Report 2010

1. Institutional Introductions

2. Introduction to MIC Productivity

2.1 Who we are and what we do2.2 Vision and Mission2.3 Governing entities: trustees and the directive committee2.4 Team2.5 Spaces

3. MIC Productivity Services3.1 iProductivity Diagnosis3.2 iProductivity Consulting3.3 iProductivity Improvement Program3.4 ROI Studies3.5 Training services3.6 Preliminary Project definition and IT planning3.7 Projects in R&D&I3.8 Third Place

4. MIC Productivity Alliances4.1 MIC Network4.2 TECNIO Network4.3 Plan PIMESTIC y TIC.cat4.4 BizSpark Program4.5 MIC Productivity Ecosystem

5. Communication5.1 Direct Communication5.2 Communication on-line5.3 Publications

6. Activities6.1 Activities by figures6.2 Conferences organized by MIC Productivity

6.2.1 Featured activities6.3 Participation in forums and conferences6.4 Representation in organizations6.5 Educational activities

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Albert EsplugasManaging Director of MIC Productivity

1. Institutional Introductions

In 2010, we closed our 4th year of existence and completed the initial Productivity Innovation Center project cycle in which our patrons (Microsoft,the Government of Catalonia through ACC1Ó, the Manresa City Council, Caixa Manresa, the Manresa Chamber of Commerce and the CTM TechnologyCenter) invested in late 2006.

At that time we were asked to create an innovation center with the following strategic objectives:- To help companies improve their productivity with a specific focus on business.- To create and form part of a network of companies, associations, and initiatives in the area.- To be a point of reference at a national and international level.- To help make Manresa a city known for its ability to focus on knowledge and innovation.I firmly believe that we have met each and every one of these objectives and that we have laid the foundation to continue strengthening them and

achieving new ones.

We were able to reach businesses with a new message about the value of ICT in the productivity and competitiveness of companies. It is a businessmessage, of impacting the bottom line, of maximizing talent in the organization and of shifting to new productive models in the knowledge economy.With this new message we have captured the interest of not just the traditional technical partner, but of business partners, and it is in this that lays thesuccess of the center and its ability to impact business productivity.

Today, the Center has more than thirty service company associates (partners), more than twenty associations with businesses and professionals (in-novation partners), and forms a part of numerous committees aimed at sharing ideas and best practices. Each year, these partners renew their rela-tionship with MIC Productivity, while at the same time new partners are constantly being added.

The Center is known by all those companies and organizations involved in the sale of ICT products and services. It is the only one of its kind at the Eu-ropean level. The center is one of the Microsoft Innovation Centers which receives the highest recognition for impact and ability to add value which inturn make it self-sufficient and profitable.

With the help and complicity of the Center's patrons, we have been able to make Manresa attractive for leading figures in politics, business, andculture in Catalonia, Spain and Europe. We have acted as a magnet for attracting talent, which we have incorporated and transformed, without adoubt, into our greatest asset: the people who work here.

The feeling of satisfaction for this initial phase gives way to an enormous enthusiasm for the years ahead, more specifically:- The opportunities that the cloud computing model creates for us to reach many more companies, which due either to their specialization or to

their size, have not yet incorporate ICT in their DNA.- The opportunities created by the global market –and more specifically the European– to do evermore relevant projects and to create synergies

with other influential centers in Europe.- The beginning of activities oriented towards promoting the creation of technology based companies that in turn create jobs, which is a particularly

critical question still today just as it was at the end of 2006.- The maturity of a model and a message which will allow us to grow geographically with the opening of more Productivity Labs.

I encourage you to read this report which aims to collect all the activities from the past year, an important one for us, and which represents a holisticimage of the Productivity Innovation Center.

Carles GrauMicrosoft Public Sector Director

MIC Productivity has established itself as a center of talent and an international reference point for helping com-panies and managers improve their productivity through proper use and best practices of information technology.Information and communication technology (ICT) does not provide a competitive advantage alone. It is the good useof ICT among individuals and teams that can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and ultimately, lead to an increasedlevel of productivity.

The improvement of productivity, without any doubt, is one of our greatest challenges as a country, and in thatarea, MIC Productivity plays a key role especially for the small- and medium-size enterprises with which they havecontact and whose productivity has increased by more than 10%, which was one of the objectives that we set for themanagement of their entities.

The Center's team is now a top of the line team which is creating great impact with their performance. In particular,I would like to highlight the good work done by the Center in collaboration with the ICT companies of our country,those which the Center has helped improve training and education, generated demand for projects in deployment,training and development, and contributed to a growing intensity in the ICT sector within our country.

Another asset of the Center that I particularly value is its aptitude and expertise in impact studies with return ofinvestment in ICT projects and in the cost of ownership analysis of ICT projects, which are crucial in order to followthrough with ICT initiatives which have a measureable return on investment in our income statements rather thanan expense.

In 2010, MIC Productivity has reached self-sustainability, a key milestone for the future, and its impact has extendedfar beyond Catalonia thanks to the Productivity Labs program. These labs are small productivity laboratories connectedto the Center and which permit the impact of MIC Productivity to spread to capillary activity units located in manyother regions of Spain, beyond Catalonia, and also to the international sphere.

I cannot but recognize the effort and the job well done so far by the Center's team in this year 2010. I encourageyou to pursue this course of action in the future, a future in which cloud computing, new natural interfaces and theubiquity of new devices will provide us with ever more rewarding, effective, and productive digital experiences, inwhich MIC Productivity will certainly be a pioneer.

1. Institutional Introductions

Xavier FerràsDirector of the Business Innovation Center

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In the year 2006, after competing with different Innovative Catalan locations, Manresa won the bid to host the he-adquarters of MIC Productivity, a start-up driven by Microsoft. The effort was not trivial: the earlier work done withinthe framework of the innovation plan of the city made it possible for a set of institutions (the Council, Caja Manresa -now CatalunyaCaixa, the Chamber of Commerce, the CTM Foundation and CIDEM - now ACC1ó-) to create the com-plicity necessary and agree quickly over the design of the winning bid.

A lot has happened since that now distant 2006. A profound international crisis has shaken the foundations of Wes-tern societies. And in the midst of this crisis, one of the worst case scenarios at that time, MIC Productivity was able tofulfill most of its objectives: reach financial self-sufficiency and a critical mass; attract talent to the city and transformitself into one of the flagships of Manresa's innovation sector. The funding patrons are fully satisfied with the evolutionof the Centre, despite the adverse conditions that it faced.

However, the road should not stop here. After the crisis, a new innovative economy will move forward strongerthan ever. Regions will be innovative or not. They will have the capacity to attract investments according to their en-dogenous talents or else they will be overlooked in economic history. And in this new playing field, MIC Productivity,along with other agents, such as the CTM or the Parque Central, become absolutely essential to be the engine of a citythat must hold a leadership position in the twenty-first century economy. The approval of MIC Productivity's mem-bership to the TECNIO network - which brings together leading Catalan industrial research organizations- is not, in thissense, an end point but the beginning of a new venture in which MIC Productivity must deepen its capacity for R & D,differential technology generation and immediate release to companies in its environment, turning this knowledgeinto competitive business advantages.

Long live MIC Productivity, all the best for the future and may it become, as we hope, a positive force not only forthe Manresa region, but an internationally recognized reference in IT productivity as well.

1. Institutional Introductions

Alain JordàDeputy Mayor for Economy, Innovation, and Enterprise

I write these lines on the day following the granting to Manresa of the distinction as City of Science and Innovation

by the Government of Spain. It recognizes 30 Spanish cities which have a clear commitment to science and innovation.This time, the recognition comes from the municipal effort in financing the building of the Motor Center of the Tech-nology Park Catalonia, which in all likelihood, will be the new home of MIC Productivity in a short time.

Manresa started the transformation of its productive model many years ago through a range of initiatives, in whichthe Council was always helped by various local agents – corporate and technological – in order to establish a set oftechnological and knowledge centers quite remarkable for a medium-sized city like ours.

And, within this set, MIC Productivity is one of the most recent, but also one of the most promising. MIC Productivityis not a standard technology center. It does not have laboratories with sophisticated instruments. MIC Productivity isa center of knowledge generation in an area where the European economy needs to progress rapidly to continuecompeting in the global economy: how companies should use ICT in order to multiply their competitive indices.

This is a soft kind of knowledge, precisely the kind of knowledge that has the most potential to transform businessesand organizations in any industry. And it is this knowledge potential generation that gives MIC Productivity the incre-dible growing prospects which have started to unfold through a concept of hubs in different parts of Spain.

The Council of Manresa is particularly pleased with the commitment made in 2006 because, by combining theconcept of productivity improvement and the excellence of the MIC Productivity team, not only have been achievedand exceeded the set of economic targets, but Manresa has also won a new knowledge generating center whose in-fluences radiate to companies from Manresa, Catalonia, Spain and the wider European Union.

1. Institutional Introductions

Pere CasalsPresident of the Manresa Chamber of Commerce

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The creation of MIC Productivity answered, in due course, the strategic commitment of the Chamber and otherinstitutions in the region to improve the competitiveness of businesses in the area. It was a wager made before theoutbreak of the crisis and is now more valuable and necessary than ever.

Investments in information and communication technology (ICT) have shown a rapid and significant return interms of productivity. Daily experience shows us that the companies with the highest level of productivity allocate asignificant percentage of their investments in ICT. Therefore, at the Chamber, we believe that the closeness of MICProductivity to the local business network acts as a catalyst for promoting the improvement of productivity, which isso necessary for the companies of Bages, based on practical and concrete solutions.

Moreover, such a center can be and has to be a magnet for other activities related to the area. Ultimately, its pre-sence should contribute to the development of the region and to attracting and retaining skilled talent. Indirectly,the ICT services that it offers to the business sector in general will bring benefits.

As one of our main lines of action, we chambers of commerce have to economically promote all the territories inwhich we are located. Hence, our role in promoting initiatives such as MIC Productivity, which should affect the com-petitiveness of businesses in the whole region and guide our productive model to activities with higher added value.

In this year 2010, we were congratulated by everyone because MIC Productivity, and team which manages it, isachieving objectives, which at the same time are and contribute to the objectives of the entities who believed in itinitially.

1. Institutional Introductions

Xavier CodinachDirector of the Internal Management Area of CTM

According to the dictionary, innovation means, “To introduce novelties to something, in the implementation ofproducts, services, new processes or organizational forms or to sufficiently improve.” Furthermore, we can defineproductivity as, “The performance indicator that relates the quantity of product used with the quantity of output ob-tained.”

MIC Productivity, created in Manresa in the summer of 2006, has focused its activities on introducing, improvingor enhancing these two key aspects for business development through activities such as outreach, training, support,development and consulting companies. And it is these companies, who have requested the support of MIC Produc-tivity to improve their productivity through the introduction of innovations in management through the use of ICTtools, it is these companies which are taking a step forward not only to survive in very difficult times, but also to po-sition themselves for success in this highly competitive and global environment.

At the CTM Technology Center Foundation, we can confirm the excellent track record of MIC Productivity throug-hout the almost five years that the two entities have shared the same facility and we are convinced that this path willimprove just as much the productivity as well as the competitiveness of companies committed to innovation.

We hope that the upcoming move of both institutions to the new Parque Central generates a center of knowledgeto help improve the productive fabric of the region and its social environment.

1. Institutional Introductions

9

Àngel QuesadaAssistant General Manager of Caixa Manresa

The Productivity Innovation Center has become, through its own merits and in a very short time, a center of refe-rence for businesses far beyond Manresa and Catalonia.

Those of us who participated in the project from the beginning remember the difficult and exciting challengesthat were faced: to be a magnet for human talent, to attract innovative companies, to serve as a catalyst to improvethe use of ICT tools in companies, directly or through technology partners, to put Manresa on the map of innovationand ICT, and finally, to become self-sufficient.

We consider these goals amply fulfilled. And in difficult times nonetheless. This has been and continues to be onesof the most difficult years for companies, but it is exactly in this moment when we have to strive to improve efficiencyand productivity in order to overcome the situation and emerge stronger. What used to seem like innovation hasnow become a necessity for staying in the market.

The role of productivity, focusing on the best use of ICT tools, is a crucial one at this time. And the PIC focuses onknowledge, experience, and enthusiasm to help businesses drive the necessary changes. An extraordinary team!

These years of working together have been excellent. We have been motivated and have followed the projectfrom the first day, with its results and with the team which it has created, and we hope that the year 2011, in whichthe center will make its move to the new Parque Central, will involve new momentum for strengthening the centerin the region.

1. Institutional Introductions

of the near future will be based on the efficient management of the con-nections between processes, people and information. In an economybased on talent, information systems take on the primordial role as theorganization's nervous system.

Mission: Aware of the urgency of this necessity, at MIC Productivitywe wish to bring together technology and people. Within companies, thattranslates to a more efficient use of technology in high value-added acti-vities (communication, collaboration, project management, innovationmanagement, etc.) and along with the development of more ‘human’technologies, trying to render their use as easy and intuitive as possible.

2.3 Governing entities: Trustees and the Directive Committee

Trustees

• City of Manresa:

Josep Camprubí Duocastella - Mayor of Manresa and President of theMIC Productivity Foundation

Alain Jordà i Pempelonne - Councilor of Economy and Finance

• Caixa Manresa:

Manel Rosell i Martí - President

Àngel Quesada i Pàmpols - Assistant Managing Director

• Chamber of Manresa:

Pere Casals Perramon - President

Esther Hernández i Herrero - Manager

2.1 Who we are and what we do

At MIC Productivity, our objective is to help companies increase theproductivity of their employees through the application of best practicesand through the efficient use of the iProductivity technology in their dailywork.

With this aim, at MIC Productivity we help companies innovate theirbusiness processes with an increased use of technology which unleashesemployees’ potential.

The technologies on which we focus are those tools, platforms andsolutions that are oriented towards improving the productivity of pro-fessionals in the areas of communication, teamwork, collaboration, se-arch, data storage and information management.

Technology such as collaboration spaces, instant messaging, mobilesolutions and search tools show their impact on companies’ bottom-linesby increasing the companies’ capacity to enable innovation and to bemore competitive.

At MIC Productivity, we strive to make these technologies known, tohelp ICT companies use the most up-to-date practices in their offices,and allow the final user to innovate their business processes to the hig-hest levels of productivity.

2.2 Vision and Mission

Vision: We are witnessing an irreversible change in the economy’smodel of productivity. The concept of a company and that of the worker

2. Introduction to MIC Productivity

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• CTM Technology Center

Venanci Pellicer i Perich - President

Xavier Codinach i Moncunill - Administrative Director

Executive Council

• City of Manresa:

Josep Camprubí Duocastella - Mayor of Manresa and President of theMIC Productivity Foundation

Alain Jordà i Pempelonne - Councilor of Economy and Finance

• Caixa Manresa:

Manel Rosell i Martí - President

Àngel Quesada i Pàmpols - Assistant General Director

• Chamber of Manresa:

Pere Casals Perramon - President

Esther Hernández i Herrero - Manager

• CTM Technology Center

Venanci Pellicer i Perich - President

Xavier Codinach i Moncunill - Administrative Director

• Microsoft Ibérica, SRL

Carles Grau i Lara - Managing Director of Microsoft Catalonia

Santiago Lorente García-Barbón - MIC lead

• ACC1Ó

Xavier Ferràs - Director of the Business Innovation Center at ACC10

Carles Gómara - Manager of the Business Innovation Area at ACC10

Leadership

Albert Esplugas Mimó - Managing Director of MIC Productivity

2. Introduction to MIC Productivity

Albert EsplugasManaging Director

Ramon CostaBusiness Productivity Advisor

Diego GómezBusiness Productivity Advisor

Xavier HernanzBusiness Productivity Advisor

Anna ValverdeBusiness Productivity Advisor

Josep VilaltaBusiness Productivity Advisor

Juanjo ComellasBusiness Productivity Advisor

Xavier LloberaBusiness Productivity Advisor

Jordi FernándezSystems Engineer

Meritxell CasalsMarketing and Communication

2.4 Team

2. Introduction to MIC Productivity

2.5 Spaces

Inspira Room. Manresa. Innova Room. Manresa.

Emo Room. Madrid.

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iProductivity Consulting consists of data collection and a set of inter-views, in order to carry out the productivity study, the solution designand functional layout.

3.1 iProductivity Diagnosis

iProductivity Diagnosis is the ideal service for any kind of organizationwhich would like to understand the opportunities to improve the pro-ductivity of its workers in a fast and focused manner.

“We analyze in which areas of the company could the greatest

increase in productivity be obtained through investing in IT”

The majority of companies today have incorporated different infor-mation technology solutions to automate business processes such as in-voicing, production, stock control, corporative data bases, payrolls, etc.Despite this, in all these companies remains the opportunity to improveproductivity and competitiveness by helping the workers carry out uns-tructured tasks in their day to day functions in a more efficient and effec-tive manner

3. MIC Productivity Services

3.2 iProductivity Consulting

iProductivity Consulting consists of analyzing in detail a process or arole within the client’s organization which has a strong impact on the bu-siness. We examine how the said process is currently being performedand what is the current productivity level. Then we create a study of howthe bottom-line could be substantially improved through the applicationof productivity tools.

“The iProductivity Consulting facilitates the improvement of

productivity in a critical business process oriented towards the people”

3.3 iProductivity Improvement Program

“The iProductivity Improvement Program is a diagnostic

service, with tailor-made training and support.”

This service is aimed at improving the productivity of workers and con-sists of practical sessions using the tools for specific business processes.

The service is geared towards companies that have already invested inthe acquisition and deployment of many of these tools and would now liketo concentrate on receiving the highest value back from these investments.

3.4 ROI Study

Often companies acquire technological solutions without knowing be-forehand what the return on investment (ROI) will be.

When these investments are related to the productivity tools, calcu-lating the value contributed is made even more difficult. Despite this, justbecause something is difficult to measure does not mean that it doesnot have a value, which could also be far superior to the contributionsmade from other more traditional investments.

The ROI study allows us to obtain the projected cash flow for up to 3years, the rate of return on investment and the payback.

Analysis of the currentplatform

Phases of the iProductivity diagnosis in an organization

Profile of the information

worker

Study of the Unstructured

Processes

Vision Session> >>

> > > >Initial Data

InterviewsConclusions of the study

Functional Proposition

Report and Executive

Presentation

3.7 R+D+i Projects

At MIC Productivity, one of our objectives is to generate knowledgeabout the best practices in the application and use of iProductivity tech-nology within companies to improve productivity.

This is why we participate in the following R+D+I (Research, Develop-ment, and Innovation) projects, as in the Spanish sphere we form a partof two consortiums at the moment:

• Project PYMESRED (Advanced R+D), together with the Barcelona Di-gital Technology Center, the ICA Group, Kinetical, Nexica, UOC andPIMEC, through this project we aim to define a dynamic platform forcooperation for SMEs.

• Interactive Collaboration Platform Project for the “Cultural Manage-ment and Cultural Creation (eCulture)”, in the framework of the aidprogram for the development of projects focused in the fields of eHe-alth, eCulture and eInfrastructure, within the Inforregion 2009-2010,we participated together with the Barcelona Digital Technology Cen-ter, TechnoTrends, Spenta, UPF, and the Red Cross –Cultural Activities.This project aims at developing a prototype which will allow remoteaccess collaboration systems in the creation of cultural content.

3.8 Third Place

Third Place (www.tercerlloc.cat) was created by MICProductivity and the City of Barcelona in early 2010.There was a need to find spaces in the city where one

can work in the interim periods during the day in the case that the officeis not located nearby: time between reunions, time spent waiting for aplane or a train, making an important phone call, etc.

Identifying these requirements, we decided to launch an online toolwhich serves to locate spaces where tele-working can be done comfor-tably and practically, without having to move to a different part of the city.

The initiative was launched in February 2010 when the data base ofmany public locations, from where one can work flexibly in Barcelona,was incorporated to the site.

From that time, it has been the citizens themselves who have madecontributions to make Third Place grow. In December, it grew further byincorporating the City of Cardedeu and the idea is to gain the interest ofother cities in Catalonia to make this tool accessible to their citizens.

3. MIC Productivity Services

3.5 Training Services

Training in iProductivity is a set of sessions focusing of productivity so-lutions for information workers and the application of these solutions tobusiness processes.

The seminars are carried out in very small groups so that the sessioncan be more interactive and so that there are means to resolve the spe-cific concerns of the attendees.

The training is aimed at business users. It focuses on user-oriented fe-atures, not on technical details.

An example of these training activities is the seminar “Training in theEfficient Use of Email,” developed by MIC Productivity to help users toemploy proper management of email, calendar and tasks, and thus im-prove their productivity.

Other available seminars are, for example, “Training in Efficient TimeManagement” and, “Office Training by Roles.”

3.6 Preliminary Project Definition and IT Planning

MIC Productivity provides services in pre-project definition, in order toassist recipient firms in describing the requirements and the project planfor developing, implementing, and launching future information systems.

Our consulting team also provides services to support project mana-gement. They can help to facilitate the coordination of the differentsupplying agents in an ICT Project, monitor the tasks and activities, defineand monitor risks and launch actions to facilitate the adoption of the newsystem in the company and ensure proper change management.

“ROI Study: An economic justification of the technological

project and the keys to maximizing the business value

after the project's implementation”

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part of a brand which gives us the possibility to collaborate with the otherentities and to undertake joint projects.

4.3 Plan PIMESTIC and TIC.cat

In 2008, MIC Productivity signed an agreement with PIMESTIC and in2009, another with TIC.cat.

The first, Plan PIMESTIC, is the action plan of the Government of Ca-talonia, led jointly by the Ministry of Telecommunications and Informa-tion Society and ACC10, in order to promote information andcommunication technology (ICT) in Catalan companies. The ultimate goalof the plan is to improve the competitiveness of Catalan companiesthrough the introduction to and efficient use of ICT.

The second, TIC.cat, aims to help Catalan ICT businesses grow by im-proving some of their key business areas. These include: improvementsin innovation to create new products and services, increasing export ca-pacity and internationalization of operations, increasing productivity le-vels, and developing synergies through cooperation, as well as thetraining and availability of human resources and necessary materials fordealing with the challenges of the future.

Within the framework of these plans, at MIC Productivity we have un-dertaken outreach activities, training seminars, iProductivity consultingfor SMEs and have created a guide which sets out best practices for im-proving productivity in ICT companies.

4.1 MIC Network

For over 7 years, Microsoft has run a program within its Local SoftwareEconomy (LSE) division based on the global creation of what are calledMicrosoft Innovation Centers (MICs), in order to actively participate ininnovation activities with other agents at the local level. There are cu-rrently more that 130 MICs worldwide, which form the MIC Networkwww.microsoft.com/MIC, and which have the opportunity to use themore than $8,000 million which the company spends annually on R&Dcarrying out projects aimed at innovation and technology transfer.

Microsoft proposed the creation of the Innovation Center to the Go-vernment of Catalonia and together they decided that it would specializein technologies that have the potential to increase the productivity ofenterprises and their employees. This Center would in this way act as anational point of reference in the application of productivity technologiesto the specific needs of companies by size and sector.

4.2 TECNIO Network

MIC Productivity joined the TECNIO network in early 2010. TECNIO isthe network that strengthens differential technology, innovation and bu-siness excellence, and has over 100 specializing agents from technologycenters, technological dissemination centers and university groups in Ca-talonia. This is why MIC Productivity joined the initiative: to continuecarrying out technology transfers, gain more knowledge, and to form a

4. MIC Productivity Alliances

4.4 BizSpark Program

Today, together with Barcelona Activa, MIC Productivity is one of thedistributors of the BizSpark Program in Catalonia.

The program's aim is to support newly established technology com-panies (startups). BizSpark provides development tools and server tech-nology for participating entrepreneurs.

Within this program, MIC Productivity worked with Barcelona Activato organize a BizSpark Camp in May and June in Catalonia. The Campconsisted of a day for tech entrepreneurs (Barcelona Activa), some trai-ning workshops for EBT (at the EU Gimbernat, in Sant Cugat) and somepractical workshops for developing prototypes (in Manresa).

4.5 MIC Productivity Ecosystem

Technological Partners

SMART Technologies (smarttech.com)

HP invent (www8.hp.com)

Nortel (www.nortel.com)

Polycom (www.polycom.com)

Preferred Partners

Avanade (www.avanade.com)

Nextret (www.nextret.net)

Pasiona (www.pasiona.es)

Raona (www.raona.com)

Seidor (www.seidor.es)

T-Systems (www.t-systems.es)

Partners

ABAST systems (www.abast.es)

Amauta (www.amauta.es)

Aventia Renacimiento (www.aventia.com)

Bismart (www.bismart.es)

Columbus IT (www.columbusit.es)

Dynamica (www.dynamica.es)

ICNet (www.icnetconsulting.com)

IFR (www.ifr.es)

IN2 (www.in2.es)

Infoaván (www.infoavan.com)

4. MIC Productivity Alliances

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Itequia (www.itequia.com)

Kinetical (www.kinetical.com)

Nexica (www.nexica.com)

Ontek (www.ontek.net)

Qurius (www.qurius.com)

Vodafone (www.vodafone.es)

Innovation Partners and Collaborative Entities

BDigital (www.bigital.org)

BES La Salle (www.salle.url.edu)

CATIC (www.catic.cat)

ESADE Creapolis (www.esadecreapolis.com)

Fundació CECOT (www.cecot.cat)

Cetei (www.cetei.info)

AEBALL/UPMBALL (www.aeball.es)

ATI (www.ati.es)

BcnDev (www.bcndev.net)

Can Calderon (www.cancalderon.es)

CatDotNet (www.catdotnet.org)

CTecno (www.ctecno.com)

CTUG (www.ctug.cat)

Col·legi d’Enginyeria i Informàtica de Catalunya(www.eic.cat)

Escoles Universitàries Gimbernat (www.eug.es)

KIMBcn (www.kimbcn.org)

Inesdi (www.inesdi.com)

Parc Tecnològic del Vallès (www.ptv.es)

4. MIC Productivity Alliances

5.2 Online Communication Channels5.1 Direct Communication Channels

Web

In keeping with our philosophy of disclosing and sharing knowledge,we wanted to take it one step further in what is now our website,www.micproductivity.com. We consider it a key resource where to findus and where to focus and concentrate all the information about us andour activities. Therefore, during the year 2011, we expect to enjoy a re-newed website, where one can search and find all the contents relatedto MIC Productivity. The aim is to create a dynamic page, constantly up-dated, which will act as a communication channel essential to developingour work.

e-Bulletin

At MIC Productivity, we send out a monthly electronic newsletter toinform about all the relevant news of the month. The spectrum is wide:from conferences highlighting interesting content for the recipients, tothe cooperation agreements that have been established with various en-tities. With this Bulletin we want to keep the public informed about ouractivities and maintain visibility for those partners who typically partici-pate in all these actions.

e-Agenda

Biweekly we send out an e-mail to those who would like to hear aboutall the activities that MIC Productivity will organize and those in which itparticipate (usually two months in advance). Here, one can find all theinformation about the seminars and a link to register. Since MIC Produc-tivity is very active and has many conferences and seminars, the agendagives us the opportunity to channel this information and helps us keepour contacts informed.

5. Communication

Blog

The MIC Productivity blog is located at www.iproductividad.

com. Here we describe practically all of our daily activities:workshops which we are hosting or participating in, partner-ships and alliances that we are establishing, articles about in-teresting tools, etc. The content is fully syndicated via RSS.

Facebook

Our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/MICProductivity

helps us get closer to all those people interested in our acti-vities and who wish to be informed in a practical way. Thepublications are varied and are related to all types of eventsthat occur at MIC Productivity: MIC Productivity news, in-dustry related news, links to case studies, press releases, etc.

Twitter

We consider this channel second only to gold. Here we publishall the information related to MIC Productivity via instant mes-sages. You can find us at www.twitter.com/MICProductivity.

LinkedInWe have a group on LinkedIn so that we can know who thepeople in the industry are and exchange opinions. For this,every fifteen days to three weeks, we open a debate on a dif-ferent topic that may of interest to our followers.We also have a company profile, MIC Productivity, so thateveryone can consult it and contact the professionals whocompose our company.

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Youtube

The well known YouTube channel allows us to have a distinc-tive profile, www.youtube.com/MICProductivity, where wecan place corporate videos and all those related to MIC Pro-ductivity. We also have a favorites section where we link allthe videos that we find interesting or that are directly relatedto our business and our partners, innovation partners, andcollaborators.

Slideshare

Here we have a private space, www.slideshare.net/group/MIC-

Productivity, where we share our presentations. Taking partin many conferences has generated a demand from atten-dees for material used in presentations.

“ICT companies play an important role in the transition towards a

knowledge based economy, not only because of the specific place they

hold in the economy, but because they are the ones that, through the

services they offer their clients, should help improve the productivity of

Catalan companies. A strong ICT sector is one of the best guarantees

of having a productive and competitive business sector.”

Albert Esplugas, Managing Director of MIC Productivity

ACC1Ó Guide to Productivity Improvement

From its beginning, the role of information tech-nology has been focused on automation andstructured process support, enabling these func-tions to be more agile, quick, and supportive ofthe capture of a company’s operational informa-tion (sales, operations, logistics, and distribution).

These technologies are all those tools, platformsand solutions that are aimed at improving the

productivity of professionals mainly in the fields of communication, te-amwork, collaboration, and in the search, storage, and management ofinformation. It is therefore essential that companies adopt them in an effi-cient and effective manner.

This guide aims to show companies the technology and tools availablethat can improve the productivity of professionals in the fields of com-munication. Above all, it aims to share best practices about the use ofthese tools. It can be downloaded on our webpage.

“Information and communication technology can pose significant

productivity improvements in business processes, those which are

structured as well as those relating to people and their communication

and collaboration, but only if we know how to use them efficiently and

implement best practices in their use.”

Ramon Costa, Business Productivity Advisor

5. Communication

5.3 Publications

Compilation of best practices to improve productivity in ICT companies

In June, together with TIC.cat and with the colla-boration of the Government of Catalonia, ESADE,Ubiquat and the Collegi d'Enginyeria Informatica(all MIC Productivity collaborators), we launchedthis guide of best practices with the goal of im-proving productivity in ICT companies

The intention was to serve other companies inthis sector and others to enable them to reflect on how to introduce in-novations that will make them more competitive and productive in aneconomy in flux. Entrepreneurs and managers recount their own expe-riences to other entrepreneurs and managers to help them think aboutwhat areas can be made more competitive. It can be downloaded fromour website.

6.2 Conferences organized by MIC Productivity

R+D+i Projects: 2.Productivity workshops and Innova sessions: more than 100.Conferences and postgraduate courses: more than 15.Networking sessions for MIC Productivity partners: 3.

6.1 Activities in figures

Number of conferences organized by MIC Productivity: 45.Number of conferences MIC Productivity participated in: more than 35.People who know us due to our outreach activities: more than 2,000.Satisfaction of carried out activities: 4.5 out of 5.

6. Activities

Date Place Title Co-organizer Participating Partners

25/01/2010 Granollers Efficient management of email and best practices CTUG

26 and 28/01/2010 Granollers Efficient communication CTUG

26 and 28/01/2010 Granollers Collaboration and teamwork CTUG

26/01/2010 Granollers GTD and Outlook CTUG

28/01/2010 Granollers Tools and best practices for a new working model CTUG HSI, Itequia, Spenta, Ubiquat

29/01/2010 Granollers Web 2.0 and its internal use in companies CTUG Spenta, IN2, Avanade, Ticalia, T-Systems

03/02/2010 Manresa Conference for Partners

04/02/2010 Manresa MS Day

03/03/2010 Barcelona Training for partners: Microsoft BVPS Methodology Microsoft

08/04/2010 Barcelona Project & Portfolio Management OdPe OdPe

22/04/2010 Cerdanyola del Vallès Social networks with high value added: taking advantage of Web 2.0 business

PTV Ticalia, IN2, Nextret

05/05/2010 Barcelona BizSpark Camp: Touch Barcelona Activa

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6. Activities

Date Place Title Co-organizer Participating Partners

12 y 13/05/2010 Sant Cugat BizSpark Camp: HoL EU Gimbernat

13/05/2010 Manresa iProductivity Conference for Euro MBA at EADA EADA

19, 25 and 27/05 and 01/06 of 2010

Manresa Course Project 2010 CATIC

26/05/2010 Barcelona Cloud Computing Foment de Treball Amauta, Infoavan, Nexica, Ubiquat

02/06/2010 Manresa Productivity Day

10/06/2010 Manresa Productivity with Microsoft Office CATIC

21, 22 and 23/06/2010 Manresa BizSpark Camp: PoC

21/09/2010 Cerdanyola del Vallès Social networks with high value added: taking advantage of Web 2.0 business

PTV IN2, Nextret, Ticalia

28/09/2010 Barcelona Conference on AgilePoint and SharePoint Nextret Nextret

14/10/2010 Cerdanyola del Vallès Project management, business tool PTV Columbus IT, ICNet

21/10/2010 Barcelona iProductivity for the commercial network, pharmacy sector Kinetical Kinetical, Vodafone

21/10/2010 Manresa Seminar on implementation of the GTD method with Microsoft Outlook

CATIC

28/10/2010 Granollers Low Cost Productivity UEI Dynamica, Ontek

11/11/2010 Vilafranca del Penedès How to improve our productivity UEP Ontek

12/11/2010 Sant Cugat Productivity day for network operators of TECNIO ESADE Creapolis

From 23/11 to 02/12 de 2010

Manresa Improving your productivity Office 2010 CATIC

25/11/2010 Cerdanyola del Vallès The role of information systems in enterprises PTV Itequia, Bismart, Columbus IT, Kinetical

25/11/2010 Terrassa The new user interfaces and improvement of productivity CECOT Kinetical, Raona, Pasiona

23, 25 and 30/11/2010 Manresa Improve your productivity with Office 2007 CATIC

6.2.1 Featured Activities

Partners Day:

In February, we organized a conference for all the members of ourecosystem (partners, innovation partners, technology partners and co-llaborative entities).

The meeting, which lasted all morning, was intended to encouragethe relationship between these companies and organizations. We pre-

sented the Microsoft Partners Program of this year along with the MICProductivity alliance and collaboration Program and took the opportunityto delve into Office 2010, one of Microsoft's flagship products. In orderto do this, there were experts present such as Carles Grau, Sasha Frljanicand Fernando Bocigas, all from Microsoft.

Productivity Day

In June, we held the Productivity Day with the aim of bringing togetherseveral companies interested in iProductivity.

6. Activities

Partners Day Productivity Day

We discussed the areas that could currently help organizations to bemore productive: flexible office, productivity in the Cloud, Office 2010and the value of social networks.

The event took place in Sant Benet de Bages, in a historic monastery.To conclude, we enjoyed a lunch together at the same restaurant in orderto get to know one another better and to exchange ideas while enjoyingthe visit to the monastery. The attendance was very satisfactory, as weretheir evaluations of the event. We look forward to holding the secondedition in 2011.

BizSpark Camp

In May, along with Barcelona Activa we began the BizSpark Camp

cycle, Building Windows 7 Modern Applications for entrepreneurs. Thiscycle was divided into three sessions. The first was open to the public andits purpose was to present the attendees the new features in Windows7 for the design and the development of applications with multi-touchinterface resources, menu ribbons, integration with the taskbar and ex-ternal sensors such as GPS and positioning services or accelerometers.

The second session was held at the University of Gimbernat (SantCugat). In this case, it was a selection of companies who attended the

first session. We conducted some workshop in the manner of Hands-onLabs focusing on the development of multi-touch applications for Win-dows 7, where each attendee had the opportunity to begin defininghis/her project.

The third session lasted 3 days and was conducted at our facilities inManresa. In this case, it was a selection of people who had attended thesecond session. They received professors to help them develop their pro-duct.

iProductivity Day for TECNIO Network members

And finally, in November, with the days growing limited, we held aniProductivity workshop in the ESADECreapolis facilities (Sant Cugat) forTECNIO Network members. We invited some of the members to attenda short presentation about the center. The reason that we prepared thismeeting was the recent addition of MIC Productivity to the network. Thissession gave us the opportunity to explain who we were and what wedid and to get to know others in the network as well. The result was a re-warding day, where we could share experiences (iProductivity, commu-nication and collaboration, project management and social networks)and make contacts for possible future joint projects.

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Productivity Breakfasts at CTUG

During 2010, we conducted a productivity breakfast every first Thurs-day of the month.

These were co-organized by CTUG in Granollers and addressed issuesrelating to productivity.

The reviews were very positive and there was always a strong interestand attentiveness from the attendees. The fact that they always tookplace on the same day and were done in a manner of short sessions ofknowledge, allowed the participants to attend before going to work. Thetopics discussed throughout the season have been:

04/02/2010 Low Cost Productivity

04/03/2010 Flexible working

08/04/2010 Natural User Interface

06/05/2010 Taking productive notes

03/06/2010 Productivity with a mobile phone

01/07/2010 Low Cost Productivity

6. Activities

07/10/2010 New functions in Microsoft Office 2010 to improveproductivity

04/11/2010 Collaboration and communication with MicrosoftSharePoint 2010

02/12/2010 Productive management of Web 2.0 channels: a personal and business case

6.3 Presence at forums and conferences

• PPM (Project and Portfolio Management) summit - Gartner. Londres.June 2010.

• Portal, content & collaboration summit 2010 - Gartner. Londres. September 2010.

• MIC network summit 2010. USA. September 2010.

• Lync 2010 Ignite Tour. Barcelona. September 2010.

• Microsoft Project momentum 2010. Barcelona. November 2010.

• TechEd 2010. Berlín. November 2010

• Remix 2010. Madrid. December de 2010

BizSpark Camp Productivity Breakfasts at CTUG

6.4 Representatives in organizations

Various members of MIC Productivity represent the Center in a varietyof organizations, associations, and entities:

Albert Esplugas, General Director of MIC Productivity

- TIC.cat committee member

- Member of the City of Cardedeu ICT commission.

- Participation in the plenary of the Chamber of Commerce of Manresa.

- Juror at the PuntCat Foundation awards.

- Committee of the Agreement for the Promotion of Infrastructureand Mobile Communication Services

- Member of the Advisory Council of Inesdi.

Ramon Costa, Business Productivity Advisor at MIC Productivity

- Vocal at the L’Anoia Business Union (UEA) and president of its ICTcommission.

- Vocal at the Official College of Engineering in Computer Science(Colegio Oficial de Ingeniería en Informática) of Catalonia.

- Advisor for the Commission of Industry, Energy, and Innovation ofthe Sabadell Chamber of Commerce.

Xavier Llobera, Business Productivity Advisor at MIC Productivity

- Representative in the Catalonia Technology Circle

6.5 Academic activities

Several members of the MIC Productivity are also involved in the de-sign of programs or academic trainings at various universities and busi-ness schools.

Albert Esplugas, Managing Director

• ESADE (2010-2011 course)

- Enhancing the Information Worker (Bachelor of Business Management and Administration)

Ramon Costa, Business Productivity Advisor

• EU Gimbernat - UAB

- Project Management (Master in Multimedia Design)

• Postgraduate School - UAB (2010-2011)

- iProductivity technology and web 2.0 (Master in Web)

• EADA (2010-2011)

- Information Systems and Technology (Executive MBA)

- Information Systems and Technology (Executive Master in Operations Management)

- Information Systems and Technology (Executive Master in Marketing Management)

- Information Systems and Technology (General Management Program)

- Strategic Project Management (Project Management Program)

Xavier Hernanz, Business Productivity Advisor

• EU Gimbernat - UAB (2010-2011)

- Project Management (Master in Multimedia Design)

• Universidad de Zaragoza (2010-2011)

- Teaching Certification Conference

• EADA (2009-2010)

- Information Systems and Technology (Executive MBA)

6. Activities