Difi

Difi, short for Direktoratet for forvaltning og IKT, was a Norwegian government agency responsible for information and communications technology policy and e-government in the public sector. It supported the development of digital public services, interoperability, and common ICT standards across national and local authorities. The agency advised ministries and other public bodies on IT governance, procurement, security, and architecture, and it managed shared services such as national digital identity systems and standardized data exchange.

Established in 2003, Difi evolved as the central ICT authority for the Norwegian government, operating under the Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation (formerly the Ministry of Government Administration, Reform and Church Affairs). Through collaboration with municipalities, counties, and other agencies, Difi aimed to simplify public services and accelerate digital transformation.

In line with government reforms, most of Difi’s functions were integrated into the Digitaliseringsdirektoratet (Agency for Digitalisation). The legacy work on electronic identification, interoperability standards, and public-sector ICT governance continues under that agency, with ID-porten and related digital infrastructure forming a core part of Norway’s e-government framework.