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Doha – Qatar

The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MOTC) and Microsoft, have announced a new partnership that will accelerate the digital transformation agenda across Qatar with the selection of Microsoft Azure as its preferred cloud platform to achieve those goals.

The collaboration is considered by the two sides as a solid starting point for government entities and organizations in Qatar to embark on, or continue their digital transformation journey through Microsoft Azure, which is poised to set a strong foundation to revolutionize digital adoption and transformation in the country. Microsoft will continue to work closely with MOTC and further developments on this partnership will be revealed in the coming few weeks.

In the presence of HE Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Saif Ahmed Al-Sulaiti, Mr. Eng. Khalid Al Hashmi, Assistant Undersecretary of Cyber Security, MOTC, said, “We are pleased to reveal some highlights of this partnership today with Microsoft within the framework of the Government of Qatar’s endeavors to accelerate the delivery of nationwide digital transformation plan, drive innovation across all industries aiming to better serve citizens, residents and visitors, enhance competitiveness and Qatar’s ranking globally, as well as universally positioning Qatar free zones potentials in hosting such initiatives.”

“The Government is developing its vision for the future and providing plans that address the key elements of digital transformation. Through this partnership, we will be working jointly on developing capabilities in public and private sectors by upskilling and reskilling the workforce and we are confident our collaboration will speed up this momentum significantly, Eng. Al Hashmi added as he welcomes Mr. Michel van der Bel, President, Microsoft EMEA, at Microsoft booth during QITCOM at Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC).

The two parties said Microsoft will be working closely with MOTC, government entities and private sector organizations to empower them to achieve transformation in their services and technology infrastructure.

Microsoft Azure is compliant and helps customers in their journey to become compliant with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and it is certified for a large portfolio of international security and privacy standards some of which form the basis of Qatar government policies, including MOTC’s National Information Assurance, and the Cloud Security and Information Privacy Protection regulations. Microsoft is also committed to open source technology, as Azure supports a wide variety of languages, tools and frameworks, enabling the freedom to build, manage and deploy workloads and applications at scale.

“Microsoft is uniquely positioned to accelerate the Qatar National Vision 2030 and bring to life the transformative possibilities across its industries moving forward in the years ahead, particularly education, healthcare, transportation, logistics services, sports, and renewable resources replacing hydrocarbon resources,” said Lana Khalaf, Country Manager, Microsoft Qatar, in the presence of Mr. Michel van der Bel.

“Our offerings and the intelligent cloud platform are contributing to establishing Qatar as a hub for digital transformation and innovation across industries and organizations for driving growth and productivity through systems of intelligence, that are the pillars of digital transformation - engage with your customers, empower your employees, optimize your operations, and reinvent products and business models,” she added.

In addition to embracing Microsoft Azure, MOTC is also deploying Microsoft Office 365, thus further boosting it as a secure modern workplace. This is enabling the ministry to foster productivity, engagement, and seamless collaboration within its workforce, while implementing the highest security standards to protect against the evolving threat landscape.

Microsoft cloud services empower businesses across sectors and sizes to increase their competitiveness, contribute to economic growth and reach markets regionally and globally. Through this partnership, MOTC also sees Azure playing a vital role in advancing Qatar’s ecosystem and supporting revenue and job growth by empowering customers, partners, Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), and start-ups in the country - as they continue to harness the power of the intelligent cloud.