Estonia to cooperate with Microsoft in implementation of cloud solutions

  • 2021-04-28
  • BNS/TBT Staff

TALLINN – The Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications signed memorandum of understanding with Microsoft, represented by Microsoft Estonia, to enable public sector organizations to continue to unlock the benefits of cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

The memorandum of understanding will support Estonian public services in accelerating the transition to digital government, improving cooperation and communication of government employees and innovating services to citizens, the ministry said in a press release.

"The consolidation and modernization of the government infrastructure will strengthen the benefits of cloud services for the entire public sector and, as a result, significantly improve the accessibility, safety and efficiency of public services for our citizens," Minister of Entrepreneurship and Information Technology Andres Sutt said. "Among our top priorities is ensuring compliant, safe and secure digital environment for all Estonian citizens," he stressed.

Cloud solutions have already been playing an important role in Estonian national cloud policy. "The ministry has launched and led several projects, in collaboration with Microsoft, aimed at leveraging benefits of cloud. The most recent example is #krattAI, a network of AI enabling citizens to use public services via virtual assistants, through voice-based interaction in fluent Estonian," Sutt added.

"Estonia has a strong track record of digital-first governance and future-oriented policies which foster a strong offering of digital public services, a vibrant startup ecosystem and tech entrepreneurship. At a time where organizations of all kinds are looking to harness the power of digital transformation, it is encouraging to see the Estonian government opting for our Azure cloud and AI to accelerate the transition of e-Estonia to the cloud to benefit all citizens," Ralph Haupter, head of Microsoft's Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) markets, said.

"People value the freedom of using digital services and cloud solutions are an integral asset in making them broadly accessible and easy to use for all. Microsoft is committed to working with our partners in helping drive digital transformation for people and organizations around the world," Haupter added.