Antonietta Mastroianni, GAIA-X: "The Key To The Future of Data Is Partnering

As cloud takes over as the mainframe of business with more and more tools and applications being transferred over, questions of security, reliability and privacy arise. Currently, there are three major cloud service providers, and they are all US-based. For European companies, how does this affect business? How can leaders ensure that their data is safe in the hands of these organizations and that they comply with EU regulations? 

We tackle these questions and more with Antonietta Mastroianni, Chief Digital and IT Officer at Proximus and Vice Chair of Finance at GAIA-X. GAIA-X is a project that is part of the broader strategy under the von der Leyen Commission of European Strategic Autonomy to develop a federation of data infrastructure and service providers in Europe to ensure European digital sovereignty.  

   

Tell us more about your role at GAIA-X and Proximus. What do these roles have in common? 

 

Both roles are linked, and they are both very interesting. At Proximus, I’m the Chief Digital and IT Officer, meaning I am responsible for all aspects of planning, building, and running IT and digital functions. This includes rollout in production, digital strategy, and application. These are particularly important in Proximus as we are expanding our offerings into an ecosystem, moving beyond just telco services and products. Beyond that, I’m also responsible for the data architecture because it’s not only about having all businesses running, but also about innovation and transformation, exploring different ecosystems for B2C and B2B customers. The role of data in digital transformation and acceleration is extremely important as it drives automation and AI.  

At GAIA-X, I am the Vice Chair of Finance. It’s an interesting project because, for the first time, Europe is getting together to set some standards that define not only the infrastructure but also the architecture, labeling, and rules for data. It is to make sure that we not only have the technology but also the governance in place for a fair exchange of data creation and storage in a secure way according to European guidelines. Both roles support each other.  

 

Why do you think US-based hyper-scalers have managed to secure such a big market in data?  

 

I think they’re extremely good at what they do. They had a very focused target and some of the technology has become part of our daily lives. Without the solutions they produce, our lives would be very different. Of course, if you provide a solution that helps people and you’re able to do it at a certain speed of innovation while maintaining a high-quality of product, then it is easy to scale. When it becomes a fundamental part of people’s lives, there is power as well.  

 

Where does GAIA-X stand in terms of working with these hyper-scalers? 

 

I think partnering is the right approach. For example, if you have a level two or three cloud, we have a strategy for partnering with a hyper-scaler. At the same time, being part of GAIA-X means being an active contributor to setting regulations. You cannot stop the technology and it’s important that the right level of partnership and transparency is established in terms of the “what, where, and when” of data usage.  

“Technology is advancing fast and the key to the future is partnering.”

 

To what extent can Europe become independent from US-based hyper scalers? And does GAIA-X have a strategy for this? 

 

There are well-defined levels of cloud. At levels three and four, of course, the data is stored in Europe and there are certain levels of confidential computing that guarantee you have control of your operation and privacy. At GAIA-X, we have worked out the labeling for level three. These are a set of regulations that should provide the highest security and protection. If everyone follows these rules, technology can evolve safely.  

In terms of sovereign cloud offerings in Europe, I hope we can do that soon. Right now, we’re still behind compared to US providers. We must accept this and accelerate the evolution of European providers. However, it will take a while to reach that same level of performance and durability. 

 

Why are Europe-based cloud providers running behind? And what can they do to catch up to their US counterparts? 

 

In the past, we’ve focused less on this. Also, technology has evolved so fast, especially with the enormous digital acceleration due to COVID. I think we are behind because we did not expect such a rapid rate of adoption of these technologies, and we were unprepared.  

 

Would you suggest that people should change from US providers to European ones, to aid in this growth? 

 

No, I’m very much in favor of partnering. I think there is no point in taking a radical approach. We live in a connected world. Instead, I think it’s a question of following the right rules and choosing the right ways to implement solutions. This includes finding partners and ensuring that everyone’s interests are protected.  

 

Legislation is often adaptive, a reaction to something that has already occurred. But Proximus and GAIA-X have a more proactive approach that emphasizes collaboration. Can you expand on that? 

 

Different members of GAIA-X share solutions and we have been working on various projects that take in these various inputs to create more end-to-end cooperation. The project is still young, so it’ll be a while before we see any huge impact. However, it’s heading in the right direction.  

I emphasize that it’s not a competition.  

“We are working together to create an architecture and a standard that can be implemented to enable everyone to make the best use of technology.”

 

How can good data organization, ownership, and governance benefit society at large? 

 

I’ll give the example of the flooding in Belgium last year. We have been building a solution to create an alert system to prevent people from getting caught or exposed to such conditions when it happens. This is an example of how data can be used for the good of society.  

This technology can also be steered in different directions and GAIA-X is about helping ensure that it is going in the right direction. 

 

What are the benefits of a Top 500 company in Europe working with GAIA-X? 

 

There are benefits in terms of cloud infrastructure and data labeling. The future will be all about data more than software development, in my opinion, and GAIA-X will be able to steer innovation in this field. That’s a major benefit for companies that work with the project.  

Beyond that, there is the benefit of interconnection with other companies – sharing information, creating partnerships, and exploring funding opportunities. The project is a collaboration of the best professionals in this space, so there is also the benefit of knowledge sharing and growth.