This week-long series of events will focus on a specific theme each day, with a variety of keynote speakers and experts joining us to discuss and debate key issues.
THE VIRTUAL ENTERPRISE
Agility and flexibility, collaboration, compliance, culture vs tech, remote working, and more
Opening remarks from IT Pro group editorial director Maggie Holland, followed by keynote
In 2020, the COVID-19 crisis has propelled many of us into the world's largest "WFH experiment", testing previously unconsidered ways of working that will have profound implications for how we do business for generations to come. Drawing on exclusive data, Paul Chapman, Box's CIO of Technology and Trust, will explore: the immediate impact of the crisis on how companies are getting work done; how we return to business as "unusual" and what the long-term impact will be; and how IT leaders can lead the way in building a strategy and technology platform to prepare teams and organizations for this new way of working.
08:30 AM EDT
Technology can be a tremendous force for good, but it can also be turned to evil ends in the wrong hands. In this pre-recorded Q&A, we talk to Tech Against Terrorism director Adam Hadley about how bad actors are using technology to accomplish their goals, and what businesses can do to understand and prevent these actions.
09:30 AM EDT
Working from home shouldn't mean your business stops moving forward. In this panel discussion, we'll discuss some of the most impressive examples of companies who've pivoted to remote working while still keeping their focus on enterprise innovation. We'll explore the challenges of managing remote IT for a higher-education institution, the impact of remote working on training programmes, how Dell Technologies used its own tools to cope with a distributed workforce, and how an entire contact centre moved to remote operation.
10:30 AM EDT
By now, we all know that the function of IT is about more than just laptops and servers; IT is instrumental in helping keep staff connected not just to services and infrastructure, but to the business as a whole. In this Q&A session, Rebecca George OBE, managing partner at Deloitte and workplace culture specialist, will explore how to proactively use technology to build and enhance a strong sense of internal culture within a business, why IT needs to become the department of 'yes' and how to prevent staff from burning out.
11:30 AM EDT
Closing remarks from IT Pro US managing editor Justin Cupler follow keynote
Digital metamorphosis and agile adoption is already tough, with half of all UK digital transformation projects facing delays in the last year. And the huge and abrupt market shifts of spring 2020 mean many businesses are having to accelerate their transformation projects to handle the new demands. Instead of measuring progress in years and decades, organizations suddenly have to have the new capabilities online next month—or next week. But the solution is not “agile harder”.
Adopting by-the-book rituals or hiring an army of agile coaches isn’t going to instantly make your business ready for remote working, faster delivery, and the needs of new markets. Instead, start by building trust, creating a culture of commitment and accountability—and watch the transformational results flow. How do you change your culture? You do it by changing your conversations. In their book Agile Conversations, Douglas and Jeffrey describe numerous techniques for improving your conversations and getting dramatic agile results quickly. In this talk, they'll show you how to take your first steps toward a human-centred transformation, using nothing more than a piece of paper, a pen, and a willingness to learn.
12:30 PM EDT
MODERN CLOUD FOR MODERN BUSINESS
Cloud orchestration, digital transformation, shadow IT, and more
Opening remarks from IT Pro group editorial director Maggie Holland, followed by keynote
Since April 2018, The Scale Factory have reviewed over 200 workloads on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) platform. In this keynote session, CEO Jon Topper will share how The Scale Factory goes about running a review, and talk about some of their findings. Attendees will learn what aspects of architecture and operations teams struggle with, and how they can avoid these problems themselves.
08:30 AM EDT
We’ve never seen a more rapid or dramatic change in customer behaviour than the one brought about by coronavirus. As countries around the world went into lockdown and businesses shuttered their physical premises, digital channels suddenly became even more invaluable for companies. Two months on, and with restrictions beginning to lift, how has the way companies interact with their customers changed - and will these changes be here for good? In this Q&A session, we'll speak to Salesforce's Matthew Leighton to find out.
09:30 AM EDT
One of the primary advantages of the cloud is that it allows organisations to stand up new applications extremely quickly - but just what does it take to build a cloud-ready minimum viable product? In this panel discussion, we'll talk to cloud experts, and CIOs who have done it themselves, to find out how to take an application from concept to production in the shortest possible time.
10:30 AM EDT
Architecture isn't an easy field to work in at the best of times, but it's even more challenging when you're dealing with suppliers, team members and offices spread all over the world. In this Q&A, we'll talk to Rob Greig, CIO of design firm Arup, about how he and his team use cloud technologies to build bridges in China, airports in the Philippines, stadiums in Australia and cancer treatment centres in the UK.
11:30 AM EDT
Closing remarks from IT Pro US managing editor Justin Cupler follow keynote
The cloud is a fundamental part of modern business, and it's built on open standards. In this session, OpenUK CEO Amanda Brock explains why open source and open standards are so fundamental to the continued health of the cloud.
12:30 PM EDT
AN EVOLVING THREAT LANDSCAPE
Security in this new age and beyond, including threat vectors, employee awareness, tools and processes, and more
Opening remarks from IT Pro group editorial director Maggie Holland, followed by keynote
One of the largest challenges security leaders face is not technology, process, or budget. It’s actually a lack of influence and authority. It’s something often lamented by security professionals, but rarely do we actually do anything about it. In this presentation we will look at ways to engage and build relationships with management, stakeholders, and end-users alike in order to gain the traction we need to deliver effective assurance no matter the situation or goal. It comes down to one simple thing: Becoming someone worth listening to.
08:30 AM EDT
Many security strategies rely on pattern recognition - setting a benchmark for what normal operations look like, and then tracking any anomalies which could represent potential threats. But what do you do when ‘normal’ is suddenly very abnormal? Coronavirus has introduced huge disruptions to standard operating procedures, and security teams must quickly adapt to cope with them. In this Q&A, we’ll talk to Darktrace director Mariana Pereira about the changing situation, and how business can make sure they’re not caught out.
09:30 AM EDT
At times, it's easy to feel like security is one of the most thankless roles in IT, with users often disregarding advice or best practise and treating security guidance as more of an annoying obstacle than something to be heeded. In this panel discussion, we'll sit down with top CISOs and security practitioners to discuss why security gets such a bad rap, and how teams can build a more security-aware culture within their organisations.
10:30 AM EDT
Cryptography is at the heart of most of the modern world's defences against hackers and other cyber criminals, but the future may bring dramatic changes to encryption technology and the security tools that are built on it. Tune in to this Q&A session to find out what impact developments like quantum computing and AI could have on the future of encryption - and what that means for both attacks and defenders.
11:30 AM EDT
Closing remarks from IT Pro US managing editor Justin Cupler follow keynote
There is a growing body of research on the use of social media in attempts to manipulate public opinion. But how is this 'computational propaganda' changing? Dr. Samuel Woolley, author of the recently released book The Reality Game: How the Next Wave of Technology Will Break the Truth and What We Can Do About It (Endeavour/Hachette), explores this question by delving into the rise of new strategies for digital deception including “geo-propaganda” and "encrypted propaganda". Crucially, however, he also speaks to what society can do to respond to these new threats. What technologies, techniques, and policies exist to combat problematic uses of emerging technologies? Dr. Woolley combines cutting edge work from his research team at the University of Texas at Austin with past experience as Research Director at the University of Oxford's Computational Propaganda Project to provide solutions to one of the world's pressing issues.
12:30 PM EDT
INNOVATION VS KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON
AI, machine learning, disruptive tech, doing more with less, managing customer, employee and partner expectations, and more
Opening remarks from IT Pro group editorial director Maggie Holland, followed by keynote
What is data and why is it so important? Data expert Caroline Carruthers will use her experience both as a global data consultant and as a former Chief Data Officer to explain why organisations need to start taking data strategies seriously. Drawing on the Carruthers and Jackson model, used by public, private and charity sector bodies, Caroline will give the audience insights into how different elements of an organisation can work together to tackle barriers and gain more from a data strategy.
08:30 AM EDT
The Raspberry Pi family keeps on breaking new ground, with the diminutive little machine used in everything from retro emulators to industrial projects and even space missions. So, one year on from the launch of Raspberry Pi 4, what’s next? In this Q&A session, we’re speaking to Raspberry Pi founder Eben Upton to find out.
09:30 AM EDT
Innovation is a goal that many organisations strive for, but it's sometimes hard to focus on propelling the business forward whilst also making sure that the wheels don't fall off. In this panel discussion, we'll be speaking to IT leaders and experts about how to balance the insatiable appetite for IT innovations with the realities of keeping the lights on in a constantly-changing world.
10:30 AM EDT
It's hard to believe that the deep, rich analytics that NFL fans enjoy as part of sports broadcasts are largely thanks to one man - and it's even more surprising to learn that man is an English superfan from Luton. In this Q&A, we'll talk to Neil Hornsby, founder of Pro Football Focus, about how his hobby of tracking statistics turned into a multi-million dollar business that now powers a huge amount of the NFL's data analysis efforts.
11:30 AM EDT
Closing remarks from IT Pro US managing editor Justin Cupler follow keynote
If you've spent half a decade developing the iPhone for Europe you know a thing or two about user-friendly tech for the masses. Benoit Machefer, CEO of NHS online pharmacy, Echo, used that experience to help develop and design what has now become one of the most important apps of the COVID-19 crisis in the UK, Lloyd’s Pharmacy’s Echo app. In his keynote, he’ll share what skills he has been able to transfer and how he has shifted in the move from delivering cutting-edge mobile phones to critical prescriptions, as well as how the business has coped with becoming a more critical service than ever during COVID-19.
12:30 PM EDT
BUILDING A FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE SUCCESS
Connectivity, DevOps, infrastructure, networking, storage, and more
Opening remarks from IT Pro group editorial director Maggie Holland, followed by keynote
Join Puppet field CTO Nigel Kersten as he takes attendees through the process of moving away from multiple cross-functional DevOps teams towards a truly unified, platform-centric approach.
08:30 AM EDT
Join IT Pro News Editor Carly Page and futurist Shivvy Jervis to grasp the innovations and thinking that will power organisations through to 2021. How can we best lead our teams and what might work look like when we get there? What thinking might we need to adopt to elevate the potential of our workforces?
09:30 AM EDT
The cloud is one of the most significant innovation in enterprise IT since the birth of virtualisation - but that doesn't mean that it's the only path to success. On-premise hardware still has a vital and dynamic role in many modern businesses, with innovative and interesting use cases across a wide range of industry verticals. In this panel, we'll talk to infrastructure vendors and end-user companies to discuss the continuing value of on-premise infrastructure, and the benefits it can offer as part of a modern strategy.
10:30 AM EDT
Join CEO of Scale Computing Jeff Ready to learn more about how HCI can accelerate your business.
11:30 AM EDT
Closing remarks from IT Pro US managing editor Justin Cupler follow keynote
In the past few years, we’ve seen virtual reality technology turn from a science fiction trope into an accessible gaming medium, but VR is about much more than just entertainment. The technology has a multitude of applications within the business world, from design planning and data visualisation to remote virtual meetings, and in this keynote session, HTC's Graham Wheeler will explain how VR could power the office of the future.
12:30 PM EDT
PRE-RECORDED SESSIONS
Please enjoy these pre-recorded sessions alongside our live programming, released at 1:30 PM BST (8:30 AM EDT) on each day of the conference.
THE VIRTUAL ENTERPRISE
The ongoing coronavirus crisis has upended business norms around the world, but as organisations struggle to come to terms with large-scale remote working, what impact is this having on the regulatory compliance and data protection standards that they need to meet? In this panel discussion, we'll be talking to the experts to find out how businesses are adapting their data protections activities to cope, and how organisations can weather this storm while keeping their compliance procedures intact.
Remote working is a fact of life right now, and for many workers, it looks like that’s set to continue for the foreseeable future. With that in mind, companies need to consider how they can ensure that long-term remote working is as pleasant as possible for employees, and that they feel supported in their roles. In this panel discussion, we examine what cultural changes businesses will have to make to keep remote workers engaged and discuss how to keep them involved in the wider business.
MODERN CLOUD FOR MODERN BUSINESS
With more and more organisations turning to cloud-based tools to support remote working during lockdown and increased agility in general, a strong SaaS ecosystem is essential for businesses that want to use a best-of-breed approach to their IT capabilities. In this Q&A session, we sit down with Julien Lesaicherre from Facebook's Workplace division to look at how can companies can build a robust and well-rounded library of SaaS products to enable their business for the future.
Shadow IT is often decried by security experts as a menace that IT teams should be doing their best to stamp out - but can shadow IT actually be a force to drive IT innovation within an organisation? In this panel discussion, we'll be looking at whether or not shadow IT can be seen as a benefit, how organisations can use it responsibly, and whether it's even possible to get rid of it altogether.
Over the past several years, container technology has rapidly increased in popularity, as developers look to make their applications more efficient, more stable and more portable. In this panel discussion, we'll be exploring why they're so widely-used, what benefits they can bring, and how the use of containers will evolve over time.
AN EVOLVING THREAT LANDSCAPE
When major cyber security incidents occur, it's not just the victim's IT team that has to deal with it. Often, law enforcement will also have a role in tracking down the culprits. On top of that, police use cyber intelligence tools and techniques to track offline crimes as well, including kidnapping, fraud and even murder. In this Q&A, we speak to Jake Moore, Eset cyber security specialist and former digital forensic investigator, about his experiences on the front lines of cyber crime.
Businesses should know by now - data breaches are not a question of 'if', but 'when'. With this in mind, organisations need to think carefully about how they respond to a data breach when it happens, as well as how to prevent one in the first place. In this panel discussion, we'll be examining the best way to manage a worst-case-scenario, and how to minimise the damage from a breach while also using it as a learning opportunity.
When it comes to cyber attacks, it's often zero-days sophisticated APTs and custom malware that grabs headlines - but in reality, many hackers depend on basic lapses in security that continue to make organisations easy prey. In this panel session, we'll look at the slip-ups that hackers most frequently take advantage of, and the secrets that they don't want defenders to know.
INNOVATION VS KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON
Climate change and sustainability is high on the agenda for a lot of organisations, and for good reason; not only are sustainable and eco-friendly practices a vital thing for the continued survival of the planet, they're also an increasing differentiating factor among potential employees. In this Q&A session, we'll be talking to SAP's Stephen Jamieson about how companies can use IT to make their business more sustainable, and the rewards they can reap by doing so.
The advent of big data, distributed computing, and machine learning have usher us into a new world of artificial intelligence. The concept of AI isn’t new since it’s a theme that’s been frequently dramatized by the entertainment industry. But how can we understand AI in a more realistic and practical way that enables business applications? How does AI learn, why is it so disruptive? What are the different types of AI on the market, and what can they do for our businesses? By addressing these questions, businesses will be able to better leverage AI in the real world. Only then can we truly enter the world of intelligent automation.
In many ways, the tech industry is built on startups, and the willingness of talented people to strike out on their own with new and innovative ideas. Sadly, many startups don't make it out of that initial phase - so what's different about those that do? In this panel session, we'll be exploring the qualities that define a successful startup, and the top tips that can help them survive and grow.
BUILDING A FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE SUCCESS
Servers and storage appliances are the lifeblood of many businesses, and in this Q&A session, we're talking to one of the experts - Broadberry Data Systems founder Colin Broadberry - about how the industry had changed over the last few years, the AMD versus Intel debate and the relationship that on-premise hardware and cloud technologies will have going forward.
The US tech market is experiencing some vast changes right now, from the onset of 5G and ever-increasing automation to the explosion in SaaS and remote working fuelled by COVID-19. In this Q&A session, analyst Shamus McGillicuddy sits down with ITPro.com managing editor Justin Cupler to discuss the recent changes to the tech industry, and how businesses can best capitalise on them.
DevOps is about more than just toolchains and methodologies; cultural changes are a large part of implementing DevOps in a successful and sustainable way. As part of this panel discussion, we'll look at the organisational culture that allows DevOps to flourish, how businesses can help foster it, and why the benefits of doing so extend beyond the ability to build and deliver software.