BWG encourages senior professionals to share & network with like-minded industry peers. Each session was moderated by a BWG Connect professional in order to ensure that the panel sessions remained on topic and answered critical questions that the audience truly care about.

Please feel free to read through the panel summaries below and should you be interested in learning more, please reach out to your point-of-contact at BWG. We're always open to making connections to others within our network.

BWG & Pure Storage encourage anyone who missed the event to check out the Panel Summaries below!

Panel 1: Addressing the Tech Skills Gaps

Key Discussion Takeaways:

 
The modernization of the tech industry holds tremendous potential for innovators to shape the future of the world. Although scaling your business can be riddled with challenges, being flexible is often the first step to finding a long-lasting solution.

Driving customer engagement while preserving loyalty is not an easy task these days. The rapid change in technological services and industry standards affects entrepreneurs, data engineers, marketing strategists, and business managers on a daily basis. And what better way to discover reliable business solutions than hearing from some of the most successful industry specialists?

In the first of four panels, Greg Irwin sat down with Arnaud Teil, Vice President of Human Resources at Pure Storage, Akberali Engineer, Talent Sourcing Lead of the Global Sourcing CoE at Thoughtworks, Imran Anwar, Director of the Customer Success Unit at Microsoft, and Senad Palislamovic, Head of Technology at Nokia. They discussed the ongoing talent shortage in the tech industry, the struggles of staff retention, remote work culture, sourcing strategies, and more.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• What is the reality of the tech industry talent shortage?
• Senad Palislamovic talked about the market and supply and demand of talent
• Tips on staff retention in the world of cloud-based companies
• Imran Anwar shared his insights on the current state of tech salaries
• Akberali Engineer talked about efficient hiring strategies
• The pros and cons of the remote workforce culture
• Arnaud Teil spoke about the upcoming recession’s impact on talent acquisition
• The advantages of having a remote sourcing strategy
• Imran talked about the evolution of tech skill sets and upskilling
• Senad and Akberali shared sourcing, modernization, and transition strategies

Panel 2: How To Get Faster Time To Value and Improved Business Agility

Key Discussion Takeaways:

 
In this day and age, technology is deeply integrated into our day-to-day lives. So much so that we cannot imagine living without it. Even though we mostly use technology for communication and entertainment, can it be used as a tool to drive business success?

The short answer is yes. The much longer explanation consists of all the ways technology can be utilized by companies to deliver faster outcomes, measure success, help us overcome operational obstacles, and improve efficiency. Innovation is technology’s second nature and with it, every day offers new solutions that can bring us closer to achieving our success goals.

In the second of four panels, Greg Irwin sat down with Panos Koutsoyannis, Senior Director of Infrastructure Shared Services at Pure Storage, Chris Osborn, Chief Technology Officer at Voxy, and Will Weiss, Senior Manager of Technical Program Management at Disney streaming services. They discussed the importance of technology as a way to achieve faster results, cloud-based business solutions, and different types of data storage.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• Will Weiss shared his insights on how to deal with challenges while maintaining SLA standards
• Panos Koutsoyannis talked about overcoming obstacles at various points in the supply chain
• What helps with infrastructure roadmap disruptions?
• Panos shared his thoughts on modernization and how it can impact already established infrastructure
• Chris explains the differences between software and hardware operations
• Why are cloud solutions imperative for successful business operations?
• What impact could the upcoming recession have on the technological sector?
• Chris Osborn talked about the defining factors of bringing a company to the cloud
• Is business agility important in times of recession?
• Will talked about the road to achieving efficiency and executing global plans
• Stability and innovation: can both coexist in business?
• Panos, Will, and Chris discussed their hopes for the future of infrastructure as code

Panel 3: Data Security Challenges in a Hybrid Cloud World

Key Discussion Takeaways:

 
As cyber attacks grow increasingly sophisticated, cybersecurity remains a top priority. Considering the incredible value of data, leaders need to know how best to protect themselves. This only grows more difficult with the widespread adoption of cloud technology, leaving even more vulnerabilities that need protection in a hybrid world.

Specialists are often sought out to combat these attacks — but some are unaware of the greater needs of running a business. It’s a delicate balance between security, privacy, functionality, and practicality. Some experts, though, have a foot in both worlds, effectively communicating both the finer details and the broader needs of business.

In the third of four panels, Greg Irwin sat down with Dr. Ratinder Paul Singh Ahuja of Pure Storage, Paul Cao of Wells Fargo, Tim Prendergast of strongDM, and Tony Parrillo of Schneider Electric and talked about cybersecurity and the unique problems of a hybrid cloud system. Together, they discussed the changing landscape of cyber attacks, the greatest priorities in data security, and a host of pertinent issues, including cyber insurance, zero-trust frameworks, and data loss.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• The greatest priorities in data security
• What are some soft spots in cybersecurity and how can you strengthen them?
• How data loss prevention (DLP) in business has changed over the years
• Managing data and security in a zero-trust framework
• The fundamental security issues that have not been fixed over time
• Are cyberattacks changing and how can you adapt to protect your data?
• Why cyber insurance has changed the landscape of data

Panel 4: Reimagine Cloud Adoption and The Evolving Data Center – The Journey to Business Outcomes

Key Discussion Takeaways:

 
There’s a new way of looking at cloud adoption. It’s no longer a world of this or that — on-premise or in the cloud. It’s being reimagined into a world of hybridity, where businesses can optimize the cloud for their needs without being stuck in a single structure.

These expanded capabilities still come with their share of challenges, but the benefits far outweigh the difficulties. When you adopt a cloud model, you’re investing in digital transformation and automation, allowing you to improve business functions and achieve targeted goals. It’s important to remember that the cloud is a journey — not a destination.

In the fourth and final panel, Greg Irwin was joined by Jack Hogan of Pure Storage, Zach Smith of Equinix Metal, LeAnn Oliver of the Department of Energy, and Bill Floyd of Futu US. Together, they talked about how cloud adoption is being reimagined. They detailed the current trends and challenges, how you can optimize the cloud for your individual goals, and how the right partners can help you leverage scalability and performance.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• What are the current trends and challenges around client cloud adoption?
• How Equinix brings fundamental infrastructure access solutions to clients
• Bill Floyd and LeAnn Oliver shared their goals for optimizing the cloud — and difficulties during migration
• Surprises that occur during cloud adoption
• How are people managing the total cost of ownership?
• Strategies to save money when shifting to the cloud
• Why sustainability and supply chain are becoming important topics
• Bill’s advice for optimizing your cloud journey
• The stair-step approach to your digital infrastructure goals
• What are the main reasons why businesses move to the cloud?