The eighth GARR Technical Workshop, titled "GARR-X, the Future of the Network", was held in Milan from April 1 to 4 at the University of Milan.

The event focused primarily on presenting the GARR-X project: its planned architecture, implementation roadmap, and the new operational and application services it will offer to users.

Special attention was given to the integration model of metropolitan and regional networks with GARR-X, highlighting initiatives already in operation or in the planning phase, which could serve as benchmarks for the future. Other topics covered included network monitoring, the experimentation of a federated AAI (Authentication and Authorization Infrastructure), aspects of security, IPv6, and support for various application classes such as VoIP, multimedia services, Grid, and Data Centers.

Finally, a significant portion of the workshop was dedicated to technical updates for the GARR community, featuring a wide range of tutorials.