LISBON, Portugal, December 10 /PRNewswire/ --

- Event brings together more than 250 defence leaders from around the world to discuss technology benefits for peacekeeping, disaster response and public safety.

Today the NATO Communication Information Systems Services Agency, Microsoft Corp and the Ministry of Defence of Portugal welcomed worldwide defence leaders to the 2008 Defence Leaders Forum (DLF) in Lisbon, Portugal. The two-day event will assemble more than 250 armed forces operational and IT leaders from across NATO Partnership for Peace and Mediterranean Dialogue countries, as well as other nations supporting NATO operations, to discuss how nations and related organisations can enhance their national security-related operations through the use of technology, enabling greater information security, facilitating interoperability across diverse organisations and tearing down traditional barriers to collaboration and communication.

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Maintaining computer infrastructure and security across operations in our 26 member countries is highly complex, said Lieutenant General Ulrich H.M. Wolf, director, NATO Communication Information Systems Services Agency. The 2008 Defence Leaders Forum is an important event for facilitating discussion and sharing best practices around how technology can improve the many operations NATO is carrying out today. By sponsoring this DLF with Microsoft and the government of Portugal, we hope to improve technology collaboration among all participating nations.

Through collaboration on events such as the DLF, Microsoft is assisting NATO, participating nations and other organisations to address international security and disaster preparedness and response situations through its software innovation, strategic alliances and initiatives.

As part of our commitment to social responsibility, we are sponsoring the Defence Leaders Forum with the NATO Communication Information Systems Services Agency and the Ministry of Defence of Portugal to foster discussions about the role ICT can play in ensuring the safety and security of all citizens, said Ralph Young, vice president of Worldwide Public Sector at Microsoft. We believe that technology innovation can better equip these organisations to respond to crisis situations, by helping them to collaborate, organise, secure and save lives, and ultimately assist with their goals of lasting peace.

As a NATO alliance member, the government of Portugal's Ministry of Defence is hosting the DLF to help support strategic decision-making processes across the international defence community.

Over the course of the two-day event, defence leaders will participate in panel discussions focused on key operational and technology topics such as command and control, cyber defence, energy and security, and modelling and simulation. DLF participants will examine the role that information and communications technology can play in supporting a comprehensive approach, combining armed forces and civilian agency efforts in conflict resolution, peacekeeping and public safety initiatives for lasting peace and stability.

Collaboration for the Public Sector

Microsoft and the NATO Communication Information Systems Services Agency collaborate on several technology initiatives, including the DLF, to improve technology practices across public sector organisations. The NATO Communication Information Systems Services Agency is also a member of the Microsoft Interoperability Customer Executive Council, a global group of governments and leading corporations compiled to identify areas for further interoperability improvement across Microsoft products and the software industry as a whole.

Also, NATO Communication Information Systems Services Agency participates in several Microsoft programmes designed to improve the security and interoperability of the Microsoft platform. One such example is the Security Cooperation Program, which facilitates alliances with governments and organisations to help and be proactive about IT systems security, collaborating with Microsoft on security initiatives in key areas including computer incident response, attack mitigation and citizen outreach.

Other examples of how the NATO Communication Information Systems Services Agency works directly with Microsoft to suggest ways to enhance security for its purposes include the recent deployment of Windows Vista on parts of the NATO Unclassified Network, during which the NATO Communication Information Systems Services Agency worked with Microsoft to ensure a high level of compatibility with its internal applications as well as other commercial software the Agency uses.

For More Information

More information about the Defence Leaders Forum is available at http://www.microsoft.com/emea/presscentre/DefenceForum/default.mspx.

About NATO Communication Information Systems Services Agency

Connecting NATO! -- this motto sums up the main task of the NATO Communication Information Systems Service Agency, its mission being to connect NATO Headquarters and installations all over the world with telephone lines, computer networks and video installations. NCSA is composed of a central headquarters co-located to SHAPE, Mons, Belgium; 10 NATO Communication Information Systems Services Agency sectors that support their affiliated headquarters; two deployable NATO Signal Battalions; the NATO CIS School in Latina, Italy; and the NATO Programming Centre in Glons, Belgium. Permanently stationed on four continents, with a civilian and armed forces mixed staff of approximately 3,600 personnel from 22 nations, it is currently NATO's largest agency. More information about the NATO Communication Information Systems Services Agency can be found at http://www.ncsa.nato.int.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realise their full potential.

About Microsoft EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa)

Microsoft has operated in EMEA since 1982. In the region Microsoft employs more than 16,000 people in over 64 subsidiaries, delivering products and services in more than 139 countries and territories.

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