiene course for public sector employees and providers of public services can be easily replicated irrespective of the country, the learning content and the target group.

Financial sustainability: the pilot project with the Estonian Information System Authority among other things helped to determine a sustainable financing agreement between the procuring public sector and the provider of the service. The cyber hygiene course is financially self-sufficient and accessible to the government sector.

Environmental sustainability: the project and the solution do not pose any environmental threats or noteworthy additional environmental costs.

Social sustainability: the project and the solution have been designed to improve the security and effectiveness of the public sector, including for the benefit of advancing social sustainability. It does not, therefore, pose any issues on social sustainability.

The project is underlined by the belief in the need for and power of continuous re-training and life-long learning. This is especially true for the vast changes that digital transformation brings about and which call for a rethink of our capacities and skills. Furthermore, the project focuses on strengthening the trust framework between the citizens and the state. Such trust in the effective and people-centred public services is a prerequisite for the development of the information society and for building confidence among citizens and private sector organisations. Throughout the three-year project, those values were on numerous occasions communicated to the public via national media channels, including a promotional test course for selected members of the Estonian parliament. With the implementation and public dissemination of this groundbreaking e-learning tool, the Estonian public sector has truly shown the way forward for the whole community in Estonia but also more widely for the government sectors of other countries across the world.