Earlier this month the Government of Malta and Microsoft Corporation have signed a strategic partnership agreement consisting of a number of key initiatives covering the next five years. The agreement was signed by Hon. Austin Gatt - Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Communications on behalf of the Government of Malta and Mr. Jean-Philippe Courtois – President of Microsoft International on behalf of Microsoft Corporation, who came to Malta especially for this occasion.

The agreement is made up of a number of key initiatives, including educational programmes and initiatives and the setting up of a Microsoft Innovation Centre (MIC) in Malta focused on Cloud Computing with a seed investment of over €3 million by Microsoft and its partners.

The centre, expected to be operational towards the end of 2012, will strategically position Malta at the forefront of Cloud Computing and will provide unprecedented opportunities to ICT students, professionals, start-ups, software houses and others.

Hon Minister Gatt said that the time is right for Malta and the local ICT industry to step-up their game and have a clear strategy on cloud computing. “The setup of an innovation centre will be a critical enabler for the development of ICT competences in this technology and will nurture the development and proliferation of related solutions and services,” added Minister Gatt. Government is currently considering cloud computing as a way to improve its government-citizen interactions. The MIC will be fully-equipped with all the latest technologies and will incorporate a number of research labs, training areas and dedicated meeting rooms.

The official visit to Malta by the President of Microsoft International, Mr. Jean-Philippe Courtois, reflects the level of commitment towards Malta and is evidence of Microsoft’s recognition of Malta’s progress in the ICT field. As President of Microsoft International, Mr. Courtois drives strategic planning, global operations and key growth initiatives in developed and emerging markets. Mr. Courtois previously served as CEO and president of Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), where he led business planning and sales, marketing and services. Among his many notable accomplishments, significant improvements in customer satisfaction, enhanced regional integration and record sales growth stand out.

“I travel to more than 30 countries per year and see many cultures, governments and businesses. We’re seeing some exciting developments with governments embracing public and private cloud solutions around the world. Though we have several examples of large countries embracing cloud computing, there are not as many of these examples in the smaller developed countries and emerging markets.  Malta is in a position to be a showcase and role model in this area,” said Mr. Courtois. 

During his visit, Mr. Courtois also met with key executive partners from the local ICT industry.

The four main initiatives from the strategic Partnership agreement are the Microsoft Innovation Centre, the Software offer for students and teaching/academic staff members, Live@Edu and DreamSpark.

Microsoft Innovation Centre on Cloud Computing

100 Microsoft Innovation Centres exist worldwide. The first Microsoft Innovation Centre in Malta will focus on Cloud Computing and is expected to open towards the end of 2012. This entails a seed investment of over €3m by Microsoft and its partners. The Centre will offer services targeted towards start-ups, software development companies, system integrators, ICT professionals and students. The primary aim of the Centre will be to create a local skills base in Cloud Computing and stimulate the development of Cloud Computing Solutions for the global market. The Centre will provide:

• Highly technical training on Cloud Computing and business skills at a low cost;

• Access to state-of-the-art technology facilities and experts in Cloud Computing;

• Assistance to develop ideas into Cloud Computing solutions and launch in the market, not only locally but also off-shore;

• Opportunities to showcase prototype solutions on a global scale;

• Participation in networking and technology events.

Software for students and teaching / academic staff members at an affordable price

Students and teachers in state and non-state schools from Kindergarten level up to University level will be able to purchase Windows 7 Professional Upgrade and Office Professional 2010 at €79.79, 86% less than the current market price. This is the fourth initiative in a row wherein Government and Microsoft agree on a significantly reduced price on the latest software for the benefit of students and teachers. Registrations will open during first week of October.

Live@Edu

Educational institutions will be able to use free hosted, co-branded communication and collaboration services accessible through popular web browsers for Windows, Mac and Linux OS through Live@Edu, including:

• Microsoft Outlook Live – free hosted email with 10GB inbox and features allowing users to use instant messaging services including audio and video chats, application sharing, file transfers, access email and calendar from anywhere, protect email from spam and viruses, and more.

• Windows Live Skydrive - provides 25GB of free online storage, and allows users to easily store files online in a password protected environment, work with online documents from any device connected to the Internet, access additional rich features and more;

• Office Web Apps – provide 25GB of free online storage, and allow users to store, access, and share thousands of documents, photos and Microsoft Office files, access files from anywhere and collaborate on documents and other files with others.

DreamSpark3

Through Dreamspark, Maltese University and post-secondary students will be able to download professional Microsoft developer, designer and gaming software to advance their education in science, technology, engineering, mathematics or design, at no charge.

To access and use Microsoft software on DreamSpark, students need to have a PC with a Windows OS, internet connection, internet browser, and Windows live ID account. Students will be able to download and use one copy of every software that is available, including:

• Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Developer edition

• Microsoft visual studio 2005 professional edition

• Microsoft visual studio 2008 professional edition

• Microsoft expression studio 1.0

• Microsoft expression studio 2 Trial edition

• Microsoft windows server 2003 R2 standard

edition

• Microsoft windows server 2008 standard edition

• IT Academy student pass