Microsoft Jordan today announced that it will focus its efforts this year on improving the IT capabilities of the health and educational sectors, as part of Microsoft’s ongoing commitment to fueling Jordan’s economic growth and competitiveness.

Microsoft will work hand-in-hand with the Government, educational and health entities as well as various private sector organizations to cater to the IT needs of schools, universities, hospitals, clinics and other related organizations and institutions.

Mrs. Rula Ammuri, Microsoft Jordan Country Manager, stated: ”One of our key objectives for 2010 is to cater to the needs of two of the most important sectors in Jordan—education and health. These two sectors are in need of modernizing their IT infrastructures in order to better serve the citizens of Jordan. We will work alongside the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education to develop solutions that will help improve the processes, accessibility and provision of information, in addition to developing the IT skills of the personnel of Jordan’s health and educational sectors.”

Microsoft’s objectives and plans for 2010 also entail strengthening and expanding the company’s partnerships with the local ICT sector as part of its commitment to the National ICT Strategy of Jordan and in line with the vision of His Majesty King Abdullah II.

Ammuri stated, “As a local company that is staffed by Jordanians, we are determined to contribute to the development of the ICT sector in Jordan, in line with His Majesty King Abdullah’s objectives and the National ICT Strategy that envisions making Jordan an ICT hub for the region. We fully support the vision of the strategy and believe that the objectives of increasing internet penetration to 50%, increasing ICT sector employment to 35,000 and increasing IT contribution to the Kingdom’s GDP to JD3bn are very realistic and we will continue to play a key role.”

Ammuri stated, “We will continue to provide the IT sector with the opportunity to grow and develop by helping private and public sector organizations increase their productivity and efficiency whilst at the same time reducing their costs. We will also be placing an added focus on providing solutions for small and medium sized businesses, providing them with the means to innovate, save money and continue to grow during this tough economic climate.”

She added, “We will also be placing further emphasis on generating awareness of the activities of the Microsoft Innovation Center that aims to provide the local community with programs and services that will help improve education, expand workforce skills, create jobs and strengthen innovation.” Since becoming the first multinational technology corporation to establish a presence in Jordan in 2000, Microsoft has worked hand-in-hand with the Government to help build skills, drive education and enhance the overall Jordanian economy. Ammuri stated, “We strongly support and believe that Public Private Partnerships in the ICT sector can be a driving force for the economy and that is why we are working closely with the Government to help the Jordanian economy and society thrive and grow in alignment with the National ICT Strategy of Jordan.” Microsoft Jordan renewed its Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) with the Government in November 2009 which highlights the investments that Microsoft Jordan will embark on and the various Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (MoICT) projects that Microsoft Jordan will support.

Ammuri stated, “This latest partnership agreement proposes a solution that will touch on all pillars addressed in the National ICT Strategy, providing online access to the Internet through a specialized device, providing online services through a software + services model built on a private cloud, and providing knowledge transfer of content creation. This national offering will drive the growth of an ecosystem around it, to ensure its success, thereby creating more jobs, skills and revenue for the sector.”

She added, “Our Strategic Partnership Agreement with the Government will help to significantly increase revenues and employment within the sector, increasing Internet penetration and provide the local IT ecosystem with the opportunities to grow and develop. Our partnership agreement will also help to further develop local ICT skills, enhance education through the increased usage of IT in public and private schools, attract investments to the Kingdom and create and share knowledge.” Since the first SPA was signed in 2000, Microsoft has made considerable investments in the Jordanian IT sector whether directly as a sponsor of an MoICT program, or indirectly through IT skills development training provided by the Microsoft Innovation Center. Microsoft Jordan is also expecting to renew its Enterprise Agreement with the Government shortly that will cover the maintenance of the licenses for scores PCs at more than 120 government entities, in addition to training government employees and providing consultancy to the government. This agreement also covers the Jordanian Armed Forces, Jordanian Air Force and the Greater Amman Municipality. These entities have a variety of products deployed including desktop operating systems, productivity software, client access to services and the supporting server platforms, each in its own capacity and as required by their infrastructure and applications. Another priority for Microsoft is its commitment to fighting software piracy. Microsoft is working with the Government, the Business Software Alliance (BSA), partners and other international and local IP holders in the Kingdom to ensure that the enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) is properly implemented.

Ammuri stated, “The piracy rate in Jordan is 58%, compared to 59% percent regionally. This rate has dropped 2% and it is the first time Jordan is below the regional average. This is thanks to the Government’s hard work in fighting piracy and its adoption of strong and comprehensive IP laws.”

She went on to say, “There is still a long way to go and we do not expect piracy to vanish overnight, however, we will work with the necessary entities, media representatives and other influencers to spread the message and demonstrate that proper respect for IPR is of considerable benefit to the local community and the Jordan economy as a whole, not simply for the benefit of international organizations.”

Ammuri also announced that Microsoft has a number of new products that it will be launching this year including a new version of one of its most popular products, Microsoft Office 2010, in addition to Exchange Server 2010 which is the cornerstone of Microsoft’s unified communications technologies, and its business collaboration platform SharePoint 2010.

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