Roger Cox

VMware has enabled widespread deployment of server virtualization across the market. But what is the best way to deploy and manage storage for these environments?
Key Issues:

• What are Best Practices in the deployment and Management of Storage for virtualized server environments?
• How do/will existing and future technologies/products best fit in storage management architectures?

Neil Nickolaisen

In this engaging session, Niel Nickolaisen presents five easy-to-implement tools that IT leaders can use to generate immediate business value. First, the highly-effective purpose alignment model to improve project design, resource allocation, and strategic and tactical planning. Second, a model for evaluating and then reducing the risks associated with uncertainty and complexity. Third, tools borrowed from lean manufacturing that identify areas for improvement and simplify processes. Fourth, a simple approach for improving collaboration and problem solving. Fifth, powerful yet simple guidelines for improving IT's critical relationships with its internal and external customers.

Dave Cappuccio

Emerging Reality or Just a Dream?
Data Center managers have always been asked to do more with less, and the pressure is increasing. The heightened awareness of IT power consumption, increasing use of high performance, high density compute equipment, and pending legislative mandates for data center efficiencies are driving a need to solve all these issues - but at reduced costs. This presentation will highlight ideas and best practices to solve these problems.
Key Issues:

• What emerging trends will have the greatest impacts on data center design and operations?
• What are the critical design considerations and best practices in emerging data centers?
• How can efficiency and scalability be designed in to a data center, while keeping costs reasonable?

Robert Mason

MPLS is now firmly established as the WAN technology of choice. With frame relay and ATM prices increasing, there is now even greater urgency to migrate to MPLS. At the same time, customers have many unanswered questions about MPLS, including security, traffic shaping and support for real time applications. This presentation explores the technology and economic drivers for MPLS and explains how to best effect a transition from a layer two environment to an MPLS VPN.

Michael Silver

Windows Vista has a bad reputation, but is that reputation warranted? Is it worth skipping and what are the risks of using an older OS? Office 2007 has been popular, but it's also the biggest change Microsoft has made to Office in 10 years and the migration is more complex than most previous projects. We'll discuss best practices and pitfalls of these critical infrastructure components.

Barb Gomolski

CIOs are struggling with how to demonstrate that IT makes a difference. At the same time, they are under scrutiny as the business expects every non-revenue- generating component of the business to either reduce costs or contribute more value to the enterprise. This presentation will highlight how best-in-class MSB CIOs are setting priorities and meeting the challenge to deliver game-changing IT.

Barb Gomolski

Chief information officers today stand at a crossroads. So it's not surprising we hear CIOs questioning whether they have a grasp on all of the components of the IT leadership role. If you are a CIO who has been brought in to turn things around, you may be overwhelmed by the list of problems to solve. If you have been in the same role for awhile, you may be wondering why it takes so long to get the team focused on what you think is important. This workshop (based on an assessment to be completed prior to the conference) explores how you can get a handle on the issues and set priorities.

Take the assessment here...

Rich Costello

Gartner defines "unified communications" as products that enhance enterprise productivity by enabling and facilitating the user's management of enterprise communication systems, and the integration of these systems with business processes. UC is accomplished through convergence of the physical communication channels, networks, devices and systems, as well as through consolidation of controls over them. This MSE session looks at the UC market, products and applications, leading vendors, and examples of communications-enabled business processes, as well as some of the current UC technologies currently deployed by midsize enterprises.

Roger Cox

Technologies and architectures matter when designing a cost and operationally efficient storage infrastructure. Gartner examines the technology and emerging architectural trends that are fundamental to addressing increased data growth, meeting SLAs within budget limitations and maintaining organizational sanity in a complex and chaotic environment.
Key Issues:

• What are the applications that will fuel future online data growth and will it continue at its current unabated rate?
• What are the storage technologies and architectures that best address the complexity, cost and environmental challenges faced by IT professionals?
• Which vendors deliver on the promise of the new technologies and architectures?

Ken Chin

Microsoft SharePoint products have been among the most-significant technologies to reach the market over the past two years. Gartner analysis shows that more than 50% organizations of all sizes and across all geographies are considering or evaluating Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS 2007). SharePoint brings content management, collaboration and portal capabilities into play, but also creates integration, interoperability, and governance challenges. Learn why enterprises should consider it a key aspect of their overall information infrastructures and how to deploy SharePoint successfully.

• What role should SharePoint play in your enterprise?
• What are the interoperability and governance issues unique to SharePoint?
• How should enterprises manage their SharePoint installations for efficiency and effectiveness?

Jennifer Heard, Regional Vice President, Microsoft

In light of the more recent economic downturn, augmenting the value of existing IT solutions while making strategic decisions around the purchase of scalable, integrated solutions has become increasingly more important. This presentation highlights the importance of truly understanding the Business and IT needs of your company’s employees, maximizing the features of your existing IT solutions and the considering the lowered total cost of ownership with solutions that are fully integrated and user friendly.