SOCAR, Microsoft sign strategic treaty
Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR has signed Microsoft Enterprise Agreement, Trend news agency reported.
Strategic partnership with the corporation and signing of a long-term license agreement in the framework of the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement corporate licensing will help enhance the effectiveness of the state oil company's operations, provide the restructuring of the information environment using cutting-edge technologies, facilitate management and demonstrate commitment to the concept of intellectual property protection. It should also be noted that the licensed software project is operated by Softline, which holds the status of Microsoft Large Account Reseller in Azerbaijan, Microsoft said on Monday.
The licensed software supplied under the agreement will cover the software platform for the entire computer framework of tSOCAR. As a Microsoft Large Account Reseller, Softline is capable of working with large companies (over 250 personal computers) on special licensing terms. It guarantees that the client is serviced by certified specialists, who will not only provide advice on selection of software, but will also suggest the most optimal and cost-effective licensing methods.
This Agreement will enable SOCAR to reduce the overall cost of owning licenses. Contractual payments will be made in yearly installments, which will allow avoiding lump-sum investments in software acquisition. Microsoft-based standardization leads to significant cost cutdowns in user training and support, while the client is able to fully control software acquisition costs. In effect, the license costs per personal computer remains the same throughout the agreement term. The client also gets an opportunity to use Microsoft's latest product versions (Software Assurance licensing model), and does not need to keep track of upgrades, which leads to reduction of administrative costs and not planned expenses for purchase of new versions of software products.
"State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic is moving rapidly towards introduction of IT-technologies in oil and gas industry, while paying a great deal of attention to developing its own IT infrastructure and ensuring a proper level of information security. Regarding this, it was essential for us to sign an agreement with Microsoft Corporation under the Enterprise Agreement program, which provided additional assurances of our sustainability as perceived by partners and global community. We take the quality of the software we use very seriously. As we expand the range of counterparts in various countries, we need to be certain that, our company's level will meet all global criteria and standards," head of the IT and Communications Department of SOCAR, Inayat Huseynov, said.
"The Republic of Azerbaijan, having shown a firm economic growth rate over the past years, is working its way towards further development, from a resource-intensive economy to a new technology-based economy. We are very pleased that the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic places its strategic focus on Microsoft, implementing our platform as an information standard for its production activities. Microsoft technologies enable the national industry leader to manage its business processes in a more effective and flexible manner, and will enable environment for dynamic growth of business both inside and outside the Republic of Azerbaijan," Aleksey Reshtenko, General Manager, Central and Eastern Europe, Microsoft, said.
"We are glad of this cooperation opportunity and hopeful that the Agreement signed will enable the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic to help Azerbaijan further reinforce its regional leadership. We are certain that an Agreement of this scale will also have a positive impact on the overall intellectual property protection situation in the country. It is very pleasing indeed to realize that the national industry leader places such a strong focus on protection of copyright and information security, thereby setting the tone for others," Rufat Hajialibayov, General Manager, Microsoft Azerbaijan, said.