Microsoft Forum 2017: spotlight on Industry 4.0

Microsoft Italy announces the 2nd edition of the Microsoft Forum, to be held on Wednesday March 8th at MiCo in Milan. Following the great success of last year’s event, which hosted an open dialogue between over 2,000 companies and partners, the appointment with innovation returns to reflect on the frontiers of digital and to create a united front. Entrepreneurs, business leaders, and institutions will discuss the digital revolution and the prospects of Industry 4.0. Alongside the physical event, a rich digital program will unfold, accessible from the platform www.microsoftforum.it, which will allow thousands of people from all over Italy to participate.

During the morning opening conference, in addition to Carlo Purassanta, CEO of Microsoft Italy, Alec Ross, one of the foremost American experts in innovation and author of the bestseller “The Industries of the Future”, will speak. In it, he explores the technological and economic trends and developments that will shape the future in the next ten years. It will therefore be an opportunity to discuss the socio-economic context and the implications of new technological trends. But it won’t just be theory; during the plenary session, the digital transformation experiences of some important Italian companies such as ATM, Dolce&Gabbana, Luxottica Group e and Salvagnini, will be presented with the aim of sharing application cases and best practices with the business community. And the dialogue will become even more animated during the concluding round table, which will involve, among others, the President of Confindustria Giovani Marco Gay on the impact of Industry 4.0 and the CEO of ELITE, a company of the London Stock Exchange Group, Luca Peyrano on how to contribute as protagonists to the fourth industrial revolution, enabling the country to regain competitiveness and momentum.

“After inaugurating the Microsoft House with its innovative Microsoft Technology Center ready to welcome 10,000 professionals from companies, public administrations, and startups throughout the year, we are thrilled to confirm our commitment to promoting a proper digital culture by announcing another training event: the Microsoft Forum returns as an opportunity for discussion on one of the hot topics animating the country, namely Industry 4.0”,declared Carlo Purassanta, CEO of Microsoft Italia. “Intelligent technology is revolutionizing business and society and transforming the way we work and live, offering us opportunities and challenges to consider. Microsoft believes in this revolution and is committed to creating new intelligence ecosystems together with its partners and Italian companies. At the Forum, we will discuss how to seize this opportunity and make a difference for the country’s growth.” 

In the afternoon, the event will also include a series of thematic insights on the technologies and solutions underlying the digital revolution and their economic and organizational impacts in various industrial sectors: Manufacturing, Retail e Consumer Goods, Financial and Insurance Services, Public Administration e Automotive.

Among the particularly relevant vertical theaters is the one dedicated to Security, in which the main questions of those managing an information system will be answered, aware that the basis of a true digital transformation must be secure infrastructures and services, compliant with regulations and capable of protecting company information assets, taking care of data and identity security.

Finally, targeted training on strategic aspects for any entity wishing to undertake a path of innovation: how to improve productivity through smart working e collaboration, how to gain a competitive advantage by maintaining relationships more effective with their clients, such asoptimize processes e rethink solutions and business models.

At the center of the Microsoft Forum, there was also an experiential area for Envisioningto experience some real implementations of Microsoft technology firsthand and discover some of the most innovative digital projects capable of revolutionizing not only the industrial world but also society: companies, startups, and partners interpreting stories of digital transformation in the fields of smart city, e-health, fashion and virtual retail, sport 4.0, connected cars e smart home. An opportunity to network and understand the perspectives of the Intelligent Cloudwhich leverages data as a key element to support new productivity, new business processes, and new ways of interaction.

As always, the protagonists of the Microsoft Forum will be the Partners, who thanks to their vertical expertise and local experience will be able to provide useful advice to professionals eager to learn more about new technologies and to companies interested in embarking on a digital transformation journey. The main partner of the Forum in the context of the campaign Accelerate your Business è Intel. The event agenda is also enriched by other Diamond Partners Capgemini Italia, Cluster Reply, HPE, Intel, MHT andEngineering.

The event also has the support of Agic Technology e Sitecore, Alterna, Altitudo, Avanade, Concert, EOS Solutions, KPMG, NAV-lab, PA Expertise, Progel, Pyxis, Reti, SB Soft, Var Group, Vetrya, Wind e Würth Phoenix. A leading role at the Forum will also be played by the showcase area in collaboration with Acer, Dell EMC, Fujitsu, HP Italy, Lenovo e Samsung, which will offer the opportunity to test new devices to discover the benefits of digital.

Further information on the event agenda and the online registration form are available on the dedicated mini-site: www.microsoftforum.it. To follow and participate in online conversations: #MSForum2017 e #AccelerateBiz.