Openforum Academy Breakfast Meeting – The Open Workplace of the Future

It is abundantly clear that the workplace of today is set for radical change. Past practice is of little use when we consider the future of how we will interact with colleagues, partners, customers, suppliers.

The impact of mobile devices, the inevitability of the ‘cloud’, and the ubiquity of open solutions will underpin the route forward. Will we even recognise the desktop of today in just 10 years time, or even in 5 years? How will technology help us to collaborate?

Such debates are not just the province of the technology strategist, they directly influence procurement decisions today, not only for private companies, but equally for the public sector whether it be at local, provincial, national or European government level. They directly impact ICT decisions made at the highest level.

Few can honestly say they can accurately predict the future, so what procurement decisions and plans can be made? What are the pitfalls? And what are the key considerations? How do you avoid locking yourself out from the opportunity of tomorrow?

As part of the OpenForum Academy programme we are hosting a Round Table discussion among industry and community experts, together with decision makers and strategists from across the EC and national governments. Introductory interventions will be given by:

• John Walicki, head of IBM’s global Open Computing initiative, and is IBM’s I/T Client Architect

• Jan Wildeboer, Red Hat EMEA, Open Source Affairs

• John Abel, Oracle EMEA, Chief Technology Architect

The Round Table discussion will be moderated by Sachiko Muto, a Director of OFA, and the rapporteur will be Maha Shaikh, Senior Researcher at the London School of Economics who will be publishing a short report after the proceedings.

We would like to invite you to participate in this Round Table which will be held on the 23rd March from 0800 to 1030hrs at the Silken Berlaymont Hotel, Brussels – Breakfast will be provided.