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Information technology plays a major part in all productive sectors in Brazil, and there is an increasing awareness of its essential role in helping the country achieve economic growth for the economy. Brazil can justifiably claim to be a global strategic player in the IT-BPO industry.

Brazilian companies in the sector have created a very thriving industry over the years. They have acquired know-how through decades of experience, they have innovated and, as result, excelled in various business and government areas, and they have grown in step with increased domestic demand.

Information technology-based public services are on the rise in Brazil. Best practices are being promoted throughout the most diverse areas — health, education, public safety, and finance, amongst others and in the three spheres of the government, namely, the federal, state and municipal ones. Communications within society are increasingly done via computers. A law enacted in May 2009, for example, requires that government agencies report all their revenues and spending on the Internet, consolidating a practice that had already been adopted by some agencies.

At the end of 2007, IDC carried out a survey among 156 companies in the government sector to identify IT investment trends for the following years. The main challenges for all spheres are the extension and improvement of their existing infrastructure. The government’s priorities also include improving the services provided to citizens and streamlining internal procedures. The implementation of ERP systems can answer these needs directly, offering more integration, efficiency in processes, cost reduction and increased transparency in operations. In response to this demand, several IT-BPO companies operating in Brazil are offering ERPs with management modules developed for the public sector.

Some Brazilian e-government case studies have proven to be remarkable international successes. Electronic ballot boxes were first used in the municipal elections of 1996. In the most recent municipal elections, held in 2008, in which mayors and city councilors were elected, electronic ballot boxes were available to the entire electorate. The numbers involved are impressive and show how complex the operation was in terms of information technology: 5,563 cities, 371,874 electoral sections, and over 110 million voters. Almost all the votes were counted before midnight on the same day of the election.

Another example that adds to Brazil’s credibility in this area is its tax return system, which is almost exclusively Internet-based.

It is also worth highlighting the Brazilian Federal Government’s Electronic Procurement System (Compras Net), regarded by the Inter American Development Bank (IADB) as a source for reference in the procurement of goods and standard services for public administration, as it provides secure information.

Internet: <www.brasscom.org.br> (adapted).

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