To forge stronger relationships and facilitate greater knowledge sharing among non-governmental organisations (NGOs), Microsoft Korea has recently revamped its annual NGO Connection Day event with the aim of adding more seminars and training sessions to the programme.
The newly named NGO Cloud Day will now be held four times a year in various locations across the country, and will include a greater focus on skills development in information and communication technology (ICT) — as well as introducing Microsoft’s latest cloud technologies such as SkyDrive® to boost work collaboration.
Wong Jin Jung, Enterprise Strategy Consultant at Microsoft Korea, said, “There is growing interest among nonprofits and NGOs in South Korea to learn more about cloud computing. We believe the new NGO Cloud Day programme will provide a platform for us to introduce how our cloud-based technology can help them improve work efficiency and better serve local communities.”
In September last year, the nationwide NGO Cloud Day programme kicked off in the city of Cheongju, through a partnership with the Korea Association of Social Workers (KASW), Chung Buk Association of Social Workers and Community Chest of Korea to hold a one-day event at the Social Welfare Centre of Chungcheong Buk-Do.
Around 50 social workers from Cheongju City and neighbouring Cheongwon County attended the event, where they learned more about leveraging cloud computing for the NGO sector and how to make better use of PowerPoint applications, as well as Microsoft's software donation programme.
“The NGO Cloud Day in Cheongju also enabled social workers in the region to get together to discuss common issues they face in their nonprofit activities,” added Ray Jo, Corporate Affairs Manager, Microsoft Korea.
The second NGO Cloud Day was held in November 2012 in Gwang-ju, one of the burgeoning hub cities for NGOs. Partnering with two influential local partners, Gwang-ju NGO Civic Foundation and the KASW, Microsoft executives shared its vision of bridging the technology divide for underserved communities in South Korea.
A total of 62 participants from the NGO sector attended the event, which also provided the opportunity for Microsoft’s partners to share their own experience of using ICT. Yong-chae Kim, the Chairman of Gwang-ju NGO Civic Foundation, stressed the importance for NGOs to stay at the forefront of technology change and innovations.
In the second half of the Gwang-ju event, a team of Microsoft Korea professionals provided an overview of how NGOs can make use of cloud-based applications to address their specific ICT requirements in a cost-effective manner. Microsoft also conducted a survey to better understand the technology challenges NGOs face and which cloud software is most commonly used by social workers.
In February this year, 105 NGO participants gathered at Microsoft Korea’s premises in Seoul for the third NGO Cloud Day.
Jointly organised with the KASW, NGO Cloud Day in Seoul, under the theme of ‘Smart Work, Smart Collaboration’, aimed to improve work efficiency and encourage stronger collaboration processes among NGOs. In her keynote address, Hye Jyung Lee, a Senior Manager at the National Information Society Agency of South Korea, touched on how the country’s smart work policy is impacting local NGOs and nonprofits.
The participants attended an in-depth training session covering topics such as the use of Microsoft SkyDrive to boost work collaboration and a tutorial on OneNote® and OneNote apps for Android and iOS platforms — making this the first time a OneNote learning session has been conducted at an NGO Cloud Day event.
Overall, each of the NGO Cloud Day events attracted a healthy turnout, and most of the participants were impressed with the technology expertise showcased by Microsoft.
“We are greatly encouraged by the strong turnout of NGO Cloud Days, and we hope to continue working closely with NGOs in South Korea to spread our social efforts more widely across the nation,” said Sunny Park, Legal and Corporate Affairs Lead, Microsoft Korea.
“We are greatly encouraged by the strong turnout of NGO Cloud Days, and we hope to continue working closely with NGOs in South Korea to spread our social efforts more widely across the nation.”
- Sunny Park, Legal and Corporate Affairs Lead, Microsoft Korea