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Cloudy days ahead for the city of sun

28 February, 2017
Stuart Thomson
IBM

Often referred to as the city of sin, Las Vegas can also be referred to as the city of sun.  With sunshine 85 percent of the time, Las Vegas is tied with only Phoenix, AZ for the highest average amount of annual sunshine anywhere in the United States.  While many vacationers will head to Vegas hotels to soak up some rays in the weeks ahead, over 25,000 business and IT professionals will converge on Vegas next month to talk cloud at IBM InterConnect 2017.

IBM InterConnect 2017 is the technology event dedicated to cloud.  InterConnect runs March 19–23 and will bring together the biggest companies in the world, the most innovative new startups and the world’s foremost technical experts to discuss everything cloud.

One of the primary areas of focus for those interested in storage is the intersection between the deployment models enabled by cloud and the increasing value of data in today’s digital world.   Ahead of the show, you can read much more on that here, but to make sure you get the most out of the conference I’d like to offer five suggestions as to how you might you want to spend your time at InterConnect:

  • Catch the keynotes.  Keynotes serve to set the vision for the show and IBM’s overall strategy.  With eight keynotes to pick from over the first two days, be sure to catch the keynotes entitled Cloud: Infrastructure That Matters (Monday at 11:15AM PST) and Hybrid Cloud: Boost Your Hybrid Cloud Strategy (Tuesday at 1:30PM PST). Both of these sessions will demonstrate the importance of the underlying infrastructure and how the ability to connect and federate multiple clouds can allow you to create a data architecture with a competitive edge.
  • Don’t miss the Storage Trends & Directions and executive breakout sessions.  If for some reason you can only join two storage sessions, these are the ones you can’t miss.  Both sessions will feature thought-leading clients, analysts and IBM executives discussing balancing the needs of today with the vision of tomorrow when it comes to all-flash, software-defined and converged infrastructures in a cloud-dominated world.
    • Freeing Your Data: Integrating Cloud & Storage (Monday at 3:15PM PST)
    • Hybrid Cloud: The Path to Modernizing & Transforming Today’s Data Center (Wednesday at 10:15AM PST)
    • Mine the agenda for the right breakouts.  With over 2,000 sessions scheduled it’s easy to get sidetracked, so plan ahead.  IBM executives, subject matter experts, IBM Business Partners and clients will take the stage in over 25 additional storage sessions to share their experiences and practical advice.  Seven of these sessions will be delivered in the form of industry and solution-specific panels to ensure you walk away with a diverse range of perspectives, including:
      • Warp Speed Ahead: Transform, Modernize and Monetize with Flash & Software-Defined (Monday at 2PM PST)
      • Financial Services Panel: Cloud Storage for Improved Service Delivery (Tuesday at 11:30AM PST)
      • Industry Experts Panel: How MSPs Deliver Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure (Tuesday at 4:45PM PST)
      • Ransomware Worries? Best Practices for Cloud & On-Premise Data (Wednesday at 3:15PM PST)
      • Explore the Solution Center.  Make sure you set aside time to learn about the latest advances across the IBM storage and software-defined solutions portfolio.  IBM technical experts will be on hand to answer all your questions.
      • Schedule executive 1:1 meetings. Over 350 executives from all areas of IBM will be available throughout InterConnect to meet with you on a one-to-one basis.  IBM has a rich history of solving the client’s most pressing problems, so bring forward your toughest challenges where you’d like IBM’s help.  Schedules fill up fast so work with your IBM rep, Business Partner or request a meeting directly online.

      If you’re already registered for InterConnect and are in the process of building of your agenda, I hope you find these suggestions helpful.  If you’ve yet to do so I encourage you to register today.  Finally, if you’d like to offset all the cloud talk with some time in “sun city”, plan to arrive a few days early or tag a few extra days onto your Las Vegas trip to soak up some rays after the show.

      Note: Session dates and times are subject to change. Please consult the published agenda available online for final times, dates and room assignments.

      The post Cloudy days ahead for the city of sun appeared first on IBM Systems Blog: In the Making.

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