MICROSOFT
Microsoft
for Defense and Intelligence
“ Our focus is on delivering world-class capability and digital transformation to the international defence allied community ”
KATE MAXWELL CTO , DEFENSE & INTELLIGENCE WORLDWIDE PUBLIC SECTOR , MICROSOFT
She talks about Will Roper ’ s ‘ digital trinity ’ as a philosophy and is also insistent that “ antiquated , quite lengthy ” government acquisition is a problem to be fixed . “ It ’ s really hard to drive innovation at the speed of relevance when you have bureaucracy and red tape . But you also have to balance the need for speed with maintaining the integrity of the acquisitions process .
“ And then there ’ s cultural transformation . I mention all these digital models , but people are at the core of any transformation effort . We have to upskill the defense workforce , give them the right digital skills so they ’ re prepared to build and develop capabilities in new ways . We have to introduce design thinking into workplace processes so we can truly understand the customer and be a mission partner . I feel Microsoft is extremely well positioned to
260 March 2021