Three years of NGI DAPSI through the eyes of the Partners: Engineering

We gathered the final impressions with Alfonso Pietropaolo from Engineering. Here’s what he shared with us.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and explain what was the role of Engineering in the NGI DAPSI project?

Hey there, my name is Alfonso and I have been a Researcher and Project Leader in Engineering for over 10 years. In DAPSI, my role was to oversee the Infrastructure, Training, and Tools. The main goal of ENG in this project was to support Start-ups and SMEs in developing their solutions by providing them with a free Cloud Platform based on OpenStack and FIWARE technologies. Additionally, we offered support tools and technical training sessions to assist all participants throughout their journey.

During the projects lifetime’s, 46 teams and their data portability solutions were supported by NGI DAPSI. Having seen so many innovative solutions, what were the most common infrastructure-related challenges faced by the teams, and what suprised you the most?

Well, the level of knowledge about Cloud Infrastructures was high among all participants. They all had previous experience using Cloud technology, so I didn’t encounter any major issues. However, one common challenge was convincing them to use our OpenStack Infrastructure instead of popular providers like Amazon or Google. Sometimes, the biggest challenges and changes are not technological, but rather related to peoples mindset and
habits.

After 3 years, the NGI DAPSI project is coming to its end. What were the main benefits for Engineering to participate in NGI DAPSI?

Participating in the DAPSI program has allowed us to acquire valuable knowledge and expertise in the areas of Privacy and Data Portability. We plan to share this knowledge with our internal competence centers and with the wider FIWARE ecosystem, helping to promote a greater understanding and awareness of these important issues. In addition, we will carefully review the list of DAPSI startups and consider the possibility of establishing further
collaborations with these innovative companies. We hope to drive progress and advance the field of Privacy and Data Portability even further.