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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