Meet the team: Frehiwot Getnet

Frehiwot Getnet, an ACTS business program manager, joined the team in May 2022. Expanding from her beloved world of data analytics, she now finds herself answering what she calls “a higher calling to empower and elevate governments, improve lives, and reduce corruption.”  

What do you do on the ACTS team?

I am responsible for the technical development of ACTS solutions in collaboration with the Industry Solutions engineering team. 

How is this different than your previous job? 

Prior to ACTS, I mainly focused on compliance work for internal Microsoft the past few years. Now, I have a broader goal, having data speak to a greater purpose, which is my passion. We enable governments to use modern technologies for more informed decision-making. So, in place of the reactive data analytics I used to do, I now can help make data analytics more proactive using AI, machine learning, and real-time data. 

What makes ACTS unique from other Microsoft initiatives?  

ACTS uses the power of data and technology to help governments build trust with citizens. We have a big mission, which aligns with Microsoft’s mission of empowering every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. We have brought in expertise from multiple areas across Microsoft—industry leaders and Microsoft partners—enabling us to create unique solutions. Governments implement our solutions to identify potential corruption areas while creating trust in the community, which leads to important things like development and growth. 

What do you think are the greatest challenges for ACTS?  

Assisting governments with digital transformation so that they can move to the cloud with increased security, effectiveness, and efficiency.  

How does ACTS fit in with Microsoft? 

I see ACTS as a showcase for Microsoft. We work with different teams internally within Microsoft, like Public Sector, Microsoft Research, various engineering groups, and so on. All of these teams come together as one Microsoft to develop a bigger solution for enabling governments to reduce corruption.  

What have you learned since joining the ACTS team?  

I get to work with Microsoft research and new technologies not on the market yet. In addition to my data analytics experience, this opens up the opportunity to learn more about the cloud, Microsoft Azure, AI, and machine learning and how these technologies can be used to solve important customer priorities. 

What do you see as the ACTS initiative’s North Star? 

Transparency.

Why transparency? 

Transparency is everything. You build on it. You know everything that is happening. You trust and believe what it reveals. It gives governments more clarity, ensuring that resources will be spent how they’re intended. 

Looking ahead, where do you see ACTS going from here? 

I see a bright future with more technologies. There are a lot of solution areas that need to be covered for governments. There are more cloud opportunities too. We could also expand to the private sector. We’re in an exciting era of digital transformation. We’re just getting started.