IDC's European ICT Forum 2007 - Association Partners

With the support of the following associations

		Assintel è l’associazione nazionale di riferimento delle imprese ICT della Confcommercio. Rappresenta le imprese associate presso autorità, enti ed istituzioni nazionali ed internazionali, ne tutela gli interessi e si fa portavoce delle esigenze delle diverse tipologie di aziende che operano nel mercato dell’information and communication technology. Assintel rappresenta l’ICT sull’intero territorio nazionale attraverso accordi diretti con le associazioni territoriali di Confcommercio (Ascom), per portare concretamente le iniziative e i servizi alle migliaia di piccole e medie aziende che operano nel settore. A livello confederale, Assintel fa parte del Consiglio Generale di Confcommercio e ne presiede la Commissione Innovazione Tecnologica e Sviluppo d’Impresa. Assintel interpreta, traduce e comunica le esigenze dell’ecosistema di partnership composto da operatori globali e locali che operano su tutto il territorio nazionale e nei diversi segmenti del mercato ICT, ed è impegnata a mettere in contatto concretamente domanda e offerta, stimolando un approccio empatico alle esigenze del mercato e sollecitando una comunicazione adeguata al target di riferimento. L’associato è al centro della mission di Assintel, ossia è l’anima e il motivo stesso di esistere dell’associazione. Dall’associato e dalle sue esigenze nascono i programmi e i servizi di Assintel. Fare parte di una associazione di categoria è strumento fondamentale per consentire all’azienda di entrare in un network di imprese con gli stessi obiettivi ed esigenze, di avere una posizione più forte sul mercato, di usufruire di canali privilegiati di accesso alle risorse e ai finanziamenti, di far sentire la propria voce sui tavoli di discussione più importanti del settore. Cuore dell’offerta di Assintel sono la gamma di servizi per l’azienda - attraverso la collaborazione delle strutture territoriali - e soprattutto lo sviluppo di iniziative strategiche per il mercato ICT. L’intensa attività convegnistica, le ricerche di mercato, l’organizzazione di workshop, la presenza istituzionale a prestigiosi eventi e fiere di settore, i progetti in collaborazione con le Istituzioni, la formazione finanziata, i gruppi di lavoro settoriali sono solo alcune delle iniziative che Assintel sviluppa per i propri associati.

		CMA, Communications Management Association, is the UK's premier business communications membership association. It represents corporate enterprises in both the public and private sectors and individual professionals who have responsibility for or manage communications systems from throughout the value chain. CMA is a registered charity and a Company Limited by Guarantee. CMA members are drawn from the ranks of the top 1,000 businesses and corporations across the public and private sectors. CMA members spend £13 billion per annum in the UK ICT market. CMA's role is to empower businesses by fostering its members' knowledge of and expertise in networked communications, and by promoting excellence in their use of the technologies. CMA has a long and internationally recognised track record in fighting the cause of communications professionals, with the objective of improving their personal contributions to the efficiency and effectiveness of their employer organisations. In short, CMA is playing a central role in 'Exploiting the technologies. Sharing the knowledge. Empowering the business.'

		GSE is a non-profit association of companies, organisations and individuals who are involved in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solutions based on IBM architectures. GSE aims to encourage members to exchange experience and information related to ICT, influence ICT product and service providers, and influence the European standards in Information and Communication Technology in the interest of its members. Formed by the merger of G.U.I.D.E. and SHARE Europe - both well established users organisations with over 35 years of experience each - GSE is an effective forum supporting the needs of today's ICT professional. GSE is an independent organisation led by volunteers. Active member participation is encouraged and fostered by providing numerous opportunities to share ideas and solutions with industry colleagues, both on a regional and international level GUIDE SHARE EUROPE holds a type-C ISO membership and is a member of the European ICT Roundtables. This gives GSE members access to a process of Information and Communication Technology standards.

		The Microsoft Business User Forum (mbuf) founded in 2004 is a registered user association based in Munich, Germany. It is a platform for IT leaders in major corporations, authorities and public institutions, as well as other organizations. Our common aim: to come up with solutions that will provide better support to our business processes. Our approach: open talks with each other and with Microsoft and a hands-on approach that is both fair and free of ideological bias. This way mbuf can help secure your investment in Microsoft solutions. Already, both Microsoft Germany and the Microsoft Corporation in Redmond have come to accept and respect mbuf as a valuable discussion partner, which means we have earned ourselves a reputation for being a critical but constructive association of major Microsoft clients. This way we can focus on content and effective solutions while many others still focus on confrontation. To put it simply: Everybody is talking about Microsoft. We talk to Microsoft. It has become crucially important to understand Microsoft’s visions and strategies and to begin help shaping them. A growing number of companies are tied to Microsoft in terms of their IT investment. They need to know what strings are attached and what to expect—today and in future. And that is exactly what mbuf is all about: to make our future with Microsoft better and more reliable. Through commitment, close observation, and high level talks.

		Obis Omni is an independent and dedicated Business and IT Community. It is designed to dramatically fast track our member's Business and IT projects. This is done by reducing the time they spend sourcing information and solutions. Membership to Obis Omni is completely FREE and allows you to; read the latest white papers and articles; view details of the latest online and offline events; meet with, share experiences and learn the best-practice techniques from other members and our Advisory Board members; and assess specific technology and consultancy solutions that best fit your projects. We cover the increasingly broad-reaching aspects of Business Intelligence from data warehousing and forecasting to business analytics, RFID, compliance, business process management and EAI. Regardless of the background or industry you are from, if you have a business or IT project, becoming a member of Obis Omni can help. To be part of this unique Community please visit www.obisomni.com.

		The German Association for Business Administration and Engineering, the Verband Deutscher Wirtschaftsingenieure e.V. (VWI), was founded in 1932 in Berlin, which is also the location of the head office. Its main objective is to promote the graduates of all combined management and engineering degrees, which, since its beginning, have been growing strongly in German industry-oriented university education. Starting in the thirties in three universities, this interdisciplinary degree is now offered by more than 50 universities with various engineering orientations throughout the country. The VWI is the leading association and active network for the students as well as the professionals in this field, the majority of which are working in leading management positions. The VWI has more than 4,100 members and this number is increasing rapidly. Since 1990 VWI has co-initiated an international student organisation, ESTIEM, carrying the philosophy of the interdisciplinary management and engineering education into the European context and beyond.