Microsoft seeks to contribute to Malta’s information society

In the few months since her appointment as Microsoft’s country manager in Malta, Adrianna Zammit has already landed an important agreement with the Maltese government and has very clear ideas on the local ICT industry and Microsoft’s enabling role in it. In an interview with i-Tech, Ms Zammit, whose Malta-born parents emigrated to the US, emphasises the role of education in ICT, promises support for the Maltese government in e-government and e-skills, but gives no confirmation of a move to SmartCity Malta.

What is your assessment of the ICT industry in Malta right now?

We are at a crossroads: we are either going to continue to work hard to maintain our advanced position in ICT or take the necessary steps to utilise ICT to leapfrog other countries in innovation, education and national competitiveness.

One of our strengths is where we are positioned from a global competitiveness perspective. Malta is strongly positioned in the EU to set the example for other countries when it comes to driving innovation in our everyday lives, from e-government to local IT businesses, leveraging various technologies like cloud computing.

There are always challenges or weaknesses for any individual, business or country to overcome. I would prefer to take a step back to education and students before they even get into the local ecosystem. So much more can be done to make science, engineering, and programming ‘sexy’, so to speak.

We need to bring the “it factor” to the profession by looking at everything from curriculum, training, corporate intern programmes and local perception. ICT should come to mind when a student is considering becoming a doctor or lawyer or any other profession for that matter.

The more students we have trained in this profession the more we can focus on research and development, start-ups, and innovation in our country.

It takes effort but there are reasons why. ICT is a profession in which you never stop learning. It is a profession which impacts how others live through technology, innovation and creativity, and is a profession that will continue to be in demand.

What is the relationship with the Maltese government right now?

We recently announced a strategic partnership with the government. This partnership is based on working together to understand what our country’s needs are as we drive towards a centre of excellence by 2015. We look forward to supporting the government in whichever way we can to enable it to maintain its leadership position in e-government benchmarking and e-skills. Our government is a crucial part of the make-or-break success of ICT in this country.

Will Microsoft open an office at Smart City Malta?

We are currently evaluating a potential move to accommodate our growth with the Microsoft Innovation Centre and Smart City Malta will be considered in this evaluation.

How does Microsoft view open source software?

There is a misconception when it comes to Microsoft and the open source community. Microsoft is open to openness and we have various initiatives in which we will be working closer with the open source community. For Microsoft, openness means that we will continue to invest in interoperability, open standards, portability, and providing a developers choice. Codeplex is our own open source forge, with approximately 20,000 open source projects.

This is not an issue of open source software or proprietary software, but a question of what best suits the users’ needs when factoring in variables such as security, reliability, efficiency, maintenance, up front and support costs, return on investment, ease of deployment, etc. In some cases we are going to compete, in other cases we are going to complement and enhance each other by providing a hybrid model.

Last year, the government published a white paper on the adoption of open source software. Did this have any effect on Microsoft’s operations in Malta?

This white paper published by the government is in line with our position and how we run our operations both locally and globally. We completely support the government’s position to evaluate all options and decision variables previously mentioned such as security, portability, and cost.

Copyright is an issue in Malta, with the Business Software Alliance, of which Microsoft is a member, saying piracy in Malta is 45 per cent, 10 per cent higher than the European average. Microsoft products, like Windows and Office, are prime targets of pirates. In the past, Microsoft Malta tried to tackle piracy and Microsoft software at nominal prices was made available through the agreement between Microsoft and the Maltese government. What are your plans to tackle this issue?

Software piracy is an issue. We are 10 per cent higher according to reports than the EU average, however it has improved significantly from the 1980s when piracy rates were in the upper 90 per cent percentile. In countries where practical laws are coupled with efficient enforcement, piracy rates are lower. Also, piracy begins to drop in markets where a strong IT industry is developing.

Globally we are focused on three areas when it comes to piracy: raising awareness of the public, developing advanced anti-piracy technologies, and enforcement.

From a local perspective we have hired an anti-piracy manager who is supporting our customers.  It is not about trying to play hardball, it’s about running one’s business and books in a compliant manner and working together to find a solution that best suits the companies’ needs. Various measures are now being taken to enable students and teachers in terms of government initiatives and education. One of these measures is the “Student Option 2011” where Office Professional 2010 and Windows 7 upgrade will be offered at a subsidised cost (86 per cent less than local market pricing). This will launch in September and the government expects around 20,000 students and teachers will benefit and take advantage of this offering.

We do not see pricing directly tied to pirated software, the issue has many more variables tied in, however we do believe in making products, software and productivity accessible, especially in our education space.

What do you think of the role of women in the ICT industry and in particular in Malta?

I am often asked this question but I never seem to notice that I work in a “male-dominated field”. It is something that I have adapted to accordingly. This also goes back to my comment of perception of students coming to the IT world. More can be done to encourage women to enter this field but at the end of the day I believe it is a matter of hiring the right person for the right job – regardless of their gender. Having mixed teams also offers a diversified perspective on complex issues. When I came on board nearly 50 per cent of our team locally were women.