Microsoft and Oman-based think tank Tawasul hosted a four-day Microsoft Social Entrepreneurship Program (SEP) for NGOs on Office 365 in Muscat.

The training session, an initiative by Microsoft Oman, was held at the National Business Center.

It was aimed at promoting social entrepreneurship best practices; and providing intensive training to a group of social entrepreneurs on basic ICT knowledge, soft skills and capabilities to help them engage in projects that are both sustainable from a resource perspective and useful for the Omani community.

Sheikh Saif Hilal Al Hosni, business development manager, Microsoft Oman, said: “We are excited to introduce NGOs and Social Enterprises in Oman to Microsoft’s Office 365 and empower them with needed skills enabling them to spend fewer resources and time on IT and focus on their missions addressing social issues, such as education and literacy, environmental sustainability, and others.”

Sayyid Abdullah Jabr Al Busaidi, CEO of Qudrat, Tawasul’s Training Services Office, said: “We are honoured to partner with Microsoft and help them reach as many social entreprises as possible to provide them the skills and knowledge needed to boost their business performance to cope with the 21st century economy.”

He also emphasised the importance of partnerships with locally influential players in empowering the civil society in Oman through training, knowledge exchange and continued support.

Non-profits reported that the top four advantages of cloud computing are easier IT administration (79 per cent), cost-savings (62 per cent), improved collaboration (61 per cent), and data security (54 per cent), according to a study by Microsoft’s software donation partner TechSoup Global.

Oman Information Technology Authority (ITA) partook in the Social Entrepreneurship Program (SEP) workshop represented by managers from six Community Knowledge Centers.  

The programme consisted of workshops which addressed stakeholder’s engagement, goal setting and strategic planning, budgeting, branding, HR management and resources development.

“Non-profits operate in the same way as any other organisation or business, however many lack the resources to implement the latest technology” said Al Hosni.

“Given the increasing challenges facing non-profits around the world, it’s more important than ever to make sure they can access the advantages of cloud computing and drive even more social change in the world.”

The Office 365 for Non-profits provides the organisations ability to access information from virtually anywhere; collaborate easily: easy IT implementation; reliable and up-to-date technology. - TradeArabia News Service