Microsoft has partnered with oil and gas industry solution providers to address challenges in upstream operations, refining, regulatory compliance, project management, supply chain visibility, and retail. Microsoft provides cloud-based business solutions and support. It has also launched the Microsoft Upstream Reference Architecture initiative with over 35 industry partners to develop a common IT framework. Microsoft's annual Global Energy Forum is a major platform for the oil and gas community and technology providers to learn about new solutions. Microsoft InfoPath Form Services is part of SharePoint and allows integrating forms with workflows and SharePoint libraries, but its future roadmap is uncertain. While InfoPath is easy to use with Office integration, it requires Form Services for enterprise capabilities and lacks a free form filler.

1. E-FORM & WORKFLOW
APPLICATION IN OIL &
GAS SEGMENT
Brief Report on the E-Form Technology, Its emergence & Future and
Solution Providers

2. E-Forms & Workflow Application in Oil & Gas Industry
VENDOR STUDY: MICROSOFT
Oil & Gas Industry Focus Highlights
Microsoft has partnered with leading industry solution providers worldwide to address the challenges
faced by the Oil & Gas industry. Although not considered as an Enterprise Solution Providers few
years back, Microsoft has put in effort and resources to change the perception. In oil & Gas Segment
combined solutions with partners address industry specific challenges in upstream operations,
refining and petrochemical operations, regulatory compliance and controls, capital project
management, supply chain visibility and collaboration, and retail and marketing operations.
Microsoft provides the most complete set of cloud-based business solutions and around-the-clock
support. Organizations who have undertaken Microsoft cloud services speak of greater productivity
possible as the technology is scalable and familiar from day one for employees. Microsoft positions
software architecture for different business units in Oil & Gas supply chain. The solution positioning
is done as the following heads:






Upstream Operations
Refining and Petrochemical Operations
Regulatory Compliance and Controls
Capital Project Management
Supply Chain
Retail and Marketing Operations
In June 2010, Microsoft announced the launch of the Microsoft Upstream Reference Architecture
(MURA) Initiative, an endeavor led by Microsoft and its industry partners. Microsoft is leading the
initiative, comprising over 35 oil and gas industry software vendors, systems integrators and
standards organizations, as well as operators who serve within an Advisory Board, to build industry
consensus and development of MURA. The goal of the MURA Initiative is to develop and deliver an
architecture that drives commonality among industry players; accelerate the delivery of industry
solutions built on a common IT reference architecture to meet rapidly changing demands; and lower
the total cost of ownership. The MURA Initiative is not a Microsoft product- mandated system; rather
it seeks to develop a common information technology framework that allows for the easy flow of
information across upstream units that offers benefits to both partners and customers. The
Reference Architecture is based upon five foundational “pillars”, or principles – Performance Oriented
IT Infrastructure, Enhanced User Experience, Optimized Domain-Specific Infrastructure, Rich
Application Platform and Comprehensive Interoperability. MURA is an enterprise-oriented and
service-oriented architecture.
Microsoft’s Global Energy Forum 2012 now in its 9th year is a major platform for the Oil & Gas
Community and Technology Providers to have insight into the latest technology innovations and
solutions.
pg. 1
CONFIDENTIAL

3. E-Forms & Workflow Application in Oil & Gas Industry
EFORM & WORKFLOW
Microsoft InfoPath Form Services
EMERGING PLAYER
Product
Employees
Headquarters
Website
Founded
Presence
OVERVIEW
Microsoft InfoPath Form Services is part of
SharePoint 2010 Server Enterprise Edition.
The product is Microsoft’s comprehensive,
server-based e-forms and workflow
89,000
solution that works with the InfoPath client.
Redmond, WA
Microsoft.com/Office/InfoPath While it is part of the SharePoint Enterprise
Edition, it is not a standard module and
1975
MSFT. FY10 Revenue: $62.48B must be purchased separately.
SharePoint 2010 Server
Enterprise Ed.
STRENGTHS







InfoPath is part of the Office suite and is designed to integrate with other Office products (e.g.
Word, Excel, Outlook)
SharePoint-enabled workflow and dynamic form assembly; submitting forms to SharePoint can
trigger workflows – e.g. for routing, notification, or updating data in other lists and libraries
Fully integrated with Microsoft SharePoint library services, allowing users to stay within the
SharePoint user interface
Employs InfoPath’s XML-based format
Connects to many back-end data sources, including SharePoint, SQL databases, Access, and any
web service that interfaces with a non-Microsoft database
The forms can be directly integrated with SharePoint through form libraries, which allows the
data to be discoverable by search across all SharePoint sites
Allows browser-enabling of forms, enabling use of different, non-Microsoft platforms and nonMicrosoft browsers without needing the InfoPath client
CHALLENGES
Pricing varies, depending on licensing arrangements
and other variables, but it is generally $100,000 to
$250,000.

The form-fill client, InfoPath, is not free
(unlike Adobe Reader), limiting the
scope and the market footprint of
Microsoft forms-based solutions
EXPERT RECOMMENDATION

Some product risk, as Microsoft’s
strategy and roadmap for the product
are unclear

Some advanced features are available
only through partners (e.g. optical
character recognition [OCR], barcoding,
support for industry standards)
For SharePoint Server Enterprise Ed. users, SharePoint
forms services offers strong integration and a robust
architecture. Uncertain product strategy and price of
InfoPath limit the value though.
pg. 2
CONFIDENTIAL

4. E-Forms & Workflow Application in Oil & Gas Industry
Microsoft InfoPath Form
EMERGING PLAYER
Product
Employees
Headquarters
Website
Founded
Presence
OVERVIEW
Microsoft InfoPath is Microsoft’s XML-based
desktop client e-forms solution, without the
server-based component of InfoPath Forms
89,000
Services. Pricing is relatively low per client,
Redmond, WA
Microsoft.com/Office/InfoPath but can get costly, depending on the
number of licenses required (unlike Adobe
1975
MSFT. FY10 Revenue: $62.48B Reader).
STRENGTHS




Member of Microsoft Office family, with integration and familiar user experience
Strong form design and authoring
Strong support for XML standards and arbitrary XML schemas
Provides data analysis and survey capabilities
CHALLENGES
Pricing varies, depending on licensing arrangements
and other variables, but it is generally $100,000 to
$250,000.
Microsoft offers no free e-form filler
(unlike Adobe)

Requires Form Services for enterprise eforms capabilities

As with Form Services, it has some
product risk, as Microsoft’s product
strategy and roadmap are unclear

As with Form Services, some advanced
features are available only through
partners (e.g. OCR, barcoding, support
for industry standards)

EXPERT RECOMMENDATION

Future
roadmap
and
Microsoft
commitment to eForms is uncertain.
While easy to use and great features, InfoPath
remains an eForms gadfly without a free form-filler
client.
Important: One of the major USP is its integration with Visio which can be directly brought on
SharePoint Designer 2010 to get a head start creating workflows, and then export it back to Visio to
collaborate.
Conclusion : Microsoft is very focused on creating mindshare in Oil & Gas Industry and have been
pretty successful. Brand recall for e-forms are lower than Adobe and IBM but certainly very popular
for die-hard fans of Share Point Portals.
pg. 3
CONFIDENTIAL