In an era of growing geopolitical uncertainty and increasing demands around data protection, compliance, and business resilience, Microsoft has announced a set of major commitments to strengthen digital sovereignty, privacy, and operational continuity across Europe. This session provides an exclusive look at Microsoft’s five key assurances for Europe. We will explore how these initiatives are directly relevant to building and enhancing business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) strategies that are secure, compliant, and future-proof. Learn how organizations can boost their digital resilience with a cloud that aligns with European values and is designed to support operations – even in times of crisis.

Gain insights into Microsoft's global Azure infrastructure. Pascal Kistler starts with an introduction to the regional availability of the Microsoft Cloud and highlights the number of Azure regions, network points of presence (PoPs), and data centers worldwide. Learn the fundamental concepts – from data center regions and availability zones to the specific terminology of the Azure infrastructure. Additionally, discover how Microsoft designs its infrastructure to provide maximum efficiency and reliability for critical services, focusing on high availability, disaster recovery, and backup scenarios. Microsoft's sustainability goals, such as carbon negativity by 2030, are also emphasized, along with innovative projects like Project Silica and DNA storage.

In a digital and connected world, staying operational is non-negotiable. This session explores why a strong business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) strategy is key to reducing corporate risk — whether caused by cyberattacks, natural disasters, or simple human error. Find out which incidents trigger BCDR measures and how Microsoft Azure technologies help keep operations running smoothly. We’ll also look at modern methods like Infrastructure as Code and automation that make BCDR not only more efficient, but also more cost-effective.

Ransomware attacks are among the most serious threats to businesses today – within seconds, critical data can be encrypted and entire IT infrastructures brought to a standstill. This presentation offers hands-on guidance to help organizations stay up and running in an emergency. Find out which data, documents, and services matter most in the crucial first hours, how to get a crisis team up and communicating fast, and how to make sure there are no backdoors or lingering threats left in the system. We’ll also introduce Azure Emergency Response Environments (AzERE) from glueckkanja—a smart solution designed to support companies in tackling ransomware head-on. To wrap up, we’ve set aside time for your questions in a dedicated Q&A session.