Transparency drives change

In 2020, on UN International Anti-Corruption Day, Microsoft launched ACTS, our Advanced Cloud Transparency Services initiative, to help government agencies accelerate transparency so they can better address corruption. Since then, we’ve collaborated with Microsoft partners to assist governments worldwide in identifying opportunities with the potential to improve governance and build trust.

We believe that data rests at the center of promoting government growth, progress, and success. By improving the structure of that data and access to it, we’ve helped drive transformative change for societies, governments, and people. In doing so, we’ve also learned some valuable lessons.

Be proactive

Numerous governments have institutions and practices in place to react to situations. Our goal is to help them take the next step in moving towards proactive risk identification, no matter where they are in their digital transformation journey.

By focusing on the power of data analytics, the cloud, AI, and machine learning, we can help governments achieve a 360-degree understanding of their data, helping them identify patterns and expose red flags that warrant further review or investigation.

Recognize the power of partners

To accomplish this requires partners. Local partners build and support the solutions, and they provide the needed hands-on training. Our partners also provide language support and, oftentimes, have already established relationships with the government departments. 

Collaborating with Microsoft Research and our partners, we’ve developed proof-of-concept solutions that model innovative technical approaches for solving the most pressing issues. Governments have responded positively to this practice. There’s a vast difference between being told about a solution versus seeing the solution’s benefits in action. We’ve followed this practice numerous times, and we’ve seen a significant impact on how customers respond and embrace the solutions.

Open new doors

Sometimes, working on one project with a government opens the door to the discovery of new opportunities, like what happened with a previous proof of concept we developed. In that instance, one solution revealed a need for another—competitive bidding on government contracts. In response, we customized a pricing catalog to detect potential irregularities. The catalog uses historical data and AI to outline fair-market price ranges for projects. It’s a perfect illustration of how the power of insight can reveal added value. 

Bring it all together

ACTS brings Microsoft’s compliance and security capabilities to the latest innovations in data analytics research, enabling us and our partners to help solve some of government’s toughest challenges. We bring technical expertise and data analytics techniques. Our partners act as the integrators with government processes and systems as needed. Together, we develop scalable solutions using the power of Microsoft Azure and other Microsoft services, which focus on data mobilization and innovative insights that enable increased transparency and build citizen trust. 

The road ahead

Much work remains ahead of us. We believe that by combining our key learnings and innovations with our network of local partners and advocates, we’ll establish a new level of data transparency. In the years ahead, we’ll continue to expand our technology solutions with innovative applications that enable proactive and responsive solutions.

It’s an endless road of challenges and possibilities ahead, and we look forward to the journey. Let’s build a brighter, more transparent future together.