Government

For more information, please visit www.microsoft.com/government.

© 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. Microsoft, Microsoft. Software for the people-ready business., and Windows Vista are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

0606 Part No. 098-105433

Inside your organization is a powerful force.

A force that can cut costs, streamline administrative processes, connect people and systems, and impress constituents all over the world.

Whether in New York City or New Delhi, workers in public-sector organizations have one challenge in common: delivering seamless services to the public. This can be difficult for organizations that are dealing with outdated technology, a collection of differing (and often incompatible) systems, and inadequate funding. Unfortunately, most public-sector agencies don’t have the option of abandoning existing systems for newer, simpler solutions to improve business processes. Many organizations have tried, investing heavily in new technology, only to be disappointed in the result. Technology alone can’t solve the challenges in government.

But given the right tools, people can.

Most citizens of New York City don’t wake up worrying about how to respond to a bio-terrorist attack or the outbreak of a communicable disease. Fortunately, they leave the details to New York’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH); its job is to protect and promote the health of all city residents. During an emergency, it is the responsibility of DOHMH to connect hundreds of public-health officials with healthcare providers and response services throughout the community.

Working with Microsoft® and its industry partners, DOHMH developed the Health Alert Network (HAN), a Web-based emergency management system. HAN allows emergency managers to reach designated contacts immediately in a crisis situation and plan emergency response strategies.

HAN members have instant access to response plans and diagnostic and treatment information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Web site also features online conferencing capabilities and a document library that provides health and medical information.

HAN currently supports about 3,000 registered members, including 75 public hospitals in New York City. According to Wayne Steinman, Contract Administrator with DOHMH, the system has already proven its worth. He says that during a widespread power failure in New York City, “The city was completely dark, but HAN did not go down. All the HAN capabilities were right there for us to use.”

Government agencies don’t serve citizens, control costs, balance budgets, or achieve operational excellence. People do.

Organizations excel when they empower their people.

Goals, priorities, motivation, and leadership can prepare your agency for success, but your people must have the right tools, information, and opportunities. Government agencies that do this are poised for success. We call them “people-ready organizations.”

The role of software in a people-ready organization is to harness information, enabling people to turn data into insight, transform ideas into action, and turn change into opportunity.

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“One of the things I liked about the Microsoft [technology] is that it’s just as easy to use as anything from Microsoft...Even first-time users know right away what they’re looking at.”

Wayne Steinman Contract Administrator

Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Empowering People Through Technology

The age of the organization.

readyto find an answer.

It’s your people. Are they ready?

readyto inform the public.

readyto protect and serve.

readyto make a difference.

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People-Ready Organizations A people-ready organization takes advantage of software to drive results, but focuses primarily on its greatest asset: people. Data alone is of little value; only people can offer insight and context and take action to make it useful.

In case after case, we see how the right technology deployed in the right way enables government workers and IT professionals to create innovative, citizen-centric solutions throughout the public sector. Whether your organization owes its success to high standards of excellence, unique services, or operational efficiency, it is people who are behind the success. And people build the relationships that extend an agency’s capabilities and reach.

At Microsoft, we’re working to provide software that is innovative, familiar and easy to use; widely known and supported; and easy to integrate and connect to current and future technology. Our software helps government workers and IT professionals succeed by providing the tools they need to be truly people-ready organizations.

As much as any public sector organization, the United States armed forces needs to be people-ready. To do so, all branches of the U.S. military need timely, accurate, and relevant information. But, like most government enterprises, the military deals with a complex maze of isolated data and disconnected systems that were never designed to share information. Military personnel often spend countless hours entering data multiple times into multiple systems, which perpetuates workflow inefficiencies and invites the opportunity for errors.

To improve the flow of battlefield information during mission-critical military operations, the U.S. military turned to CC Intelligent Solutions (CCIS), a firm that helps clients cut costs and streamline operations by applying business intelligence to their business practices. The firm developed FusionNet, a solution designed to connect people, processes, and information, and integrate a range of data from numerous systems and databases.

Before FusionNet, it was estimated that only 5 percent of battlefield information was getting into the hands of those who truly needed it. Now, the data capture rate is about 75 percent, an increase of more than 1,500 percent. FusionNet enables users to share information vertically, from the front lines to the command center, and horizontally, across functional and organizational boundaries of the military.

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“Microsoft [software] is allowing our developers to build even more powerful capabilities into FusionNet, such as better UI controls and a higher performance of searching data elements.”

David MoyeDirector of Development CC Intelligent Solutions

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The key to effective citizen services starts with government employees, who are at the heart of every organization. People manage agencies, serve citizens, develop new solutions, and work to help agencies succeed. In the end, it is people, not machines, that account for a winning operation. And the right software can make people more successful by enabling them to do their jobs better and in ways that were not possible 10 years ago.

Government Success, Government ResultsGovernment agencies are interested in results; they are charged with providing services to citizens; making connections with the public and businesses; keeping costs under control—all while managing challenges inherent in running the world’s largest enterprises.

People Build RelationshipsCitizens benefit through deeper connections to public-sector agencies. But to achieve that relationship, government workers must have the right tools to provide exceptional citizen services, the measure by which agencies are judged.

One independent federal agency in the United States that dramatically improved public service is the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). As the nation’s record-keeper, NARA preserves and manages a wealth of military and civilian historical data and memorabilia. The agency is also a retail operation, selling copies of documents, genealogical records, and other merchandise through its Web site and 22 retail outlets. Up to 40 percent of the orders are for documents that have been lost—an aunt’s immigration papers or a father’s military record—and thus require individual research.

Because each NARA location had its own systems and procedures for processing orders, it was nearly impossible for the agency as a whole to track orders and account for sales.

Using technology from Microsoft and its partners, NARA deployed a centralized point-of-sale system that manages cash, tracks orders, and assimilates data from various sources. Now employees can begin researching orders within 24 hours, and most orders are filled within 10 days. Customers can check their order status on the NARA Web site.

People Lead and InnovateMany government and public-sector organizations face the daunting task of integrating disconnected systems, data sources, and inconsistent workflow processes. Organizations that find innovative ways to master this challenge provide necessary leadership; those that don’t end up drowning in inefficiency. The Microsoft Connected Government Framework allows government entities to communicate and share information seamlessly whether at the federal, state, or local level.

The Social Security Administration of the Czech Republic (Česká správa sociálního zabezpečení, or CSSZ), is an example of an agency striving to lead and innovate. CSSZ’s growth from one office to 90 regional offices throughout the Czech Republic occurred haphazardly, which resulted in numerous inconsistent and dissimilar systems and applications. Data and applications—some more than 40 years old—were not centralized. Field offices were unable to provide services consistently from one office to another, so Czech citizens had to deal with several geographically dispersed offices, depending on the service they needed.

Hoping to gain membership to the European Union (EU), the Czech Republic first had to prove that its public-sector organizations were able to deliver high-quality service to its citizens, which CSSZ was unable to do. CSSZ looked to Microsoft and its partners for help. Microsoft technology proved to be the perfect platform to integrate CSSZ’s numerous heterogeneous systems, applications, and processes across all field offices. With centralized data and new search and query capabilities, workers are now able to provide any CSSZ service in any field office; Czech citizens can now work with one local office rather than having to deal with multiple offices across the country. This comprehensive IT solution clearly demonstrated CSSZ’s commitment to innovation and leadership, and was instrumental in moving the Czech Republic one step closer to gaining EU membership.

People Drive Operational ExcellenceGovernment agencies can excel by focusing on operational excellence, building technology into their administrative processes, and making that technology readily available to employees. Technology cannot achieve excellence, but people can.

The Department of Health (DoH) for the Provincial Government of the Western Cape (PGWC) in South Africa is responsible for delivering healthcare services to 4.2 million people. One of DoH’s top priorities was to reduce maternal and infant deaths. To do so, it needed a way to gather medical information about pregnant mothers and babies after delivery. “We needed an automated and integrated system to give our doctors and nurses information in a timely way, which would also link to the centralized Patient Administration System (PAS) in our hospitals,” says Jacques De Villiers, Analyst Developer for the PGWC Center for e-Innovation.

Working with Microsoft and its partners, PGWC created the Central Recording of All Data for Local Establishments (CRADLE) system. Using CRADLE, DoH officials can gather health information about mothers during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, and about babies from birth through

infancy. CRADLE currently supports 30,000 patients and will eventually be available in 50 locations. CRADLE has already helped reduce the morbidity rate in South Africa.

“CRADLE has been highly cost-efficient with a fast time-to-market. Healthcare for mothers and babies is either delivered at our hospitals or in mobile obstetric units. By harnessing the power of Web services, we...are putting into the hands of our doctors and midwives much more patient information at the click of a mouse.”

Jacques De VilliersAnalyst Developer

PGWC Center for e-Innovation

“Before this IT solution, NARA had a several-month backlog between receiving an order and entering it. Now there is virtually no backlog. Staff are usually in the stacks researching within a day of receiving the order.”

Trust Fund Systems ManagerNational Archives and Records

Administration

Software Amplifies the Impact of PeopleHow Work Gets Done

Public sector employees don’t work in isolation. They work with people in other government agencies who might be located across the street or across the country. Succeeding in this type of environment requires building strong, flexible connections across a dynamic network—connections that allow workers to quickly adapt to and harness change. Software that helps people knock down organizational and territorial boundaries can move organizations beyond the constraints of phones, faxes, and memos, enabling them to connect in new ways.

Nowhere are the right software solutions more crucial than in public-facing agencies that provide citizen services. In India, the government of Andhra Pradesh wanted to replace its paper-based government processes and consolidate many of its services into a single online access point for citizens.

Using Microsoft technology, the government launched an online portal called APOnline, which offers a variety of citizen services. Through APOnline, citizens can accomplish tasks as diverse as paying utility bills and taxes, registering for government services, applying for certificates and licenses, even obtaining student grades from schools or universities.

Citizens no longer have to visit individual departments to get government services; information is available at the APOnline portal in multiple languages. “Our endeavor is to focus primarily on providing optimal service quality to citizens. This efficient and convenient mode of communication empowers the general public and has an impact on the quality of life within the community,” says Sridhar Krishnamurthy, Chief Operations Officer of APOnline. The government of Andhra Pradesh installed 1,000 public kiosks for citizens who don’t have Internet access.

Each of the examples mentioned here shows how innovative software has the ability to amplify employee efforts and provide the flexibility that lets government agencies adapt to changes in the public sector. Moreover, projects that depend on well-designed software solutions do not necessarily entail large amounts of new IT spending, but they do tend to have a significant impact that ripples throughout an organization. That’s what great software can do—transform government’s way of operating while keeping costs down.

Microsoft helps government change the experiences of its workers and citizens so that individual agencies can achieve their missions. Our goal is to help government agencies differentiate themselves and offer superior public service. We also help government agencies increase employee satisfaction and productivity, and enable government employees to respond to citizens’ ever-changing needs.

Why Microsoft?Microsoft is dedicated to developing products for government that offer best-in-class performance along with great value. Our goal of providing you with effective, manageable, cost-effective software rests on these four foundations:

Familiar and Easy to Use Microsoft software, which is used by a majority of government workers, is familiar and accessible to people at all levels of your organization, as well as to your colleagues and citizens. From applications for public sector employees to systems and infrastructure solutions for IT professionals, Microsoft software vastly reduces training time and makes your people more productive more quickly.

Widely Used and Supported Microsoft makes widely supported software, ensuring that our customers always find it easy to get the help they need to solve technical issues and have questions answered. In addition to Microsoft technical support services, a worldwide network of developers, support professionals, and thousands of certified partners means you always have access to the expertise you need.

Integration That Works Government agencies have a considerable investment in existing and legacy systems. To help protect that investment, Microsoft is committed to developing open, standards-based technology that easily integrates into mixed computing environments while also allowing organizations to connect disparate data sources. It is that flexibility—from mobile devices to desktop applications, from middleware to demanding datacenter workloads—that offers government enterprises the power to meet their mission and contain costs.

Software That’s Innovative At Microsoft, we are committed to developing software products that help government workers, citizens, administrators, and IT professionals reach their full potential. We continue to create new products that enable organizations to evolve and adapt to the growing complexities of government regulation, consumer demands, and the needs of industry sponsors and partners. Our commitment to and leadership in industry-standard technology such as Web services ensure that organizations that use Microsoft products have access to the widest possible array of technology partners and software platforms.

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“The Government of Andhra Pradesh, through the deployment of APOnline, has pioneered a Web-based citizen service delivery route that will truly bring the benefits of IT to the masses...We, along with Microsoft, delivered this all-encompassing and holistic portal, which has over 156 services, to the people of Andhra Pradesh.”

Tanmoy ChakrabartyVice President and Head

Global Government Industry Group Tata Consultancy Services Limited

People Harness ChangeHow Government Agencies Connect

The Impact of Software in Government

Is your organization ?

Government agencies demand the flexibility to harness change as a competitive advantage. Innovative software from Microsoft and a worldwide network of hundreds of thousands of partners provides a solid yet flexible platform to support existing needs and meet tomorrow’s opportunities.

Empowering people to thrive and succeed—working alone as well as together— is essential for success.

Moving forward, Microsoft is improving on the ways that people interact with software—from the more intuitive user experiences in the 2007 Microsoft Office system release and the Windows VistaTM operating system to advances in how system administrators can more securely and easily update and maintain hundreds of systems. Additionally, Microsoft has worked with industry leaders to develop and promote computing standards that ease the computer-to-computer interactions and integration that help drive the flow of information throughout government agencies.

At Microsoft, we are committed to developing software products that help people and organizations reach their full potential. We will continue to create new products that push the boundaries of what’s possible. Having spent more than U.S. $6 billion on research and development in the most recent fiscal year (FY05) and with a commitment to spend more than $40 billion during the next five years, Microsoft continues to lead the industry in software research. We are committed to advancing technology to better support and empower the way that people work, live, and play. Microsoft. Software for the people-ready business.TM

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To find out more about Microsoft solutions and programs for government, visit www.microsoft.com/government.

Looking to the Future

For more information, please visit www.microsoft.com/government.

© 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. Microsoft, Microsoft. Software for the people-ready business., and Windows Vista are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

0606 Part No. 098-105433