“The ExecuForum focused on the issues that concern me as a CIO, and gave me an opportunity to explore alternatives with experienced industry leaders. I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to have face-to-face conversations with the featured speakers and my colleagues. The discussion regarding IT trends and the deep dives into relevant topics provided me new insights that I was able to take back and use in my work environment. I am very much looking forward to attending the 2012 ExecuForum to continue the conversations.”

– 2011 ExecuForum attendee

Ray Jones: Re-think the Impossible
Here is the mission for the mainframe: serve every data processing need, while combining cutting-edge technology with advanced computing concepts. That was the mission when IBM introduced the mainframe 50 years ago, and since then it has served as the backbone of large-scale computing, continually driving and exploiting new technologies that once seemed impossible. That mission is the same today, as System z is driving breakthrough innovation in areas such as predictive and real-time analytics, web services, hybrid computing and more. Ray will share with us some new technologies that you may have thought were impossible with System z and how real-world customers are benefitting from these technologies. Your mission, should you decide to accept it? Take this knowledge back to your organization, and make it a regular part of your solutions discussions.

Jon Petz: Stop Meeting Expectations
Discover how IT professionals can think, adapt, adopt new ideas and take action upon them. Lose the fear and doubt that holds back creativity and continually be innovative in how we approach these new ideas. It’s time to stop thinking outside of the box and actually GET outside the box. Learn Suckification Reduction Devices praised by the Wall Street Journal, CNBC and ABC news amongst many others due to its new take-no-prisoners approach to managing interactions, meetings and daily tasks. Professional speaker, entertainer and author of Boring Meetings Sucks, Jon Petz takes a direct stab at the lackluster approach and response to your everyday activities.

Tom Wilson: Deriving Business Intelligence from Social Media
The discussion with include a review of the study results detailing the current level at which organizations track and decipher meaning from social media, the tools used and the business value derived. It will look in detail at plans for tapping into this new asset, the level of understanding IT professionals have for the prevalence of social media in their data stores, reports on its growth and forecast for future growth, the types of management and access technologies used or which are being evaluated, and the degree to which these technologies are being funded.

Buzz Woeckener
Robert ‘Buzz’ Woeckener has over 20 years of technology leadership experience, leading successful teams in all aspects of infrastructure management. While internationally known for leading a technology team which blazed the trail of virtualization of Linux on System z for one of the largest insurance and financial services companies in the world, Buzz is also recognized and sought after for his ability to create high performing teams that inspire excellence and create excitement within the organization.

Greg Lotko: Transforming IT to Drive Innovation
Greg Lotko, vice president and business line executive, IBM System z, will provide real-world examples of successful System z-based IT transformations that are helping organizations move beyond the current IT conundrum to deliver growth and innovation to the business.