Microsoft successfully delivers major projects to government sector in the UAE and Oman

Microsoft has worked closely with local and federal government agencies in Oman and the UAE to help them develop world-class solutions to meet their aims of e-government.

With strong local presence and a developed partner network, Microsoft has provided expertise and support for a number of government projects, to deliver improved online services to businesses and citizens, and enhance internal processes and productivity.

Dubai Municipality has deployed Microsoft Enterprise Project Management (EPM) to provide advanced project management capabilities, enabling better planning, analysis, resource provisioning and management, knowledge sharing and enhanced reporting. The EPM solution serves over 100 IT staff at Dubai Municipality, with the solution set to expand to serve more personnel and other departments in the future. The deployment creates significant savings for Dubai Municipality in time, resources and paperwork.

Two major projects using Microsoft technology have been announced in Abu Dhabi. As part of the Abu Dhabi government's e-government initiative, Abu Dhabi's Department of Municipalities and Agriculture-Works (DMA-Works) launched a new web-based project management and collaboration solution based on Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server. The new solution allows DMA-Works, contractors, consultants and other stakeholders to collaborate, manage, monitor and plan all tasks for a specific project through an online portal, and is used to manage all of Abu Dhabi's public building and infrastructure work. The first project being managed using this system is the Sheikh Zayed Bridge Project, a major new transportation and infrastructure project for Abu Dhabi. The system also uses other Microsoft solutions, including Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Project Server 2003, along with engineering collaboration technology from AutoDesk.

The second project in Abu Dhabi is for the Abu Dhabi Holding Corporation (ADHC), the independent government body charged with developing the industrial sector in Abu Dhabi. All of the ADHC companies are now managed using Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains. This application provides ADHC with a single ERP system to manage all of its diverse operations, including modules to handle manufacturing facilities, in-depth analysis of financial data and to deliver the online solution to remote locations. Microsoft Great Plains has a high level of interoperability with other platforms, which allowed ADHC companies to deploy the ERP without having to change existing technology investments.

Microsoft has also been active in the Sultanate of Oman. The Omani Ministry of Education has deployed Microsoft Windows Server System for countrywide live communications and collaboration platform. This IT infrastructure allows the staff of the Ministry to connect with the teachers of all public schools across the Sultanate. Microsoft's presence in Oman and strong local support encouraged the Ministry to select Microsoft's technologies for this important public project.

"Microsoft Gulf strongly values our relationships with the governments of the United Arab Emirates and Sultanate of Oman," said Abdullatif Al Mulla, General Manager for Strategic Business Development, Microsoft Gulf & Pakistan. "We are very pleased to have been able to deliver major solutions to Dubai Municipality, Abu Dhabi's Department of Municipalities and Agriculture-Works, Abu Dhabi Holding Corporation, and the Omani Ministry of Education with tremendous success. These projects are great examples of the power of Microsoft technologies to deliver solutions that target key business requirements. Microsoft's local presence in the region gained us our customers' confidence to build their IT infrastructure, we look forward to continuing our partnership with them to meet their future growth."