Expansion of Government Security Program Enables Greater Level of Cooperation,
Transparency and Interoperability by Giving Governments Access To Microsoft
Office 2003 Source Code
PARIS, Sept. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- As a result of the ongoing
success of the Microsoft(R) Government Security Program (GSP) and positive
feedback from governmental entities, Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) today
announced it will offer access to the source code of its flagship desktop
offering, Microsoft Office 2003, as part of the GSP. Building on the existing
GSP Windows(R) source offering and the availability of Microsoft Office 2003
XML Reference Schemas announced last year, the Government Shared Source
License for Office gives qualifying national governments and international
organizations access to source code and technical information about Office
2003. The British government is one of the first to participate in the program
and gain the benefits of increased transparency and interoperability of
Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office 2003 products.
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"Microsoft's collaborative approach and source-code access have
demonstrated a deeper level of commitment to our ongoing collaboration," said
Dr. Steve Marsh, director of the Central Sponsor for Information Assurance in
the Cabinet Office. "The release of this source code will help the U.K.
Government understand the security implications of the Office productivity
suite and aid secure deployment in a wide range of scenarios."
Introduced in January 2003 as an extension of the successful Microsoft
Shared Source Initiative, the GSP is a no-fee global program tailored to
address the specific information technology requirements of governments. The
GSP promotes increased communication and collaboration between program
participants and Microsoft, providing opportunities to visit Microsoft's U.S.
development facilities in Redmond, Wash., and review various aspects of
Windows and Office source-code development, testing and deployment processes.
GSP participants also discuss existing and potential projects with Microsoft
experts and provide feedback directly to Microsoft staff. Access to Windows
2000, Windows XP, Windows Server(TM) 2003, Windows CE and now Office 2003
source code, along with additional documentation, and training and technical
engagements through the GSP, improves governments' trust in the transparency
and interoperability of Microsoft products. To date, more than 30 countries,
including Australia, China, Norway, Russia, Spain and the United Kingdom, have
signed GSP agreements. Government agencies from more than 60 countries are
eligible for participation in the GSP.
"At Microsoft, we view governments that utilize our software as trusted
partners. The addition of Office 2003 to the GSP demonstrates our continued
commitment to collaborating with governments all over the world to deliver
solutions that address their unique and specific IT needs," said Jonathan
Murray, vice president and chief technical officer of Microsoft EMEA.
The addition of Office 2003 source code to the GSP and the Microsoft
Office 2003 XML Reference Schemas license is integral to Microsoft's efforts
to address data exchange and integration needs of governments throughout the
world. In November 2003, customers were able to acquire deeper information
exchange and interoperability benefits when Microsoft made broadly available a
royalty-free license for the Microsoft Office 2003 XML Reference Schemas and
accompanying documentation. Microsoft Office 2003 XML Reference Schemas
licensees benefit from more readily available data identification within
documents, ease of report generation and document assembly from existing
content, and extraction of existing data for automated processing. Microsoft
Office Professional Edition 2003 enables government organizations to increase
the value of information, enhance employee productivity and realize a greater
return on investment.
Additional information about the GSP is available on Microsoft's Shared
Source Initiative Web site, http://www.microsoft.com/gsp . More information
about the Microsoft Office 2003 XML Reference Schemas can be found at
http://www.microsoft.com/office/xml/default.mspx .
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services
and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
NOTE: Microsoft, Windows and Windows Server are either registered
trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other
countries.
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