The Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) renewed its partnership with Microsoft on the sidelines of the visit of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to the United States.
iGA Chief Executive (CE), Mohammed Ali Al Qaed, affirmed the importance of bolstering bilateral ties with the United States. He said that renewing the contractual agreement with Microsoft is intended to support national digitisation efforts, to enable full use of the company’s services, and to support economic growth, as per the Bahrain Economic Vision 2030.
Al Qaed affirmed that the contract renewal builds on a 23-year relationship with Microsoft, which saw the migration of the government’s email system to the national cloud, per an agreement signed in 2015, and other cloud-based services as per a 2018 agreement. This successful partnership has improved the efficiency of government services over the years.
Al Qaed affirmed the need to adopt advanced technologies in carrying out national projects and initiatives, adding that partnering with leading technology companies like Microsoft has been key to improving the end user experience and facilitating cooperation across the government’s various entities.
Microsoft Country Director in Bahrain and Oman, Shaikh Saif bin Hilal Al Hosni, affirmed the company’s support for the Kingdom’s digitisation efforts and its use of artificial intelligence. Microsoft will support the empowerment of public sector employees through training, and help the government provide innovative services to citizens and residents. He added that cloud computing and the Internet of Things offer great potential and can help the government in building a knowledge-based economy.
The agreement includes over 22,000 licenses for government employees, along with second and third-line technical support around the clock and various workshops. It also covers cloud computing services under the umbrella of the Microsoft 365 bundle, along with the flexible customisation of electronic platforms, applications that streamline the employees’ workflow, and strengthen data security.
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