Dutch Government Chooses FirstSpirit as Central Content Integration System

The Hague, Netherlands, September 29, 2010 --(PR.com)-- The Dutch government is going to consolidate the intranet sites of its 13 ministries with the content management system (CMS) FirstSpirit. Manufacturer e-Spirit and system integrator TopForce have won the Europe-wide tender and already started project work. The e-Spirit AG software will replace the different legacy systems in the individual ministries and will be combining content from the heterogeneous IT system environment in a central content integration platform. The result will be a unified intranet portal for the nearly 120,000 Dutch government employees that enables local, personalized access to all important content, data, and applications.

The "Rijksportaal" project is being implemented by the portal specialist TopForce and e-Spirit for the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. FirstSpirit and the concept presented jointly by e-Spirit and TopForce stood out during the decision process as the only proposal able to meet the various needs of the Dutch organization. Among the primary reasons for choosing FirstSpirit were the robust SAP NetWeaver portal integration; the open system architecture for integrating such varied external systems as document management systems, and Microsoft SharePoint; and the strikingly superior usability and performance. As a content integration system, FirstSpirit allows users to continue use of SAP portal user roles and thus enables content publishing to target groups, such as those at the ministerial, departmental, or user levels for example. Using the straightforward editor's interface in the content integration system, portal content can be created and managed by any employee without any prior knowledge of SAP.

"With a Rijksportaal based on FirstSpirit, government employees will in the future have an intranet that uses the "Single Sign-on“ principle to efficiently provide all the required applications, data, and documents in a centralized work- and information platform," says Robert Bredlau, Director of International Business Development at e-Spirit. "We're very pleased to have acquired, together with TopForce, this important European contract and to have impressed such an elite customer as the Dutch government with our content management and integration solution. This validates the path we have taken, which is based on organic international growth through the cultivation of a competent partner network."

Upon completion of the current template development phase, the next step will be to migrate the two intranets of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, along with all general editorial content, to the FirstSpirit platform. This will be followed by a rollout of the new system in the other ministries.

For more information on e-Spirit and FirstSpirit visit www.e-Spirit.com and www.topforce.com.

About e-Spirit AG and FirstSpirit™
As the manufacturer of the high-end Content Management System, FirstSpirit™, e-Spirit AG is a technology leader in the European market. The company was founded in 1999 by former members of Fraunhofer ISST in collaboration with the IT service provider, adesso. In addition to the licensing business and FirstSpirit™ integration, e-Spirit AG also provides comprehensive support for complex Internet and intranet projects. Customers also benefit from the expertise of partner firms in consultation and implementation.

FirstSpirit™ is a high-end solution for Enterprise Content Management (ECM) and for integration with complex system environments and portals. Sophisticated customers use the content management system (CMS) to publish a wide range of contents on almost any channel (Internet, intranet, extranet, mobile channels, PDF, e-mail newsletters, portals, DTP, technical documentation). Users rely on the product for optimal sophistication in usability, performance and integration capability, and investment security. In addition to complete out-of-the-box functionality, e-Spirit also integrates the innovative solutions of its technology partners into the basic modular structure of FirstSpirit™.

About TopForce B.V.
Since 1999 TopForce has been helping companies to develop and implement the "High Performance Workplace.” This concept allows optimization of efficiency and productivity for workers and an increase in work satisfaction. With its basis in a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), TopForce strives for a balance between business processes and their underlying technologies so that the worker always remains the central focus. TopForce has a team of 80 employees in the Netherlands.

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