/ NATO Agency Updates Website to Reflect Technology Expertise, Support Procurement
Overview
Country or Region:Belgium/Netherlands
Industry:Government agencies
Customer Profile
The NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency (NC3A) provides technology support for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It relies on many technology services and products from the private sector.
Business Situation
The NC3A needed to improve its website to better serve its NATO customers. It also needed to streamline web content management processes.
Solution
The NC3A chose Microsoft SharePoint 2010 for Internet Sites as the foundation for its new website, taking advantage of centralized content management, search, site templates, and interoperability with other systems.
Benefits
- Enhanced website appearance
- Streamlined development, management, administration
- Flexible, extensible platform
Steven Janis, Project Manager, NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency
The NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency (NC3A) of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) needed to improve its website to better reflect its position as the core NATO technology provider. The agency relied on an aging website platform that required a manual process for content updates. NC3A chose Microsoft SharePoint 2010 for Internet Sites as the foundation for a new website that provides prospective technology partners, NATO customers, and others with current information about the agency’s services. Using SharePoint 2010, the agency launched its new site in less than two months, has streamlined site management while expanding functionality, and has given content owners the tools they need to update the site easily. The solution is also highly interoperable, allowing the NC3A to incorporate electronic procurement and e-commerce capabilities in future phases.
Situation
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a 28-country alliance from North America and Europe that works to safeguard the freedom and security of its member countries through political and military means. The NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency (NC3A) supports NATO and its mission through the research, acquisition, and development of advanced technology. The agency was created in 1996 by combining the SHAPE Technical Centre and NATO Communications and Information Systems Agency; and, as the outgrowth of those groups, is at the center of NATO consultation, command, and control.
One of the main missions of the NC3A is to procure commercially available Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4 ISR) capabilities from more than 600 private companies, or business partners, who contract with NATO. The NC3A provides these C4 ISR capabilities to its “customers”—the NATO alliance and partner nations. NC3A purchases on behalf of its customers a range of C4 ISR products including computer hardware, software, and office machinery, as well IT support, engineering, and maintenance services for NATO commands. NC3A also provides a suite of services, and offers, through its Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) business partners, the ability for its business partners to purchase items from the BOAs for NATO projects.
The NC3A had outgrown its current website in light of its need to keep up with strategic projects. “We needed a better way to showcase our technical capabilities and innovation to prospective customers, and also, to more easily interact with our suppliers,” says Steven Janis, Project Manager at NC3A. The former NC3A site was largely static, wasn’t up-to-date with current NATO branding, and its search functionality was limited. “Our agency is the technical leader at NATO, but our site wasn’t conveying a leading-edge technology image. It was a very basic portal that used a lot of HTML code,” says Janis. “The site had very little wow factor.”
The former site provided basic information about the NC3A; information about the agency’s contractors, including contact details, descriptions of services offered, and pricing; an area for contractors to view requests for proposals (RFPs); and an area for customers to view prenegotiated NC3A BOA contracts with contractors from all 28 NATO nations. But to better facilitate interaction with customers and contractors, the NC3A needed to incorporate electronic procurement (e-procurement) and e-commerce capabilities. For instance, it needed to implement secure self-service tools that would allow contractors to update their information on their own and submit bids and respond to RFPs online. It also needed to enable customers to easily search for products and services based on their technology or business needs, and to make purchases online.
In addition, the agency wanted to raise awareness for and offer services and solutions alreadydeployed for NATO missions and commands to NATO alliance nations. “Essentially, we wanted to be able to have all of the NC3A business—from updating product and service information, to bidding, invoicing, and ‘reselling’—all go through the agency’s website,” explains Janis.
The agency made limited use of connection to file shares and databases to feed information to the site, but for the most part, the content updating process was manual and time-intensive. For instance, to repurpose content such as RFP information from the NC3A intranet to the public website, an employee had to download, reformat, and republish the information. Employees created new content in Microsoft Word and then added the HTML markup language to it before it could be published. It took the full-time efforts of five employees to manage the site. “It was effort-intensive and the risk factor was high,” says Christophe Opitz, Business Information Analyst at NC3A. “One little formatting mistake and an entire page or area of the site could be broken. We needed a web content management environment that didn’t require coding skills.”
The NC3A also needed more flexibility to create subsites, for instance, to advertise an upcoming conference or to feature a current project. “We wanted to be able to create new sites easily, without a lot of IT involvement,” says Janis. Finally, the NC3A needed to update its website in a short time frame. “As NATO’s technical leader, our Internet presence was well behind other technical and NATO organizations, so the need to promptly refresh our image was considered mission-critical.”
Solution
In May 2010, the NC3A evaluated several solutions, including Microsoft SharePoint 2010 for Internet Sites. The agency relied on Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 for its intranet, and the platform also was widely used by NATO at large as the basis for an extranet that linked its member nations. Thus, the NC3A was convinced of the merits of SharePoint as a platform for Internet sites and collaboration, was familiar with SharePoint Server administration, and was experienced in Microsoft .NET Framework development. For all these reasons, “we felt that moving immediately to the SharePoint platform was a natural progression. It also offered so much out-of-the-box functionality that we could take advantage of,” says Janis.
The NC3A embarked on the first phase of its deployment at the end of May. With the help of a web design consultant, NC3A redesigned its website, and, with the help of Microsoft Services, installed Microsoft SharePoint 2010 for Internet Sites and migrated its existing content from the old site to the new. The site was launched at the end of July 2010 (see Figure 1). “Our goal was to quickly launch the new look and feel and progressively add more functionality to the site, and to integrate the e-procurement and e-commerce aspects by fall of 2011,” explains Janis.
Out-of-the-Box Tools
In the second phase of its deployment, in-house and external developers are using Microsoft ASP.NET 4.0, part of the Microsoft .NET Framework, and the Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate development system to customize and incorporate new functionality to the site. The agency also engages many out-of-the-box features of the Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 platform, including web content management features such as master pages and page layouts that include official NATO design and branding guidelines. To update existing content or create new content, NC3A content owners will use a web-based text editor to modify site content. The editor includes the familiar Ribbon feature, part of the Microsoft Office Fluent user interface, and with it, users can add or edit site content, for example, update bidding opportunities or RFPs for contractors on a Bulletin Board area of the site, without help from the IT department. To further simplify the content management process, the agency is creating a central repository in a SharePoint list, to store all digital assets, including graphics, logos, and multimedia files. From the repository, content owners can select assets to include on a given webpage.
The site templates also allow the agency to quickly and easily deploy new subsites to advertise upcoming conferences, or feature current, high-profile NC3A projects such as its involvement in the construction of the new NATO headquarters.
The agency will also use out-of-the-box SharePoint Server 2010 workflows to initiate website updates and to ensure that content is published in a consistent manner. With SharePoint Server 2010 integrated workflow, any change that is made to the site is automatically routed to a designated series of approvers, which may include copywriters, editors, designers, and marketing managers. The agency plans to fully implement these aspects of its new web content management environment when the second phase of the deployment is complete, in July 2011.
Collaboration Environment
The NC3A will also take advantage of SharePoint Server 2010 built-in collaboration tools such as profile pages, which contractors can use to display information about their company’s products and services. The agency also plans to implement SharePoint Server 2010 forms-based authentication to enable contractors to create “public” and “private” profile areas. For instance, a public area could be used to advertise contact details, services offered, and involvement in NATO projects, while a private area could be used to publish project schedules and pricing. Forms-based authentication would be invoked to automatically validate user’s credentials against information in the Active Directory Domain Services directory service. “We are evaluating our security needs and the full range of potential solutions, but the built-in security capabilities of SharePoint Server 2010 will play a key role in our initial environment,” says Janis.
Central Site Taxonomy
To enhance the site’s search functionality, the NC3A will take advantage of SharePoint Server 2010 managed metadata capabilities to centrally define taxonomy for its website content and to easily manage and apply tags to content, including its complete catalog of contractor services and products. Contractors will use online forms based on InfoPath Forms Services in SharePoint Server 2010, which can include preset metadata, to add, delete, or adjust items to the catalog of products and services. The agency also plans to implement the Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for Internet Sites to enhance its capability to deliver context-sensitive search results to users. “We want site visitors to get suggestions and ideas based on relevance to their search term,” says Opitz. The agency is also considering building a comprehensive database using Microsoft SQL Server 2008 data management software, and invoking Microsoft Business Connectivity Services in SharePoint Server 2010 to connect to stored product catalog data.
Future Plans
Finally, the NC3A intends to integrate comprehensive e-procurement and e-commerce capabilities, including online bidding, online RFP submissions, and transactional capabilities, into the site by October 2011. “We are currently evaluating e-commerce platform choices, including Microsoft Dynamics [business management software],” says Janis. “SharePoint Server 2010 will allow us to create an interoperable environment regardless of which platform we choose.”
Benefits
Using SharePoint Server 2010, the NC3A quickly enhanced its public image with a new, compelling website. During a phased rollout, in which it will add functionality to the site through October 2011, the NC3A is experiencing faster development and easier management and administration. The agency is confident that it has adopted a platform that will allow it to scale and expand its online presence.
Enhanced Website Appearance
The NC3A deployed a new, updated website that better reflects its position as a technology leader. “With SharePoint Server 2010, we were able to quickly build a modern-looking site that enhances our public image. Our site now reflects who we are and what we do,” says Opitz. Master pages and page layouts will ensure that all changes made to the site abide by NATO brand guidelines, and simple, straightforward tools for including audio, video, and graphics make for a more engaging, interactive user experience (see Figure 2).
A stronger, more technology savvy and modern image also helps the agency attract new contractors and propel the mission and success of NATO. “Our mandate is to assist NATO in moving forward technologically,” says Janis. “SharePoint Server 2010 helps us enhance and expedite the process of acquiring leading-edge partners and technology—that is important work.”
Streamlined Development, Management, Administration
The NC3A is taking advantage of out-of-the-box SharePoint Server 2010 features, its existing Microsoft .NET development expertise, and SharePoint Server administration knowledge to create and maintain a web content management environment that vastly streamlines daily work efforts. The site was created quickly, in less than two months, and the agency will progressively implement new features and functionality, including e-procurement, e-commerce, and a site refresh through fall of 2012.
With a web-based text editor that does not require coding, centralized digital assets, site templates that include prebuilt brand images and guidelines, and integrated workflow, the NC3A will significantly reduce the time it takes to perform site updates. It will also ensure that updates are done accurately and without undue reliance on the IT department.
Flexible, Extensible Platform
With SharePoint Server 2010, the NC3A has a website platform that it can expand to meet many business needs.SharePoint Server 2010 is interoperable with many different products and technologies, such as e-commerce software, enterprise resource planning software, and other database-driven solutions. “We will soon incorporate full e-procurement and e-commerce capabilities into the website, and knowing that we have a flexible, scalable solution that supports connection to other applications is a huge advantage,” says Janis.
Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010
Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 is the business collaboration platform for the enterprise and the Web.
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