MCA moves to Microsoft information management platform

The communications regulator has selected Microsoft Exchange and Sharepoint for its information management initiatives, allowing for substantial productivity gains due to faster information acquisition and processing.

Future growth, market change, complexity and the difficulty of managing several information silos within inflexible legacy systems were the main issues that were taken into consideration when choosing the new technology.

The Malta Communications Authority is an information-intensive organisation whose size and complexity of responsibilities and operations require a responsive and flexible information management environment, able to evolve to continually changing business requirements.

MCA chief information officer Steve Agius explained that the main reason behind the migration was a strategic decision to choose an environment which is scalable, resilient and cost-effective - one that would best be able to support the business now and into the future.

Norman Cutajar, manager at Computime Ltd, the Microsoft partner, said: "The project has gone very well. Not only was the migration fast and cost-effective but since the users were already familiar with Microsoft applications, minimal training was required."

Microsoft Malta country manager Pierre Mallia also pointed out that MCA's migration to a Microsoft platform would translate to operational IT savings in the region of 15 per cent. In real terms, the authority estimates that productivity gains can be quantified to around €750 per user per year. One other key strength is the better collaboration tool for remote workers.

The Microsoft platform provides seamless integration and functionality for MCA's employees which, in turn, helps the authority save on costs, increase opportunities to design and adopt new models of working, improve productivity, motivation and staff flexibility.

Based on the success of the project , MCA and Microsoft will shortly be releasing a formal case study which will be available online at www.microsoft.com.

The MCA is responsible for regulating all facets of Malta's communications sector, including electronic communications, radio, e-commerce, and postal service. It is also responsible for the implementation of initiatives that encourage citizens and businesses to embrace ICT as a key enabler of social and economic welfare.