Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1435356
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 5 DECEMBER 2021 14 COMMERCIAL Maltese government aligns cross-agency work, connecting more than 23,000 public service employees with Microsoft 365 THE Malta Information Tech- nology Agency (MITA) drives information and communica- tions technology programs and initiatives aligned with the gov- ernment's vision of collaborative public service delivery. As part of these initiatives, and as a way to foster new ones, MITA imple- mented Microsoft 365 produc- tivity tools, such as Microsoft Teams and SharePoint Online. More than 23,000 public service employees across all ministries are now connected on a single platform. Thanks to stream- lined communication lines and process flows, employees can work faster and better toward enhancing citizen-centric ser- vices. As the primary delivery arm for information and communi- cations technology, MITA has been driving the government's transformational policies for more than 20 years. "MITA seeks out the most innovative initiatives to lead our country's ambitious transformation to- ward a first-class digital society," says Mariano Debono, Manager Software License Management at MITA. "As we deployed more and more programs, we need- ed a consolidated workplace to improve collaboration and ac- celerate service delivery, with security standards matching our government requirements." Building business resilience "Previously, due to security concerns, people could only ac- cess data and documents in-of- fice," explains Ivan Alessandro, CFO at MITA. "Thanks to the built-in security components of Microsoft 365, we can now ensure the same level of access in- and out-of-office while be- ing fully aligned with the strict requirements from the govern- ment. This proved instrumental during the COVID-19 lockdown for our teams to suddenly shift to remote work without jeopard- izing business continuity." Positioned to empower the entire public services body to adapt to challenges more quickly and efficiently, MITA also sup- ported the government when doctors faced difficulties meet- ing patients face to face. "Using Microsoft Teams, doctors can connect with patients and con- duct remote health checks," ex- plains Jonathan Cassar, CTO at MITA. "This has helped prevent congestion in health clinics, en- suring our citizens' safety and health." Lifting internal barriers to en- hance collaboration across min- istries More than 23,000 users across all ministries are now connect- ed on a single digital platform. "The single collaboration hub simplifies work and makes communication a lot quicker," says Cassar. "For example, we sometimes had to spend half the day travelling to attend one meeting with our ministry col- leagues on the Island of Gozo. These meetings can now be held remotely." The entire procurement pro- cess has also been streamlined. "We now start by creating a Microsoft Teams site with the respective entity, so all conver- sations and files are accessible to the team members in one place," adds Cassar. Co-author- ing files hosted on SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Busi- ness avoids having to access and rework older versions shared through email, and mitigates potential information gaps. "On average, our people save up to 30 minutes per day, allowing them to focus on added-value work that directly impacts the lives of citizens," he says. MITA is now examining po- tential extensions like Microsoft Power Apps and bots, while also looking into enabling Maltese court agencies to hold virtual hearings in Teams. "Microsoft 365 helps us elevate public ser- vice administration to the next level of excellence. It gives us this flexibility to instill a culture of continuous change and inno- vative implementations," con- cludes Debono. Microsoft 365 helps us elevate public service administration to the next level of excellence. It gives us this flexibility to instill a culture of continuous change and innovative implementa- tions.