We are truly living in a dynamic era, one in which the IT world is changing, governments’ utilisation of IT is changing worldwide and businesses are changing how they come to market by using IT as an enabler for success.
Microsoft understands that we live in a non-homogenous IT world where with the development of open source, cloud, service-based technologies, bandwidth improvements are all factors that influence how we conduct our business. Within this scenario, one clear certainty is that governments and agencies that are thriving are the ones truly embracing change.
The strategic partnership announced a few days ago between the government and Microsoft is a highly important one. It is also very meaningful for Microsoft. Besides seeing Malta chosen by Microsoft for the setting up of a unique and prestigious cloud-based innovation centre, this newly-announced agreement will see Microsoft and the government collaborating together to enable Malta, as possibly the smallest EU state, to have the greatest impact within the European Union as we drive towards a communal centre of excellence by 2015.
Our approach to supporting governments is based on a holistic vision through three key elements namely efficiency, citizen engagement, job creation and opportunity. Each element helps drive national agenda and global competitiveness index. This is clearly in line with the government’s vision and is one of the reasons we believe in the success of this partnership.
To drive this vision at a local level we at Microsoft have put together a plan for the years ahead. This will involve the launch of our innovation centre, further efforts to support education through our partners in learning programme, advanced IT curriculum and a student option offering in September, where we will be driving subsidised productivity tools throughout the country.
What is the Microsoft Innovation Centre and why was Malta chosen for this strategic investment? This innovation centre will be unique and focused on bringing the latest technology to the island driven by the cloud, a centre that will act as a catalyst for transformation, innovation and excellence and running parallel to MITA’s three strategic drivers through job creation, support of education and development, and technology training.
This is an investment which we are not taking lightly. Suffice to say that through this centre, we will be joining a selective infrastructure of Microsoft Innovation Centres around the world which have seen 1500 start ups in the last 12 months alone and trained and certified over 125,000 individuals. The choice of Malta has been possible due to the fact that albeit small in size, Malta but has the desire to drive innovation. Facts confirm Malta as having ranked first in EU eGovernment Benchmarking in 2010, ranked fifth highest in the percentage of employees with ICT skills in Europe and ranked fourth among European countries in terms of eSkills activities by the government.
Our future plans include working closer with our local partners to cater to government’s needs where issues like data security, privacy and reliability are non-negotiable. We will also be collaborating with the open source community to support not just government’s position but our position on open standards and lastly will continue to proactively act through what we feel is our social responsibility to make a difference.
All these elements are crucial so that Malta can embrace further innovation. It is going to take work, dedication, and commitment to maintain and enhance our position as eGovernment leaders. But together, we have the necessary tools, technologies, resources, R&D, commitment from the government to its country, and ultimately the people both in to make this happen. Let us leverage the $9.6 billion Microsoft has spent in R&D for cloud computing, $2.3 billion in infrastructure. To anyone who has an innovative idea, let’s bring it to reality together.
The World Economic Forum, in a report on global competitiveness, has recently confirmed that Malta is a country which is innovation driven. Only 20 per cent of the countries fall within this category including the US, Switzerland, Japan, the Netherlands and the UK. We achieved this despite the fact that our market is so small.
This is why I am proud to be a part of this country and even more proud of where we are going with this partnership.
Together with the government and the continued dedication from the local Microsoft team here in Malta, we look forward to enabling the next generation of workers, entrepreneurs and citizens in realising their, and Malta’s full potential and hence why Microsoft has chosen our country to invest in and impact the local community.
Together, through this strategic partnership, let’s take this momentum and drive it to execution; let us be future builders; let us enable the smallest country to have the greatest impact.
Ms Zammit is country manager, Microsoft Malta.