Held in Brussels and hosted by Microsoft and the Fraunhofer Research Institute the Microsoft Workshop  titled Towards an interoperable and open European Cloud was focused on identifying the main elements of the upcoming European Cloud Strategy and how this will affect European companies, government institutions and citizens. With interoperability and data portability among the top concerns for users, providers, and governments as they consider the use of cloud based services, it is vital to set up practical approaches that meet current and future needs.
The workshop agenda included high-level participants, EC representation, panellists from government and from small business who contributed perspectives both on the potential problems and especially the solutions available or in progress to deliver an interoperable cloud in Europe. SIENA was invited to give one of the few presentations where the progress of the SIENA Roadmap, the synegies with and achievements of the DCI projects were highlighted.