ESRI, the leader in geographic information system (GIS) technology, was selected as one of two finalists for Microsoft's Public Sector, Government Partner of the Year award. The Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) Award recognizes partners that have developed and delivered exceptional Microsoft-based solutions. This new award honors partners that have delivered innovative solutions that address the unique needs of the public sector.

Microsoft and ESRI, a Gold Certified Partner, collaborated to develop a compelling joint offering directed at the growing data fusion center market. The Fusion Core Solution technology architecture incorporates ESRI's sophisticated ArcGIS technology and delivers a standards-based solution tailored to state and local intelligence and fusion center missions and practices and is interoperable with existing technology infrastructures. The Fusion Core Solution technology enables the fusion center team to immediately assess and model emergency situations on a dynamic electronic map. This reduces cycle times and offers decision makers much higher quality and actionable information.

"ESRI is honored to be acknowledged for its efforts in this important venue," says Russ Johnson, ESRI public safety industry manager. "We teamed with Microsoft to develop an integrated software solution to support data fusion centers that merge large volumes of disparate information into actionable intelligence."

Microsoft presents awards in a number of categories, and winners are chosen from a pool of nearly 2,000 entrants worldwide. For this award, Microsoft recognizes the most valuable public-sector partner in delivering Microsoft solutions to its mutual customers during the past year. ESRI is the only GIS vendor to provide a complete suite of geospatial software solutions that can work as clients to the spatial extensions to SQL Server 2008. ESRI's applications, running on more than one million Windows desktops and millions of Web and Windows servers, provide the foundation for mapping and spatial analysis.

"Partners are the key to igniting business innovation through great technology as well as helping customers drive down costs," says Allison L. Watson, corporate vice president, Worldwide Partner Group, Microsoft Corp. "Congratulations to the 2009 WPC Award finalists who have demonstrated a superior level of expertise as well as a focus on delivering customer value. We look forward to seeing these partners fulfill their limitless potential as they continue to provide customers with world-class Microsoft solutions."

SYS-CON's First Annual Government IT Expo
SYS-CON Events announces the latest event in its innovative series of real-world technology conferences, Government IT Conference & Expo (GovITExpo), a 1-day deep dive into the new wave of Internet-based technologies that are changing the way that Federal agencies leverage, procure and utilize IT.

GovITExpo, which is being held October 6, 2009 in Washington, DC, builds on the success of SYS-CON's Cloud Computing Expo, the fastest-growing conference anywhere in the world devoted to the delivery of massively scalable IT as a service using Internet technologies. Data storage, security and software services are among the major themes of the technical program.

Tracks will cover Cloud Computing/Virtualization, SOA, and Security & Compliance.

According to the Washington Post, the U.S. Census Bureau is using Salesforce's cloud to manage the activities of about 100,000 partner organizations across the country. And the Defense Department's technology arm has already set up a cloud to let the military rent storage space or use remote software programs. Companies like online application provider NetSuite, have shifted their focus to federal sales, on the basis that what works for Enterprise IT can also work for Government.

There will be breakout sessions on the security issues that are unique to the Cloud, such as the crucial distinction between Private and Public clouds. There will be sessions too on the Data.gov vision of Vivek Kundra, America's first Chief Information Officer. Expert speakers from government and the software industry alike will be looking at issues such as the requirements for how companies can handle government information and how information can be most successfully shared by multiple clouds.