Sponsor: IBM
Featured Analyst Firm: Gartner
Speakers: David Mitchell Smith, David Cearley, Daryl Plummer, Gene Phifer, Felicia Hochheiser
Type: Video (22 minutes)
Cloud computing is the mother of all buzzwords today. You need to understand what it is, what it means, and how it affects your business.
Join industry experts from featured analyst firm, Gartner, Inc., and opinion leaders from IBM, as they share their unique perspective on how mid-size enterprises, like yours, can benefit from cloud computing.
Why is cloud computing so important now?
In this program you’ll hear David Cearley, VP & Gartner Fellow discuss how cloud computing changes the way enterprises approach technology. With cloud computing, you don’t have to focus on buying and installing hardware and software. Instead, you can offload some of that responsibility to a provider that deals with all the details behind the scenes.
In this program you’ll also learn how to overcome the security challenges associated with cloud computing. You will hear about the risks associated with not paying attention to cloud computing? And you will find out how to maximize your revenues and your customer acquisition by looking at cloud computing as a set of services that can augment your Website and your CRM efforts.
Cloud computing:
- Changes the financial model and provides financial gains.
- Increases the speed at which your business operates.
- Provides greater agility and the ability to rapidly provision for new users and new applications.
- Provides the ability to scale up and down quickly.
In addition, you’ll hear David Mitchell Smith, VP & Gartner Fellow discuss the factors you should consider when deciding between a public or private cloud, and more importantly, how you can get started with cloud computing.
Plus, Daryl Plummer, Managing VP & Gartner Fellow; Gene Phifer, Managing VP at Gartner; and Felicia Hochheiser, VP of Strategy with IBM General Business, will show you how cloud computing allows you to implement solutions quickly, which then allows you to benefit from the technologies and business processes that you might not have benefited from before.
infoBOOM!
And as an added bonus, by watching this program you’ll be able to register for infoBOOM! infoBOOM! is your shortcut to the IT strategy insights that can help you make the right decisions and even improve the way you do business. infoBOOM! is a community that fosters open dialogue and contrary points of view. If you face tough decisions on complicated issues, this is your opportunity to ask, discuss and be heard. Don’t hold back. Visit infoBOOM! regularly to:
- Connect with experts
- Network with like-minded peers
- Gain the insights that can improve how you do business
Join the conversation on cloud computing today!
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About Felicia Hochheiser, VP, Strategy, IBM General Business
Felicia Hochheiser is Vice President of Strategy for IBM General Business, which serves small and medium clients. In this role she leads strategy and execution design for the sector, integrating with IBM business unit and overall enterprise strategies. Felicia has over 20 years of experience in the technology, consumer packaged goods and retail industries for companies ranging from Fortune 100 to niche start-ups. Prior to her role in General Business, Felicia served as an executive in Corporate Strategy where she provided strategic guidance around growth opportunities and performance gaps for IBM's senior executives, with a focus on technology services and business process services. Formerly she was also an Associate Partner in IBM Global Business Services, focusing on business strategy, marketing strategy, business transformation and organizational change.
Before joining IBM, Felicia held positions in sales for marketing promotion firms. Early in her career she was the National Marketing and Sales Manager for a niche Fraternity and Sorority retail start-up that grew to be the second largest in the industry. She increased sales 600% in three-year period through innovative strategies that transformed industry accepted marketing and sales practices.
Felicia holds an MBA from New York University Stern School of Business and a BA from Binghamton University. She lives in New York City.
About David Cearley, Vice president and Gartner Fellow, Gartner Research
David Cearley is a leading authority on information technology. As a member of Gartner Research, Mr. Cearley analyzes emerging business and technology trends and explores how these trends shape the way individuals and companies derive value from technology. His current research is focused on cloud computing and how Internet and Web technologies, standards and business models are impacting the IT landscape.
Mr. Cearley's expertise spans software architectures and standards, component software models, application design, the Internet, business-IT alignment, and the IT services market. He has worked with a wide range of end-user and vendor organizations assisting in strategy creation, technology selection, implementation planning and organizational development. Prior to joining Gartner, Mr. Cearley held various senior-level research positions at Meta Group. Before that, he was vice president of R&D for Revelation Technologies, served as program director at Gartner Group, and held various managerial/director-level positions at Innovative Software and Informix.
About David Mitchell Smith, Vice president and Gartner Fellow, Gartner Research
David Mitchell Smith specializes in the impact of catalytic technologies such as the Internet, Web 2.0, cloud computing and consumer technologies. During his 13-plus years at Gartner, he has played a leadership role in several of the company's efforts in these areas, including the emergence of cloud computing and consumerization of IT. He has served as the lead Gartner analyst covering major vendors such as Microsoft, IBM, Sun and AOL. Mr. Smith is often quoted in publications such as the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, and has frequently been a guest on CNBC. In 2002, Adweek's Technology Marketing magazine named him the most influential industry analyst.
About Daryl Plummer, Managing Vice president, chief of Research, and Chief Gartner Fellow, Gartner Research
Mr. Plummer manages the Gartner Fellows Program, which is designed to allow senior analysts the opportunity to explore new research ideas and to elevate the Gartner culture and brand with clients. He is chief of Research for emerging trends, business process management (BPM), and enterprise architecture. In this capacity, Mr. Plummer is a primary analyst in cloud computing, service-oriented architecture, BPM and emerging trends.
With Gartner for 14 years, Mr. Plummer has more than 30 years of experience in the IT industry. Prior to joining Gartner, he was division director and technology coordinator for the State of Florida's Department of Management Services. Mr. Plummer was also data center director of the Technology Resource Center, at the time one of the largest data centers in Florida. In this capacity, he managed the introduction of statewide client/server systems and methodologies. He was instrumental in the creation of the state's TCP/IP network and designed and implemented the Florida Communities Network - Florida's economic Internet presence.
About Gene Phifer, Managing Vice president, Gartner Research
Gene Phifer is a managing vice president in Gartner Research. Mr. Phifer covers a broad set of Web and cloud-centric technologies, including Web architecture, intranets, extranets, e-business, portals, rich Internet applications, Web applications, cloud computing and software as a service. Additional concepts covered include SOA, WOA, governance and management of infrastructure resources.
Mr. Phifer is a 35-year IT veteran. Prior to joining Gartner, he held various management and executive roles in Fortune 100 IT departments, most notably Frito-Lay and Texas Instruments. There he managed all aspects of IT, including infrastructure technologies, data centers and line-of-business applications. Additionally, Mr. Phifer held the dual roles of CIO and CTO for Melson Technologies.
