German Military Transforms Security Sector Using Web Collaboration Software From Facilitate.com

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- 09/23/05– The Federal College for Security Studies (Bundesakademie für Sicherheitspolitik or BAKS) hosted a high level interagency forum in Berlin, Germany this month with a focus on transforming the security sector. Eighty participants from Departments of Defense, Interior, Foreign Affairs, Economic Cooperation and Development and international organizations used Facilitate.com collaboration software to capture and formalize ideas with web-based tools for brainstorming, categorizing, voting, surveying and building instant documentation.

BAKS organizers needed to ensure that the dialogue was fully documented and that the community could continue their work online once participants left Berlin. Presentations by high level government officials about the future of the security sector were followed by small group brainstorming and discussion. Participants were given computers with access to the software to facilitate highly interactive idea generation while documenting the entire process.

“We saw how the Facilitate.com meeting software was used by the U.S. Joint Forces Command to enable a large group of experts to discuss a focused group of topics and questions in a creative yet highly productive way,” said LtCol Kristian Zunke, forum organizer. “We were impressed by the tool’s ease of use which gave us the confidence to try it out with this important initiative.”

Following the initial face-to-face event, the same brainstorming and collaboration software is being made available to participants over the Internet or secure intranet. “Building a community for a continuing dialogue was a critical component of our approach,” added LtCol Zunke. “FacilitatePro enabled us to move the forum online without interruption and we plan to hold future forums as virtual events. This will allow us to meet more often, increase participation and eliminate the expense of bringing such a large group together in one place."

Bundesakademie für Sicherheitspolitik (BAKS) is the national academy for training and development of current and future leaders in German federal and state government, agencies, business, science and society.

About Facilitate.com

Since 1992 Facilitate.com has specialized in facilitation and collaboration software tools and techniques that dramatically enhance meeting productivity. Facilitate 8.5 helps generate, capture and formalize ideas with tools for capturing, categorizing, voting, surveying and building instant documentation.