The pace of change in I.T. is more rapid than any other industry in business today. In a field that changes constantly, it is crucial to stay current on the latest news and trends. While online resources and colleagues can be great sources of information, I.T. conferences allow you to network with peers in the industry, learn about new and emerging technologies, and discuss big ideas in the field.
RSA Conference
Started in 1991 as a security symposium for cryptographers, the RSA Conference is one of the most popular I.T. conferences in the world. Held annually in San Francisco, California, the conference hosts industry experts on over 400 topics related to data integrity and cyber security. A unique feature of the RSA Conference is the addition of Peer2Peer and crowdsourced sessions to the lineup of workshops and keynote speeches. The conference runs from February 29 – March 4, and speakers include Salesforce director, Josh Hamilton, Araceli Gomes of Dell SecureWorks, and Martin Roesch of Cisco Security Business Group. Conference passes range in price from $1,895 to $2,595 and can be purchased at www.rsaconference.com.
ITEXPO
With a focus on technology in the communications field, the ITEXPO in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is designed especially for I.T. managers, executives and engineers. The conference runs from January 25 – January 28 and includes such notable keynote speakers as Windstream Communication’s Kevin Kopko, IBM Cloud vice president, Moe Abdula, and Mark Roberts of Shoretel. Breakout sessions during the conference cover marketing and customer engagement, business transformation, security, and new laws relating to privacy in the communications field. Passes for the conference start at $399, and you can purchase a Superpass covering all offered tracks for $899.
Developer Week
Developer Week Conference and Festival in San Francisco, California is one of the more interesting I.T. conference offerings for 2016. Developer Week kicks off on February 16 with the “Hackathon,” an event in which prizes are awarded for successful completion of a variety of tech-based challenges. The conference continues with several tracks that can be customized by each attendee. Topics include JavaScript development, FinTech (financial technology), mobile development, and the CTO (Chief Technology Officer) World Congress. Keynote speakers include Microsoft’s senior content developer, Christopher Harrison, Braintree’s developer, Kevin Zurawel, and IBM software engineer and manager, Ann Marie Fred. Prices range from $200 for the API and Microservices Summit to $1,190 for the CTO Summit and DeveloperWeek Pro pass. Learn more at www.developerweek.com.
Microsoft Ignite
One of the largest and most influential conferences in the I.T. industry, Microsoft Ignite takes place from September 26 – September 30 in Atlanta, Georgia. Ignite touts over one hundred vendors and 700 breakout sessions on topics ranging from Office 365 implementation to securing data and building dynamic applications with SQL Server. Microsoft encourages attendees to get product information “direct from the source” via the company’s experts and employees. The conference includes interactive digital labs for hands-on practice with Microsoft solutions and panel discussions on women in technology. Registration for Microsoft Ignite begins in February, with detailed ticket pricing information to follow.
Gartner Catalyst Conference
The Gartner Catalyst Conference in San Diego, California, prides itself on giving attendees “actionable insight” and intensive learning throughout its four-day run. Designed specifically for managers and technical professionals, the conference includes sessions on applications, business intelligence, infrastructure and operations, and security and risk. Gartner is known as a leader in both research and solutions for the I.T. industry, and former keynote speakers have included the company’s top executives. This year’s conference will take place from August 15 – August 18. Standard conference pricing is $2,995, and Gartner offers discounts for groups of three or more.
There are many avenues available for I.T. professionals to stay current on trends in the marketplace, and professional conferences offer one of the best ways to network with peers and learn from the experts. Whether your focus is on communications and marketing or security and data storage, the wide variety of options makes it easy to find a conference that will benefit you and your organization.
