Q&A: Government Leaders Forum in Prague to Showcase Role of Technology in Achieving Social and Economic Progress
At European Meeting of Government and Technology Leaders, Microsoft Stresses the Role of Public and Private Sector Collaboration in Achieving the Goals of the Lisbon Agenda.
Prague, Feb 1, 2005 – Over 400 government and technology industry representatives have gathered in Prague this week for the Government Leaders Forum – Europe, an event convened by Microsoft Corp to provide a forum for discussions on technology's role in promoting economic and social development. PressPass asked Gerri Elliott, corporate vice president for Worldwide Public Sector Microsoft, to provide background on the forum and explain how Microsoft works with public sector and governmental institutions.
PressPass: What are the Government Leaders Forums?
Elliott: Microsoft Government Leaders Forums are events that bring together top government and businesses leaders around the globe with the goal of driving discussion on how the private sector can work in cooperation with local, regional and central governments to exchange experiences and best practices related to good governance, socio-economic development, healthcare and education. The forums also provide a venue to discuss the roles that information and communication technologies (ICT) play in achieving success in these areas.
Within meetings and discussions, attendees exchange wide-ranging perspectives on a variety of issues, such as building favourable environments for new job creation and private investment, boosting productivity, modernizing public services, and ensuring all citizens are able to participate fully in the information society.
The Government Leaders Forum in Prague will specifically focus on the strategic aims of the Lisbon Agenda, which aims to make the European Union (EU) the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world by the year 2010. The forum will also explore how the public and private sector can partner for success in achieving EU policy goals and boosting economic growth.
PressPass: Why is Microsoft sponsoring this event?
Elliott: The relationships that Microsoft builds with its government customers are the foundation of our work with them. Governments and public sector organizations have unique IT needs that can’t be met through traditional technology offerings and we can't just focus on the commercial end result – nor do we want to limit discussions with them in that way. Having a consistent and open dialogue is key to our success in this area. As an industry leader, we have a responsibility to work closely with governments around the world to offer leadership on technology policy issues, and provide technology solutions that address the unique IT needs of governments, educators and non-profit organizations.
At Microsoft, we are committed to working with governments all over the world to develop programs and initiatives that address their specific challenges and meet the needs of their citizens. This is demonstrated through offerings such as the Government Security Program (GSP) and the Local Language Program (LLP) – where we have listened to government customers and delivered offerings that address specific needs. Launched in January 2003, the GSP is a continuation of the Shared Source Initiative and a follow-up to the Common Criteria Certification announcement in 2002. The GSP is an extension of Microsoft's government source licensing efforts, centering on Windows source code access coupled with additional prescriptive guidance on security assurance. Through the LLP, Microsoft is collaborating with local language authorities and academic and governmental bodies from around the globe. Forty regional languages will be localized, bringing to 80 the number of languages supported by Microsoft. With programs such as these, Microsoft is working to develop government engagement programs that deliver the best overall value and return on investment for government customers.
Throughout our history, we have been at the forefront of public sector technology development and implementation, from e-government solutions connecting governments and citizens to dynamic education solutions that break down barriers and better enable the interaction between teachers and students.
PressPass: How can Microsoft and private industry help the EU achieve the goals of the Lisbon Agenda?
Elliott: From our viewpoint as a technology company, we see progress every day – whether it is from a small company in the Czech Republic that automates its billing systems, or a large enterprise in France that is able to deploy its customer service team with remote database capability. While there is broad agreement that faster progress is needed if the ambitious growth targets are to be reached, we at Microsoft are seeing evidence of great progress today. Momentum from increasing public and private sector commitment and collaboration is building, leading toward attaining the Lisbon goals of an inclusive, Europe-wide information society for all.
At Microsoft, we see the responsibility for the social and economic growth envisioned by the Lisbon Agenda shared between both the public and private sectors. While the public sector focuses on introducing and implementing the right legislative frameworks – those that encourage innovation, provide incentives for regions throughout Europe, and create better and more inclusive employment practices – the private sector can help create the tools and technologies needed to ensure those frameworks make a difference for the people of the EU countries. We certainly feel that the IT industry plays an important role here, creating new technologies that are increasingly central to the way in which we live, work and communicate – and the ways that businesses around Europe can increase productivity, competitiveness and deliver a new way for the people, governments and businesses to interact.
PressPass: Does Microsoft have products or initiatives to help further the policies and goals set forth in the Lisbon Agenda?
Elliott: At Microsoft, our approach to all e-government work has been to supply a set of standard tools that can be customized to specific needs, but which maintain their standards based on functionality and interfaces. This allows for ease of integration with other applications, and ease of use for governments and the public. To this end, we are actively working with EU administrations in their efforts to improve data exchange using open standards-based Extensible Markup Language (XML) solutions. Microsoft has collaborated with the EU’s Interchange of Data between Administrations (IDA) in evaluating open document formats. All government information systems need to be secure, protecting vital data and ensuring privacy. And they should also be ‘future-proof’, developed on the basis of solutions which allow for the future addition of new services.
Microsoft also provides a number of programs designed to meet the unique concerns of governments and other public-sector customers. In addition to the Government Security Program and Local Languages Program, the Partners in Learning program is designed to make technology more accessible to schools worldwide. Microsoft also sponsors the Solutions Sharing Network, which provides a platform for local, regional and national governments to share IT best practices and applications.
PressPass: What does e-government mean for emerging or smaller EU countries?
Elliott: It’s widely agreed among both public and private sector groups that e-government lies at the heart of the drive to build a modern, inclusive Europe by helping deliver better, more efficient public services and transforming the relationship between citizens, businesses and their governments. Cost-effective, flexible, standards-based solutions will help administrations across Europe further integrate and help new member states in Central and Eastern Europe move as quickly as possible to a position of parity with existing members. There is also increasing emphasis on the ability for information to be rapidly exchanged across borders and between administrations.
PressPass: How does Microsoft currently work with governments?
Elliott: The relationships we build with our government customers are increasingly important, and we are committed to helping governments develop strong, sustainable IT infrastructures that deliver ease of use, value through innovative technology, a clear roadmap for future development, and access to source code to improve security and implementation.
Microsoft has evolved in the way we view public sector customers. At one point in time we looked at them in the same way as we viewed any other large customer. But what we have really learned is that governments and their agencies have unique needs. They need products and support in areas that may not generate revenue but are extremely important in terms of supporting the services their citizens need and enabling economic or social opportunities. At the same time, as an industry leader, we respect that we have a responsibility to enable access to technology in ways that help people realize their full potential. Therefore we are working closely with governments around the world on providing progress on technology policy issues, and offering technology solutions that address the unique IT needs of governments, educators and non-profit organizations.
