Discussion: Have you tried to measure or forecast the value of a proposed IT project for your entire IT portfolio? Are you struggling with whether to adopt a new method? Is there reason to believe it actually works? Avoid the pitfalls and identify winning strategies by learning from those who have been there. An impressive panel of IT leaders has come together to discuss how they measure the value of IT and how they justify IT investments by forecasting value. The panel will discuss what methods they've tried, what worked and what didn't.

Business Problem: Consumer products become business tools – without IT approval or even knowledge

IT Solution: Employing an application delivery strategy that decouples the application from the user and gives control to the IT department.Every enterprise IT user is also an IT consumer in a personal life, with experiences in using products and services that create expectations which are brought to the workplace. Enter the Echo Boom generation, those individuals born between 1982 and 1995 and now permeating the workforce. The size of this group is considerable, reflecting the first increase in birth rates in Western countries since the early 1960s, and their technology expectations are virtually limitless. They were born in the same period as the digital technology boom, grew up surrounded by technology, and, as a result, use technology instinctively and embed it deeply into their lifestyles. Rather than wait for the IT department to deliver on their expectations, these users are bringing their consumer-grade products into the workplace as tools to assist them in completing workplace activities. IT departments are geared towards large scale, and therefore long-term, infrastructure projects that inhibit their ability to respond to accelerating clamour from their user base to support each user’s preferred personal productivity tools. Multitudes of product combinations increase the number of incidents and support calls, and require IT personnel to continually broaden their product knowledge and expertise. Many consumer-grade products do not have the security required for the workplace, creating potential security gaps. This difference in pace between user expectations and the ability of IT to respond is placing almost unbearable pressure on the IT department. Most analysts believe that the simple weight of numbers behind consumerization means that a partial capitulation of IT department control is inevitable. However, nobody expects that the need for some level of control will ever disappear. Core applications, such as ERP, CRM, and finance, will always need to be secured and managed to meet enterprise Service Level Agreements.

Discussion: This panel will address the following items:

• What are the key characteristics of a successful CIO
• Changes in the role of IT in the company – the future & what skills are required of IT people
• What qualities do women have that make them well suited to a role in IT? As an IT leader?
• How to juggle career and family – tips and tools
• Why is networking important – especially for women
• Discuss value of affinity groups or women’s networking groups
• Opportunity for women to give back to the community and finding the time

Discussion: Privacy breaches are making headlines, as organizations scramble to protect the confidentiality of their critical customer and business data. While companies are making great strides in protecting data privacy in production application environments, the idea of implementing similar strategies in their testing environments is often overlooked. This “Privacy Gap” needs to be addressed immediately, because it often represents the most exploited area of an organization’s IT infrastructure. Taking a proactive strategy to remove this vulnerability within your enterprise is recognized as a best practice and will help your organization with compliance with many national, international, and industry-specific regulations, while at the same time protecting your company from being the next “Privacy Breach Headline”

Discussion: Business Emergency Preparedness is fiduciary responsibility that all CEO's and CIO's need to address. Studies show that plans put in place before a disaster hits will reduce recovery time and the associated revenue loss. During his presentation, Mr. Jackson will address the steps that all business should take to protect their business, their employees and their customers.

Discussion: One of today's hottest buzzwords is "SOA" - Services Oriented Architecture. This panel, however, will address SOA from the CIO and CEO fiduciary responsibility view. Titled "SOA for Business Resiliency", the panel will discuss how the use of a services oriented architecture can enhance an organization's ability to recover after a catastrophic event.

Discussion: Do you feel as though the value of your IT organization is perpetually in question? Does the business think a 3rd party provider can do it better, faster, cheaper than IT? Are your relationships with the business units dysfunctional or non-existent? Are you invited to the table when C-level strategies are shaped? Do you receive enough funding beyond just “keeping the lights on”? Do your major projects seem like a “death march”?

If any one of the above situations hits too close to home, you are likely feeling the fallout from a serious perception problem. During this session various methods will be explored at boosting the image of IT, including quick hits that CIOs can put into place immediately to lay the foundation for improved communications with constituents. These suggestions are just the beginning of what must be accomplished in order to build a meaningful IT brand that will both serve as a rallying cry inside IT and resonate with the entire business.

Discussion: Program will discuss the critical issues of coordinating efforts with the federal, state/local governments and the corporate communities-surrounding the issues of:

• Natural Disasters
• Terrorists Attacks
• Pandemic Flu
• Emergency Communications