MICROSOFT TO CARRY OUT SEVERAL LARGE PROGRAMS IN ARMENIA

Yerevan, February 5. ArmInfo. The Microsoft Corporation will carry
out large investments in Armenia due to the Agreement on cooperation
with the Armenian Government, recently signed in Edinburgh, the Head
of Microsoft- Armenia, Grigor Barseghyan, told ArmInfo.

According to him, before the Agreement signing, the Corporation
had already implemented a number of serious investment projects in
Armenia, among which is the creation of Microsoft-Armenia. Moreover,
serious investments in Armenia may be also considered a localization
of Microsoft software, in particular, Windows XP and Windows Vista.

Issue of the Armenia version of this program is expected in summer or
early autumn. It is scheduled to complete the works for localization
of the office package Office-2007 during this year. The local "Biline"
Company is the executor of all these works.

Generally, the policy of Microsoft envisages that all the orders
are carried out not directly but by the local companies. As a rule,
the Microsoft software, sold for $1, return $6-8 of interest to the
local partners in one or another country.

According to G. Barseghyan, the agreement, signed in Edinburgh, with
the RA Government, where the problems of information technologies
were discussed from the viewpoint of their use for the development
of democracy, education and other aspects, can be conventionally
divided into three big blocks. The first is the educational block. The
Microsoft is ready to present a full package of training programs
for secondary schools and HEE of Armenia. This package also envisages
a publication of new school books on information science. Methodical
materials for teachers will be also prepared and an access to "on-line"
resources of Microsoft will be provided. It is scheduled to organize
a subscription to MSDN Academic Alliance. The subscription is a
full package of the Microsoft software for organization of training
processes. Thus, all the computers in HEE will be legalized.

Moreover, all the teachers and students will be authorized to use these
products on their home computers free-of-charge. This initiative will
allow to sufficiently reduce the level of piratical use of Microsoft
programs in Armenia.

The second block of the agreement envisages implementation of a system
of electronic government (E-government) in Armenia. The Corporation
obliges to provide the RA Government with full information about these
systems and to render a technical assistance for their implementation
and use.

The last block of the agreement is aimed at supporting the local IT
industry, which includes an education of local companies by trainings
and seminars, a certification, as well as a powerful marketing
support. This block also envisages to create an innovation center of
Microsoft in Armenia. This will be an office, where it is scheduled
to install computers with all the Microsoft platforms, technologies
and solutions.

In its turn, the RA Government has committed itself to acquire
new computers only with an original Microsoft license software and
to protect the Corporation’s copyright. According to Barseghyan,
a working group will be created within the frames of the Agreement,
consisting of the representatives of Government and the Corporation,
who will outline specific steps for the program implementation within
the frames of the Agreement.