The CSP, a culmination of Microsoft’s partnerships, programs and projects conducted with governments over several years, was developed based on challenges faced by diverse government offices and different regions worldwide.

From London to Porto, Portugal, to all the municipalities of Denmark, governments of all sizes are using technology to interact with citizens in a variety of new and innovative ways. Microsoft has developed an applications framework upon which partners can build solutions that address specific government needs, including technical guidance regarding implementation and customization for use by both partners and customers. To date, more than 90 partners have signed up to build solutions on the CSP.

“The need for a platform like the CSP is clearly demonstrated by the response we’ve received from our partners,” said Ralph Young, vice president for the Worldwide Public Sector at Microsoft. “A common framework to build from allows partners to tailor their solutions to specific government needs and, after working with governments for the past several years on early versions of the CSP, it’s exciting to watch this community effort really start to pay dividends to both citizens and the governments that serve them.”

In Porto this week, the Local and Regional Government Solutions Forum will bring together almost 300 partners and customers to discuss the management challenges governments face and technology’s role in solving these issues. Some already have experienced how the CSP, in combination with a tailored partner solution, can increase efficiency, decrease costs and bring constituents and government closer together. Others will be coming to view firsthand how they can make further use of their existing technology investments by using them as part of the CSP rather than starting from scratch.

“E-government initiatives can be difficult to implement as resistance is generally high due to legacy and integration issues,” said A. Kaare Norgaard, CEO of Resultmaker A/S, the CSP partner on the implementation of Denmark’s sickness reimbursement program. “However, now the system is appreciated as the best example of e-government in practice, which simply demonstrates how installing a platform where parts already exist is half the battle, as is often the case with the CSP.”

CSP availability includes templates available for existing customers to download at no cost, bolstering their ability to do more with existing technology investments.