The applications are a clear attempt to capitalize on President Barack Obama's interest in promoting public sector use of technology and Web 2.0 tools, or perhaps more precisely, Gov 2.0.

Microsoft's suite is available online at the . There are six applications, including a public records tracker that helps government organizations track public records requests made through the Freedom of Information Act. Employees can respond to requests through the tracker and subscribe to reminder alerts when a request is approaching its due date.

Another application is called the Constituent Issue Manager, which helps elected officials receive and respond to requests and questions from constituents in a timely manner.

A third, called Backback SIS, is a tool for schools to manage attendance, grades, assessment exams and scheduling through a single interface. The software's Facebook-like interface lets administrators and teachers easily manage student profiles and data.

The products are cloud-computing and browser-based, allowing organizations to process and maintain more data without paying a high storage premium or having users install dedicated software clients.