Microsoft Stimulus360 Provides Public Sector Organizations with Advanced Capabilities to Track, Measure and Share Information on Economic Stimulus Programs
Stimulus360 to Help Improve Government Transparency and Collaboration Using Already Available Technology
REDMOND, Wash., May 4 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of Microsoft Corp.'s ongoing efforts to help government organizations become more open and transparent, the company today unveiled Stimulus360 (http://www.microsoft.com/government/stimulus360), a Microsoft SharePoint-based solution that can quickly and easily help public sector agencies track, measure and share information about stimulus-funded projects through hosted or on-premises offerings.
Every level of government -- federal, state and local, and educational organizations -- are involved in implementing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). To help these organizations more effectively track and manage all aspects of stimulus-funded projects, Microsoft developed Stimulus360 to provide greater transparency and accountability across multiple jurisdictions, allowing agencies to track and manage projects through graphical dashboards, maps and analytics. Stimulus360 integration features allow leaders to communicate directly with other jurisdictions and citizens, facilitating collaboration, increasing transparency and satisfying reporting requirements. In addition, all actions and events are automatically captured as workflow history, enabling informed response and establishing greater accountability at every point in a stimulus program's life cycle.
"Stimulus360 provides a tool that governments can immediately use to meet the specific and often complex requirements of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act," said Gail Thomas-Flynn, general manager of Microsoft's state and local business. "It helps manage the details and coordination required while, most important, allowing leaders to focus on implementing projects that will create jobs and promote economic recovery."
U.S. states, cities, and localities can begin to deploy Stimulus360 as they prepare for direction from federal officials on how to comply with a number of complex requirements for receiving and disbursing stimulus funding. Stimulus360 seeks to simplify this process by centralizing information, including legislative and regulatory links, necessary report templates, and a news feed to help keep users informed on the latest stimulus-related developments. Built-in performance metrics are based on official government guidance and requirements and can be customized to the unique needs of each organization. Stimulus360 also comes equipped with geospatial features that link data to mapping capabilities, providing a visual view of project status, while analytics allow users to access valuable intelligence such as job creation by city or the impact of projects in rural areas.
Customers can deploy Stimulus360 on premise, using their own hardware and networks, or in a hosted model. The solution has an intuitive interface and easily integrates with familiar Microsoft Office applications.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
