agenda

Think Tank

Lessons Learned from Smart Grid Deployments

Perhaps the earliest IoT deployment that is familiar to most Americans is the ongoing Smart Grid rollout occurring now throughout our towns and cities. Based on current uptake, the potential for other public IoT deployments may be weak; only 25% of homes are currently smart meter enabled because for many the low current cost of electricity doesnâ??t justify the cost of Smart infrastructure investment. That the far wider potential benefits of greater resiliency and efficiency, of improved safety and reliability, are not being realized speaks clearly to the potential problems of poorly handled IoT implementations â?? all cost, not value. 

Takeaways:

• Understand the route taken to the semi-autonomous driving world that exists today and the plan to get to the fully autonomous world of tomorrow.
• See how gradual technological deployment and waves of increasing penetration and capability can create demand not resistance.
• Learn how key technology hurdles can be overcome to facilitate technical and financial success.

Think Tank

Emerging Technologies: Adopting Blockchain, Imagine the Possibilities!

Blockchain is an exciting new technology that is slowly proving to be a radical innovation since Internet that triggered previous industrial revolutions. Blockchain technology features like disintermediation, improved transparency, and increase auditability can significantly reduce transaction costs, introduce efficiency into existing value chains, challenge revenue models, and open new markets. It's potential to disrupt existing economic and business models through productivity gains to multiple industries has been very promising. It's data provenance features and trusted interactions could change how data is controlled, shared and governed. Although big technological hurdles remain, innovative data management opportunities are emerging. It's time for data and analytics leaders to start experimenting!

Think Tank

Managing Cyber Security Risks while Driving Innovation

Power & Utilities companies invested in smart meters before the term IoT even existed. Their early commitment enables them to reap the benefits of the data the smart meters provide. Their next step is to find new and innovative ways to create insight from this data to create micro offers and enhance the customer experience which is an area of opportunity for them.

With increased security and technology risks, managing cyber security risks is critical to the sector and compared to other industries, Power & Utilities are placing a higher priority on improving cyber security. The importance of critical infrastructure to the lives of people and businesses has made cyber security a boardroom and C-level issue.

Think Tank

IoT for Infrastructure Management

It is a fact of life that in our society we produce materials that are dangerous, hazardous, and toxic, whether intentionally (the production of powerful acids) and unintentionally (the releasing of radiation). In a non-connected world these facilities must be carefully manned to achieve rigorous monitoring, putting people at risk, and lives in danger. A fully networked mesh of redundant sensors that not only send data feeds to monitoring station is safer locations, but that also have ability to act on changes in hazardous materials levels (liquids, gasses, etc.) can allow for much safer materials handling and infrastructure management. In turn, this allows for a level of detection, and therefore also of response, that is simply not possible today.

Takeaways:

Think Tank

The Changing Role of the Utility CIO

The role of the Utility CIO is changing dramatically as new business models and business processes threaten a century-old institution. Innovative companies like Apple, Tesla and Google are now launching major initiatives, which will reduce electricity sold by utilities, change the customer engagement model and shift the consumers behavior.

In order to adapt to this challenge, the CIO must enable a real-time, complete view of company situations and key figures across departments. This real-time view is now critical for transitioning to a digital business landscape to improve productivity and decision making by accessing accurate information, analyzing alternatives and implications in real-time.

Think Tank

The Future of Data Management

Data is at the center of the digital business platform, but in reality, data is everywhere! Things, IT systems, customers, ecosystems, all have data. Organizations need to access, understand, manage and trust data in a flexible and agile manner. Taking an approach of collecting all possible data is becoming clearly impossible, balancing collecting data and connecting to data is the path to modernizing data management.

Think Tank

CIO, CISO & Cloud Transformation: Who's Watching the Watcher?

If all InfoSec-related tasks in Information Technology were performed by a member of the Information Security team, we would not need an IT team at all. So should we be asking if we even need an IT team? 

Mark will discuss what IT does in organizations using a hybrid cloud strategy, for Public and Private cloud.  What is the practical and good-practice boundary between InfoSec and IT? What are the most important cloud security priorities and who covers what tasks for which?

Think Tank

CIO's Got Talent: Finding, Growing & Retaining the Best People

While new technology and solutions can help CIOs make more, faster and better decisions for an organization, nothing will take the place of a highly talented workforce. CIOs need to be great recruiters of talent but even more importantly growing the skills and capabilities of their team providing engaging and challenging opportunities for people. Competitive compensation is important for retaining great talent but so is a work environment where individual growth and development are front of mind and not an after thought.