The Belgian Federal Public Service (FPS) Social Security is using cloud computing technology Huddle, to prepare for the country’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU).
The FPS Social Security’s EU 2010 Presidency Team is organising conferences, meetings and preparing relevant documents for negotiations using Huddle, which lets users connect and work securely with other people online.
Colleagues from national and local public institutions, non-governmental organisations, research centres and universities can now work together on files, share discussions, manage approvals and schedule events.
During Belgium’s six-month Presidency, which starts in July, the FPS Social Security will deal with all matters surrounding social policy issues. This will involve delivering input for the negotiations and organising conferences and meetings to drive forward social protection in Europe.
Max Raets, policy officer of FPS Social Security, said: "We needed a system that was accessible to contributors from both inside and outside of the organisation, while at the same time enabling us to limit the accessibility of sensitive documents to specific users.
"Huddle presented us with the ideal way to collaborate and share information with the outside world when organising events such as our scientific conferences. Thanks to Huddle, our shared network drive for the Presidency project is obsolete and, for some projects, Huddle has replaced email completely."
According to Huddle enterprise, more than 100 participants in the Presidency project now have access to all the information they require via their technology. Documents and meeting details can be shared, changes can be tracked and everyone involved can be notified. The number of letters sent via post has also been reduced.
Alastair Mitchell, co-founder and CEO of Huddle, said: "Transparent communication and collaboration is vital in the public sector. The Belgian FPS Social Security’s use of Huddle is a great example of how cloud-based technology can help break down silos and help people work better together. This should not only improve efficiency, but ultimately lead to cost savings."
