Cybercom’s Finnish subsidiary wins portal development contract

Finland’s Finance Ministry selected Plenware for a strategic portal project that’s scheduled to run into Q1 2009.

Cybercom subsidiary Plenware have signed a contract with Finland’s Finance Ministry. The contract covers redesign and development of the eServices and forms section of the Suomi.fi portal. Nine companies competed for this project, which was granted to Plenware and is scheduled to end during the winter of 2009.

The Suomi.fi portal gathers together public-sector online services. Available in Finnish, Swedish, and English, the portal contains information important for citizens (e.g., articles, pertinent acts from the law, news, and links). Its eServices and forms section displays eServices and forms provided by central government and local authorities. It also offers instructions and an eLearning tool that allows users to practice filling in online forms. The portal’s editorial team sits in the government information management unit at the Finance Ministry.

“We expect the section’s presentation and organisation to improve and thus make it easier for citizens to access information and services,” says Pirkko Romakkaniemi, web service manager at the Finance Ministry. “We also intend to create practical instructions on how to use public services.”

“Plenware is Finland’s leading developer of web sites that draw large numbers of visitors,” says Timo Luoto, Plenware’s sales and marketing director. “Our customers include the biggest media and finance corporations in Finland. The Suomi.fi project gives us an excellent opportunity to use the competence that we’ve gained from developing the country’s most popular web services to improve usability of public eServices.”