Oasis500 and Microsoft Sign a Partnership Agreement to Support Startups in the Telecom and IT Sector

Oasis500-and-Microsoft-Sign-a-Partnership-Agreement

Amman, May 2011 – Oasis500, which finances and incubates start up businesses, signed a partnership agreement on Monday, 25thApril 2011, with Microsoft Jordan, to develop and enhance the technical, operational and technological skills of entrepreneurs and early stage entrepreneurs in the telecom and IT sector, in an effort to facilitate the success of their businesses and provide them with the opportunity to compete at an international level.

As part of the agreement, Microsoft selected Oasis500 as its strategic partner in Jordan, enabling the company to provide IT startup companies with software, tools, support and visibility through the BizSpark program, which offers opportunities for networking and enhanced communication with international companies. The WebSpark program also provides Jordanian web-design companies with updated information on the latest Microsoft advances, including resources and web-design tools. Furthermore, the agreement will facilitate guidance and specialized training opportunities for IT startup companies.

Also under the agreement, Oasis500 will assist Microsoft in introducing Cloud Computing and its programs – a state of the art technology that comprises applications and IT programs as services as well as products. Cloud Computing enhances the capabilities of IT companies and boosts their competitive edge in the international market. This program allows the transfer of computer processes and hard drives to what is referred to as ‘The Cloud’, which is a device, or several devices, that functions as a server that can be accessed through the Internet.

The agreement tasks Microsoft and Oasis500 with the responsibility of effectively contributing to the development and enhancement of the IT sector and IT professionals, and providing more opportunities for startups to excel through organizing various activities that bring together developers, programmers, designers, and marketing staff in the IT sector, in order to exchange expertise, share ideas, develop products, and establish partnerships. It also tasks both parties with launching numerous initiatives aimed at enforcing the culture of entrepreneurship on the academic level, through the organization of field tours to Jordanian universities, the launch of the ‘Microsoft Imagine Cup Competition’ for students, and other various initiatives.

Husni Khuffash, Country Manager of Microsoft Jordan, affirmed the company’s commitment to develop Jordan’s telecom and IT sector through staying updated with technological advances, supporting innovative projects and entrepreneurs, in addition to promoting competitiveness amongst the sector’s startup companies. “Our partnership with Oasis500, which is specialized in accelerating the transformation of innovative ideas into businesses in the IT and telecom sector, as well as the region’s web and digital media markets, is part of our firm belief in the importance of intensifying our efforts to offer integrated opportunities that include appropriate tools and skills that create successful businesses, and achieve a more sustainable future,” he said.

Usama Fayyad, Executive Chairman of Oasis500, expressed his delight at partnering with a leading international company such as Microsoft, saying the move validates Oasis500’s capabilities and strong potential. “We are confident that this collaboration will achieve our goal of promoting the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, and will provide owners of startups with the necessary tools, direction and guidance to effectively contribute to bolstering the telecom and IT industry’s role in supporting local economic and investment activities, and ensuring a spot for this industry on the international map,” he added.

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