According to the European Commission, the 23 million SMEs in the EU represent 99% of businesses, and are a key driver for economic growth, innovation, employment and social integration. It is therefore crucial that EU institutions, governments and the private sector nurture new innovative companies, promote successful entrepreneurship and improve the business environment for SMEs and start-ups.  This...

As Craig Shank mentioned in a post recently, standards are an important part of a dynamic ICT marketplace, fostering interoperability, collaboration, competition and consumer trust. I’d like to follow up on that post, highlighting the fact that the enablers of a dynamic ICT marketplace are openness and choice.

I’m Craig Shank, and I work in Microsoft’s Interoperability Group. I’m excited to join in sharing our thoughts on some of the key collaborations needed to make products and services work together across the ICT marketplace

While the web, blogs and social networks have given users more freedom to express themselves, a substantial amount of political or otherwise motivated discourse has moved into the digital realm. Where controversial or contested content is at stake, companies in the ICT sector and policymakers face increasing challenges to respond. We all agree on the right to free expression in principle, and recognize that...

E-skills are no longer required only for those who work in IT departments, but for everyone participating in a digitized economy. The new economy is a digital economy. It's notable that many of the goals and metrics outlined in the European Commission's new Digital Agenda – public Internet use, availability of government services over the Internet, broadband adoption among disadvantaged groups...

I’m glad to see that alongside the topic of sustainable cloud computing, a central theme at this year’s BizSpark Summit will be on funding solutions for small and medium-size businesses (SMEs). It needs to be discussed.

The Centre for eGovernance Development in Ljubljana and the Austrian Computer Society in Vienna have co-organised the 9th Eastern European eGov Days on "eGovernment in Times of Economic Challenges”.

Climate change is a global problem and therefore requires a global answer, as rightfully stated by James Lovegrove in our video interview. James is the Managing Director of TechAmerica Europe, leading US high-tech companies operating in the EU. Indeed, answering the environmental challenges requires a unitary effort across industries, governments and citizens. Through his leadership TechAmerica Europe has...

The IT Academy in perspective

How do you offer ICT services to mobile health workers?

Meander needed to convert its timesheet and leave request system from paper to digital. By using a cloud-based set of messaging and collaboration solutions, rather than running its own servers, it achieved cost savings of over 60%.

In this case study, you can read about how students and staff at the University of Bologna can now collaborate and learn anytime and anywhere, thanks to cloud computing.

Health records are becoming increasingly used by citizens and health professionals to aggregate data that comes from many different sources. At the EuroRec Institute, we promote the use of high-quality health record systems by focusing on the users—their needs and how they interact with health information.

“What could we get if we invested 4 billion Euros in digital infrastructure and skills instead of building a fixed link across the Femern Belt to Germany?“ Raising aspirations for the digital economy and providing challenging angles of thought leadership, an eSkills manifesto was recently launched during the conference Digital Skills for Growth and Welfare hosted by Microsoft in the Danish...

Portugal has appeared in the news a lot in recent months due to its severe economic problems, but what is perhaps less well-known that Portugal has a high level of university education. In this recession we are seeing that many students are starting their own companies when they graduate, rather than trying fight for scarce employment vacancies.

Middlesex University serves 33,000 students, with campuses in London and Dubai. The university was using an on-premises e-mail system based on Microsoft Exchange Server that it wanted to expand to meet the growing volume of e-mail and to offer students a variety of online tools for collaboration.

In this case study, you can read about how the Middlesex University has enhanced its student learning experience by integrating Live@edu, a cloud-based service, into its internal communication system. Middlesex University serves 33,000 students, with campuses in London and Dubai. The university was using an on-premises e-mail system based on Microsoft Exchange Server that it wanted to expand to...

On 13th April, Microsoft is hosting a roundtable event to discuss recent developments in spectrum policy and their impact on the ICT industry.

Did your organization ever face the same problems? Stretched deadlines, missing the right IT infrastructure for launching a highly visible collaboration project, sharing documents with many internal and external stakeholders across various regions.

The Belgian Federal Public Service of Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment used a cloud-based storage and collaboration environment to ensure that its own staff as well as external users could jointly manage the European Presidency.

Microsoft is filing a formal complaint with the European Commission as part of the Commission’s ongoing investigation into whether Google has violated European competition law. We thought it important to be transparent and provide some information on what we’re doing and why.

Microsoft’s Chief Environmental Strategist on ICT, Rob Bernard, passed through Brussels again last month. I had the chance to continue from our  previous discussion on how ICT can contribute to a cleaner economy, and get his views on how cloud computing can reduce a European company's environmental footprint.

This post is a discourse on how new technology is a key factor that induces enjoyment as an educational path to the skills of the 21st century.

The European Commission-funded 'eHealth Strategies study' has published an overview report that traces European countries’ progress along the goals set out in the eHealth Action Plan.

At Microsoft, we are committed to software and technology innovation that helps people and organizations improve the environment. We work closely with governments, NGOs, businesses and academia, on the best ways to use technology with the aim to resolve issues facing the environment such as climate change and energy sustainability.

Last month, people from around the world gathered at two education events in London – the Education World Forum (EWF) and the BETT trade show, one of the largest ICT in education conferences worldwide – to discuss how technology can help improve the state of education globally. Interestingly, The New York Times recently reported on the modern day skills students need to excel and succeed in...

Since its launch in 2003, Microsoft’s Unlimited Potential (UP) community technology skills program has reached more than 50,000 community organizations across the world in bringing technology access and skills training to more than 170 million individuals.

Microsoft’s more than 16,000 employees in Europe possess a great wealth of talent and skills, not only in software engineering, development and deployment but also in many non-IT fields that are essential for all successful organizations -- from marketing and public relations to customer relationship management and key corporate functions such as financial and human resources strategy and...

Between them, Microsoft technology specialists Artur Żarski, Carlos de Huerta Mezquita and John Arnold have spent more than 40 years at the forefront of the IT revolution. As Microsoft technology volunteers, they also share this wealth of expertise with their local communities. And as finalists in Microsoft Europe’s 2010 European Volunteering Awards, Artur, Carlos and John provide inspiring examples...

Imagine walking out to compete at the world-famous marble stadium where athletes gathered for the Panathenaic Games in ancient times and the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, and where the 2004 Olympic marathons finished. That’s the dream of thousands of Special Olympics participants around the world who are striving towards the 2011 Special Olympics Summer World Games, in Athens, Greece. 

It’s a humbling experience talking with CEOs of European start-ups, particularly in the ICT sector.

The press coverage has been unanimous that the COP 16 in Cancun Mexico exceeded expectations in delivering some tangible results in the effort to combat climate change. As I said in my earlier blog, there was optimism for some sort of success and it is now apparent this optimism was not misplaced. One can only aspire for greater things next year in Durban, South Africa where the COP 17 will be held.

In a Brussels speech on 3 December 2010 , Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the European Commission for the Digital Agenda, said: “We are now living through a permanent digital revolution. This long and peaceful revolution is changing how we organize our lives. Powerful computing platforms are creating new markets and we are finding new ways to leverage user creativity.”

Dr. Peter Thomond, from Imperial College provides a fascinating insight into the behavioral changes needed for Europe to become the seat of real environmental change.

For many years at Microsoft, we have been deeply committed as a company to ensuring that the magic of software is accessible also to the non-profit community worldwide. Nonprofit organizations generally strive to serve communities and fill gaps in tough economic times, where resources are increasingly tight. 

As the President of Microsoft International I had the honour of hosting the Government Leadership Forum (GLF) in London.

The fusing of ICT with business economic delivery models is challenging the future of the IT profession.

The Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), just released its latest recommendations in a recent report on the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in reducing global carbon emissions by increasing use of technology across varied sectors.

It’s a clear message my colleagues gave me at a recent event: the ICT industry and cloud computing are key components in helping to reduce the carbon footprint in Europe.  But of course ICT people would say that, I hear you cry!

Just a few weeks after the launch of the EU flagship initiative Youth on the Move, on 4 October, Microsoft and European Schoolnet hosted a successful EU roundtable on eEducation entitled “ICT – are we doing enough to keep Europeans ahead in education?” in Brussels.

A special ‘European file’ edition focusing on Telemedicine was recently published under the leadership of Gerard Comyn, Vice-President CATEL, and former Head of Unit ‘ICT for Health’, DG INFSO, European Commission.

In Europe we have education placed high on the political agenda, indeed the first single EU-level strategy embracing both education and employment ‘Youth on the Move’ has recently been launched as a key facet of the Europe 2020 agenda!

Similar to other industries the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) industries has been challenged to prevent its carbon emissions from increasing. ICT also has the incentive to demonstrate the potential for reductions in carbon emissions through increased use of technology within other sectors. 

  ICT interoperability is a fundamental challenge for our industry.

I'm often asked why Microsoft is getting involved in environmental issues: people assume it is not our issue or that internet and communication technologies can help. Wrong! Technology is not the solution but an important enabler for energy efficiency and reductions in greenhouse gases.

“I believe in horses….The automobile is a transient phenomenon”.

The European Union has singled education and training as one of its priorities with the adoption of the Lisbon Strategy, its overarching program focusing on growth and jobs.

In this case study, you can read about the Royal Mail Group has improved their efficiency by giving its employees reliable & simple ways to access information through the adoption of Microsoft’s cloud solution. In the United Kingdom the Royal Mail Group has expanded their IT services agreement with CSC to include Microsoft’s Business Productivity Suite from Microsoft Online Services.

Innovation is now the catch phrase for the European Commission but an important one to try and resolve issues facing the EU and the world. From climate change to healthcare society faces many ‘grand challenges’ that will demand the brightest minds in both government, academia and the private sector.

In Europe and elsewhere, computing is experiencing a powerful transformation. Driven by continuous innovations in software, hardware and the Internet, traditional models of computing are gradually shifting.   

Yesterday I attended an MEP breakfast debate on e-skills, organized by Digital Europe.  It was an enriching debate which demonstrated the level of interest and activity that stakeholders are carrying forward to raise the profile of ICT as a key skill-set for the jobs of the future. Europe needs ICT-ready people to embrace the vision of the Digital Agenda. We need faster transition from “learning...

I was asked to describe in 5 minutes how we can help to overcome the challenges facing Europe.

Views and commentaries from Europe’s ICT & eHealth thought leaders. Filmed during the Friends of Europe Summit in Brussels - December 2009.

When we think of fakes and copies, our minds each produce different thoughts and images, depending on our cultural references. Many of us would think of cheap and obvious items sold in situations far from those where we buy originals.

We were very proud to announce the grand opening of our Dublin data centre last month. This state of the art facility helps to improve cloud computing capacity and network infrastructure throughout Europe to meet the demand generated from Microsoft’s online, live and cloud services (like Bing, Windows Live and the Azure Services Platform).

We were very proud to announce the grand opening of our Dublin data centre in September 2009.

As part of its drive to foster innovation and the knowledge economy in Europe, the Commission has designated 2009 as the Year of Creativity & Innovation.

On 16 June 2009, the King of Belgium, Albert II, visited one of Belgium’s innovation hotspots, the Digital Innovation Valley in Mons. During the visit the King, Walloon Minister for Economy Jean-Claude Marcourt and Mons mayor Elio Di Rupo stopped by the Microsoft Innovation Centre in Mons.

John Wood, Chair of the European Research Area Board, gives a personal assessment of how research needs to change and adapt to face the future.

Heard of The Good Entrepreneur? It’s a TV show where entrepreneurs from across Europe compete for a hefty prize package of €250,000 by attempting to produce the most amazing, environmentally responsible business concepts imaginable. 

Erich Andersen, VP and Deputy General Counsel of the Windows Business at Microsoft, speaking about Windows 7 as a potential driver of the European ICT economy.

Microsoft's Vice President for EU affairs blogs via video on how ICT can stimulate Europe's growth

Information technology plays a crucial role in enabling EU environmental policy goals to become a reality. The Eye On Earth project is another example of Microsoft providing technology solutions that are innovative as well as interoperable, to address societal needs. 

Please click below to view a short 1-minute interview with Erich Andersen, VP and Deputy General Counsel of the Windows Business at Microsoft, filmed on a recent visit to Europe.

Microsoft's Vice President for EU Affairs talks about the role of ICT into driving European growth

An innovative partnership in Portugal that helps unemployed textile workers gain essential ICT skills and jobs is being extended to other industries.

Viviane Reding, European commissioner for all things hi-tech, is known for telling it like it is. A passionate advocate for new technologies, she has made a name for herself by confronting anything or anyone she thinks hinders European citizens from benefiting from what technologies have to offer.

As the global financial turmoil continues to cast its shadow, government leaders are gathering in Brussels to discuss collaboration.

The Internet and other modern information and communication technologies are transforming Europe's economy and society on a scale never seen before, offering opportunities for new forms of social interaction and innovative personalised services, and providing huge potential for economic growth. But can we trust them?

The Science|Business Innovation Board says Europe's innovation policies need to change, to encourage high-growth entrepreneurs.

Is the essence of a cluster physical proximity or, given broadband Internet and associated communications platforms, is it possible to create virtual clusters ?