By Teresa Carlson, Vice President, Microsoft Federal
I usually focus on technology happenings in the federal space, but I wanted to quickly call attention to a very exciting announcement that the State of Minnesota made today. Minnesota’s Office of Enterprise Technology is moving the state’s communications and collaboration suite to the cloud in order to save money, expand capabilities, and improve operational efficiency. Below is a great Q&A with Gopal Khanna, Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Minnesota, that was posted on Microsoft’s Bright Side of Government blog. Gopal provides some insight into the strategic advantages cloud computing offers large public enterprises.
(Cross-posted from Microsoft’s Bright Side of Government Blog) By Gail Thomas-Flynn, Microsoft US State & Local Government Vice President & Gopal Khanna, Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Minnesota
How does Minnesota benefit from this agreement?
The Enterprise contract allows us to provide more efficient services to our customers at lower rates, whether they are consumed as a package or individually. At the same time with no upfront investment, it boosts our security, dramatically improves email capacity and allows for greater functionality, making it easier to move seamlessly between applications. Microsoft will also continually upgrade our applications to the latest versions as they become available at no cost.
The Enterprise contract allows us to provide more efficient services to our customers at lower rates, whether they are consumed as a package or individually. At the same time with no upfront investment, it boosts our security, dramatically improves email capacity and allows for greater functionality, making it easier to move seamlessly between applications.
Microsoft will also continually upgrade our applications to the latest versions as they become available at no cost.
From the CIO perspective, what are your key concerns when it comes to security/privacy?
As with any CIO, keeping our data private and secure is one of my top priorities. Microsoft was willing to work with us and tailor a plan to fit the State’s needs. Our data will be housed in a dedicated environment, with no access by other Microsoft customers and will travel directly through Minnesota’s secure network. The Minnesota Enterprise Security Office conducted a thorough review and found the service not only met our needs, but it provides the State with an instant upgrade to our security profile. The superior security architecture of the application platforms and the state-of-the-art physical security of Microsoft facilities enhance Minnesota’s commitment to improving data security.
As with any CIO, keeping our data private and secure is one of my top priorities. Microsoft was willing to work with us and tailor a plan to fit the State’s needs. Our data will be housed in a dedicated environment, with no access by other Microsoft customers and will travel directly through Minnesota’s secure network.
The Minnesota Enterprise Security Office conducted a thorough review and found the service not only met our needs, but it provides the State with an instant upgrade to our security profile. The superior security architecture of the application platforms and the state-of-the-art physical security of Microsoft facilities enhance Minnesota’s commitment to improving data security.
Scalability?
Scalability is one of the more appealing benefits of cloud. The “one size fits all” approach can make it difficult to serve government customers of all shapes and sizes. Our customers are only charged for the services they use and unique plans can be crafted to fit a large agency with thousands of employees or a small city with only a handful.
Why did you choose Microsoft?
In 2009, Governor Tim Pawlenty designated email a utility service for all executive branch agencies, and we signed an agreement with Microsoft to make Exchange our Enterprise Email platform. Earlier this year, all Unified Communications and Collaboration services became utility services for executive branch agencies, so we began to explore a dedicated cloud computing partnership with Microsoft, building off the original agreement. Microsoft was willing to work with us to meet our specific needs and develop a package to improve service levels, security and provide cost savings.
In 2009, Governor Tim Pawlenty designated email a utility service for all executive branch agencies, and we signed an agreement with Microsoft to make Exchange our Enterprise Email platform. Earlier this year, all Unified Communications and Collaboration services became utility services for executive branch agencies, so we began to explore a dedicated cloud computing partnership with Microsoft, building off the original agreement.
Microsoft was willing to work with us to meet our specific needs and develop a package to improve service levels, security and provide cost savings.
Beyond the measurable savings to the state, what type of impact will this agreement have?
Upon implementation, executive branch agencies will immediately reap the benefits of this agreement. The increased collaborative functionality will greatly improve efficiency, helping make Minnesota government more productive. The agreement also provides the State with the opportunity to partner with other units of government across Minnesota, so they can benefit from packaging these services as well.
Upon implementation, executive branch agencies will immediately reap the benefits of this agreement. The increased collaborative functionality will greatly improve efficiency, helping make Minnesota government more productive.
The agreement also provides the State with the opportunity to partner with other units of government across Minnesota, so they can benefit from packaging these services as well.
As the first state to adopt online hosting for your communications and collaborations applications, what is your advice for other states who are thinking about implementing cloud technologies?
It is no secret that states across the country are battling growing budget deficits. Governments are continually being asked to do more with less. Utilizing innovations and taking a collaborative approach to IT management will be key to creating a government model that is sustainable in the 21st Century. Cloud technologies provide states with a tremendous opportunity to save money and improve service efficiencies without massive upfront investment. They also allow for collaboration across multiple levels of government. In Minnesota, the BPOS suite of applications are now a utility service for all executive branch agencies, but we are actively looking for new cities, counties, school districts and other units of government to partner with, so they can realize savings as well.
It is no secret that states across the country are battling growing budget deficits. Governments are continually being asked to do more with less. Utilizing innovations and taking a collaborative approach to IT management will be key to creating a government model that is sustainable in the 21st Century.
Cloud technologies provide states with a tremendous opportunity to save money and improve service efficiencies without massive upfront investment. They also allow for collaboration across multiple levels of government. In Minnesota, the BPOS suite of applications are now a utility service for all executive branch agencies, but we are actively looking for new cities, counties, school districts and other units of government to partner with, so they can realize savings as well.
For the entire post, please visit the Bright Side of Government blog!