Federal, State and Local Agencies Say Microsoft's SharePoint Technologies Have
Increased Employee Efficiency and Decreased Worker Communication Costs
WASHINGTON, March 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In conjunction with the
opening of the Federal Office Systems Expo (FOSE) 2002 in Washington, D.C.,
Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) is highlighting two versatile technologies for
fostering communication and collaboration among knowledge workers in
government agencies.
(Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO )
Faced with an ever-present pressure for belt-tightening and a growing need
to be more responsive and agile, government agencies are looking to
Microsoft(R) SharePoint(TM) technologies as an answer. SharePoint Team
Services (an ad hoc team Web site solution) and SharePoint Portal Server (an
enterprise portal solution) are designed to give individual users or entire
organizations the ability to organize information, readily access that
information, manage documents and enable efficient collaboration, all in a
familiar, browser-based solution that integrates with Microsoft Office and the
Windows(R) operating system.
Several government agencies have adopted these technologies and report
benefits such as increased productivity and efficiency, more frequent and
speedier communication, and decreased costs associated with long-distance
telephone calls and meeting travel. On the federal level, the U.S. Joint
Forces Command has selected SharePoint Portal Server as the cornerstone for
knowledge management for the Millennium Challenge. The challenge, conducted
every two years, allows the military to test all its systems and resources,
including hardware, software and personnel. SharePoint is the portal for the
entire command and control layout, and is used to keep track of commanders'
actions, such as special instructions for the day or orders for military
aircraft. All military personnel connected to the command and control center
have a SharePoint Portal user interface.
"SharePoint Portal is being used by the military for collaboration,
allowing people to access and share documents at any time, from anywhere,
rather than needing to assemble for specific meetings," said Randy Schmidt,
the account executive at Microsoft who designed the solution for the
Millennium Challenge. "It is the glue that gets personnel together."
According to the Department of Defense, because the system is so simple
and standardized, the portal has required less manpower to staff than
expected.
At the state level, the city of Fayetteville, N.C., is using a SharePoint
Team Services Web site as a central clearinghouse where employees can post
announcements, coordinate calendars, share documents and assign tasks.
"There's so much happening now, and we're expected to do much more with fewer
people," said Jason Brady, public information officer for Fayetteville. "For
example, citizens now can -- and want to -- access government information at
the drop of a hat. When citizens have those expectations, local governments
must respond. We're working to increase our efficiency, because we understand
that people require that of us."
Fayetteville's project manager uses the SharePoint Team site to post
projects and assign tasks to various employees. And Brady uses the site to
track state and national legislation and post summaries of laws that
potentially could affect the city. "The city's SharePoint Team Services Web
site is one of several things that helps us do our jobs a whole lot better and
a whole lot more efficiently," he said.
According to Trina Seinfeld, product manager for SharePoint at Microsoft,
SharePoint Team Services can be particularly beneficial to government groups
because of the cost and productivity savings associated with its use. "There's
no denying that people demand more of government these days," she said.
"SharePoint technologies can help governments meet these demands by fostering
better and speedier communications inside and outside organizations, allowing
employees to focus on the important tasks at hand."
About SharePoint Team Services
SharePoint Team Services from Microsoft enables businesses to create a
secure and private work space on the Internet, where team members can get the
information they need to make better decisions. Team members can share
documents, create a group calendar, set up a contacts directory and conduct an
online discussion -- whatever an organization needs to get the job done.
SharePoint Team Services enables organizations to easily manage group
activities, get members of their teams working together more effectively, and
find a better, more efficient way to share information and complete projects.
About SharePoint Portal Server
Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server 2001 extends the capabilities of
Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office by offering knowledge workers a
powerful new way to easily organize, find and share information. SharePoint
Portal Server delivers dramatic new value as a single solution that combines
the ability to easily create corporate Web portals with information
aggregation, content searching and document collaboration features.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services
and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company
offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people
through great software -- any time, any place and on any device.
NOTE: Microsoft, SharePoint and Windows are either registered trademarks
or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. 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.
SOURCE Microsoft Corp.
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