Microsoft has been actively supporting the organisation of the Maltese EU presidency by providing Enterprise cloud productivity and communication tools as well as premium devices.

“We are very proud to have been given this opportunity to have an active role in the 2017 Maltese EU presidency by providing Microsoft’s communication tools throughout the busy schedule of high-level meetings and conferences,” said Panayiotis Ioannou, country manager at Microsoft Malta.

Mr Ioannou said this during a presentation of a number of Surface devices, Office 365 usage and Azure Cloud services and video live streaming services to Adrian Dalli, director of the EU presidency organising committee at the Grand Master’s Palace in Valletta.

“At Microsoft, we strive to enable our partners by helping them achieve their full potential. This is what we also want to do at a national level, and at such a crucial moment, Microsoft is building its strategy on important pillars to make sure that even Malta gets to achieve its potential. One of these pillars is Malta’s historic EU presidency, and this is why Microsoft is delighted to be a main sponsor in the area of technology through the provision of technology productivity tools that contribute towards a more impactful and successful presidency,” Mr Ioannou added.

Microsoft primarily offered its high-availability Azure media services workflows as well as productivity suites via Office 365. Furthermore, Microsoft Surface Pro tablets will enable mobile productivity within the operation during the Maltese EU presidency.

Mr Dalli said: “The 2017 Maltese presidency of the Council of the European Union is glad to have been approached by Microsoft after issuing the open call for sponsorships. With a plethora of Microsoft Azure Cloud services, Microsoft Office 365 E5, which was sponsored for presidency employees, and Microsoft Surface Pro 4 tablets, Microsoft’s contribution has been invaluable to the proper organisation and fulfilment of the presidency, catering particularly well for the presidency’s software and IT infrastructure needs. We are glad to call Microsoft platinum partners of the 2017 Maltese EU presidency.”