The Technology Senate beckons

This November, IS Managers (CIOs, CTOs and IT Heads) nationwide will get an opportunity to take part in the largest ever IT event of its kind. This unique and exclusive event will feature two days of technology seminars, conferences, roundtable talks, IT awards, theme pavilions, and even leisure activities.

'Technology Senate' will be organized by Network Magazine, an enterprise technology magazine in India. It will be hosted at Kochi on November 26 and 27, 2003.

Network Magazine will selectively invite 200 IS Managers from large and medium enterprises nationwide. This exclusive community of persons will be flown to the beautiful coastal city of Kochi, where they will be put up at luxurious hotels in the city.

And starting November 26, the IS Managers will get the opportunity to discuss and debate varied technology issues, the significance of which is unique to the community, and hear views of technology experts, consultants, and peers.

The TS objective

The Technology Senate 2003 (TS 2003) will be a two-day conference on diverse enterprise technology issues with theme pavilions to showcase technologies and products, special suites for interaction with leading analysts and technology leaders, a live demonstration of a futuristic network, roundtable discussions, and the awards ceremonies.

The objective is to create a platform for enterprise IT Heads to share and gather knowledge from case studies, peers, analysts, technology leaders.

The unique offering

TS 2003 is the only event of its kind in Asia. No other organization has ventured into hosting an editorial driven event on such a grand scale.

Network Magazine has always held firm belief that the CIO community in India is a vast pool of knowledge and holds a lot of promise. And in order to respect these qualities in the IS Manager, the magazine has made the event special by making it a purely editorial team-driven affair.

This means that TS 2003 will only spell ‘value.’ And this aspect of the event is something all invitees look forward to very much.

Getaway destination

The exotic city of Kochi, in Kerala has been chosen as the venue for the event. The idea is to transport the attendees to an exclusive venue where they will share knowledge and interact with peers, undisturbed. It has been found that the mind responds to knowledge inputs best when it's in a new and stimulating environment—at peace and among other peers.

Besides, it's always a good idea to get away from a busy city and get a fresh outlook in a different environment. Kerala has been acclaimed as one of the most picturesque destinations of the world (Source: Discovery Channel, and Condé Nast Magazine).

TS 2003 will be held at the Le Meridien hotel, which is the most luxurious convention hotel in Kerala.

Reaching there

TS 2003 will be held on Wednesday, November 26, and Thursday, November 27, 2003. Selected IS Managers will be sent invitations a few weeks in advance to help them plan their schedules. The invitees will be flown to Kochi on the evening of Tuesday, November 25, 2003. The return flight will be on the morning of Friday, November 28, 2003.

The host, Network Magazine, will arrange to fly the invitees to and from the destination, and will also arrange for the stay and board of the 200invitees. The host will support the entire expense for the travel and stay.

The event highlights

The Technology Senate 2003 will be the first of its kind in terms of concept, and scale of operations. And the host is proud to have the Indian IS Manager community as a part of it.

The highlights of the event are as follows:

The IS Managers will reach Le Meridien hotel, in Kochi on the evening of Tuesday, November 25, 2003. There will be a grand 'Official Welcome Dinner' at the hotel. This will officially welcome all participants at the eve of the conference.
The two-day conference will begin on Wednesday, November 26. It will address diverse enterprise technology issues. The technology tracks are broadly made by clubbing together similar or sequential technologies that compete for the enterprise technologist's attention.

IT Heads listen attentively at a past Network Magazine event

The main tracks are:

• Enterprise Intelligence
• Enterprise Data Management & Storage
• Enterprise Security & Disaster Recovery
• Enterprise Asset Management

The track on Enterprise Intelligence will cover the areas of ERP/SCM, CRM, and Business Intelligence. The track on Enterprise Data Management & Storage will cover the areas of NAS/SAN, and Storage Management Tools. The first day of the conference will feature these tracks.

On the second day there will be a track on Enterprise Security & Disaster Recovery that will cover the areas of Firewalls/IDSs, and Disaster Recovery techniques. Another track on Enterprise Asset Management will cover the areas of managing IT infrastructure, and managing mobile IT assets.

The future enterprise

This is a special exhibit to showcase the latest in enterprise IT products and solutions from multiple vendors. It will be in the form of a live and working futuristic network, which will be designed by IIT Mumbai.

The idea is to create a link between research and practicality. The IS Managers will be taken on a guided tour of the entire network.

Theme Pavilions

There will be theme pavilions to showcase technologies and products that will significantly impact enterprise networks of the future.

Executive Suites

Special suites will be provided to IS Managers to discuss pertinent technology and management issues with leading analysts and
technology leaders.

Roundtable discussions - The voice of the IT Head

Taking advantage of this esteemed gathering, Network Magazine will conduct theme-based roundtable discussions featuring prominent IS Managers. Highlights of these discussions will be selectively published in the magazine's future issues.

Here are some of the discussion topics:

• Technology Future in Banking
• When Implemen-tations go wrong
• Power Conditioning for Effective BCP
• Right Approach to Information Security
• Storage Management [Seagate Technology]
• Linux and the Enterprise
• Managing IT Assets

Awards ceremony

This is perhaps the most exciting aspect of the Technology Senate 2003. Network Magazine will give out two awards to the most deserving companies.

The Intelligent Enterprise award - This is an institutional award in recognition of Indian companies who have optimized the use of IT to meet their business objectives.

Ernst & Young has devised the awards processes, and data from the companies will be gathered by the Indian Market Research Bureau (IMRB). Ernst & Young and IMRB are two undisputed leaders in their respective fields of specialization.

The process of selection is made among organizations that have made innovative technology deployments over the last one and a half years. These deployments should be sizable in terms of investment, and impact on the end user's positive productivity. At large, the initiative should have made a positive change on the majority of the organization.

The Security Strategist Award - This is an award to recognize the initiatives taken by IS Managers in the area of enterprise information security and is the first-ever of its kind in India.

The award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in the field of information security. Awarded to Chief Security Officers (CSOs), or executives in equivalent positions, the Award identifies exemplary achievement and excellence in managing enterprise-wide network and Internet security systems. Recipients of the award represent the pivotal members of India Inc. and the critical roles they play in ensuring the safety and security of the enterprise.

The Security Strategist Award applauds the information security pioneers who have made a lasting contribution to the business community and economy. It will highlight the criticality of security and the need to have a well-defined strategy for implementation. The parameters to judge the award would serve as benchmarks that corporate India could use to judge the effectiveness of their security initiatives.

The awareness and excitement about the award will serve dual purposes of deploying security in an enterprise, and the need to have best practices in security initiatives.

The nominees for the award will have the opportunity to network with fellow security professionals and executive peers. The event ceremony will be a premier forum to showcase the nominees' achievements as well as those of their organizations.

Value for the IT Head

Invitees at the Technology Senate 2003 will have a lot to benefit.

• They will be able to learn the technologies and strategies that will shape successful networks today, and in future.
• Learn what their peers are doing in areas of strategy and technology.
• Discuss with peers about concern areas and possible remedies.
• See what an enterprise network in future can look like and how it may function.
• Discuss with analysts and technology leaders about possible game plans for better management.

Leisure activities

All work and no play makes….

This age old 'words of wisdom' has proven itself correct over and over again. And since the Technology Senate 2003 is all about wisdom, the event will feature exciting leisure activities and the choicest cuisine during the stay.

In November, all roads lead to Kochi. Network Magazine wishes all the invitees the best.