Microsoft's Natalia Boldyreva looks at how Office 365 can fundamentally transform how government work gets done
Government agencies of all sizes are facing increasing pressure to become more efficient, responsive, and accountable—even during a time of shrinking budgets. Today’s realities require local, state, and federal governments to make do with a limited number of resources as they work to respond to citizen requests and implement public policy in a timely manner.
Microsoft Office 365 can help governments transform themselves digitally by delivering familiar Office tools, video conferencing, instant messaging, rich presence information, shared workspaces, and social tools that leverage the anywhere connectivity benefits of the cloud. To help governments envision what’s possible, Microsoft recently released an online Government Office 365 Usage Kit. The kit helps federal, state, and local governments of all sizes get started with Microsoft’s cloud-based Office applications by showing them how Office 365 can improve productivity in some of the common scenarios they face.
Consider, for example, government inspectors who oversee projects in the field. Using Microsoft Surface and the OneDrive for Business app, field inspectors can easily open blueprints at on-site contractor meetings and edit these documents in teams. Using OneNote Mobile, they can take notes while visiting sites and then review them later in the day. They can also resolve issues as they arise by communicating with contractors via the instant messaging and video call capabilities of Skype for Business.
Another way in which Office 365 can help governments is by making it easier to hold virtual town halls. Virtual town halls can engage millennials who are more likely to click on a link that drive to a city hall meeting. And they can encourage greater participation among older citizens, who may not be mobile. Skype for Business offers a cost-effective for government officials to create a dialogue with citizens by sharing presentations, agendas, and notes with community members in real time.
Government employees can also use Office 365 to make data-driven decisions. For example, financial analysts can easily compare projects to see how they measure up with easy-to-interpret reports in Power BI. They can also use the powerful data analysis capabilities of Power Pivot and Excel to quickly compare the cost-effectiveness of projects. With the quick ability to analyze and compare projects, governments can focus on those initiatives that achieve the most benefit for the least cost.
These are just a few of the ways that Office 365 can transform the way work gets done in government. To learn more, please listen to our latest webinar Realising the full potential of Government Hubs.
Download our e-book Digital Transformation Skills for Government here