TMCnews Featured Article

HP Enterprise Services is the next company to announce it will be moving some of its services into the cloud. HP announced that it was awarded a five-year contract with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that would supply users with department-wide e-mails and other online services.

The $36 million investment will give over 600,000 VA users access to Microsoft (News - Alert) Office 365 – letting them login from anywhere in the world, gaining access to their documents and data. This contract was designed to help modernize the departments’ technology and take them to the next level.

“VA is moving to cloud-based e-mail and collaboration as part of a broader effort to leverage emerging technologies to reduce costs, increase efficiencies and, most importantly, improve service deliver to our nation’s veterans,” said Charles De Sanno, executive director, Enterprise Systems Engineering, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

HP confirmed that it would provide a separate cloud-based community for the VA department, in an official statement. HP explained that the VA would get access to all of the same programs to improve productivity and eliminate excess costs – but within the safety of its own bubble.

In simple terms, Office 365 is Microsoft’s answer to a cloud-based productivity suite. Instead of traditional software, which needs to be downloaded onto a computer, with limited access to the documents – Office 365 is a subscription-based plan that allows users to gain browser-access to programs such as Microsoft Access, Excel, Word, and other business productivity suite programs. Both HP and the VA are excited about implementing this new technology and helping the veterans work more seamlessly together.

“The VA needed to transform into a 21st century organization that could enable employees to collaborate more effectively,” said Marilyn Crouther, senior vice president and general manager, U.S. Public Sector, HP Enterprise Services. “Together with the VA and Microsoft, the HP team will modernize the VA’s communications infrastructure while lowering costs and setting the stage for other U.S. government agencies to enter the cloud era.”

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO Miami 2013, Jan 29- Feb. 1 in Miami, Florida.  Stay in touch with everything happening at ITEXPO (News - Alert). Follow us on Twitter.