In this era of real-time posting and vibrant community building in virtual space, social media has established itself as a powerful way to impact business, positively and negatively. As organizations see customers turn toward Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to source products, ideas and services, c-suite leaders are exploring the practical use of social media as a business tool. But implementation, technology and security concerns are implicit to this conversation, and CIOs are wondering if it’s really worth it. Cybele Negris asserts the importance of social media as a major device for operational development. Join this timely conversation where Negris will share her tips and strategies for building engagement, offering an executive-level perspective on social media as a practical tool for intelligently growing a business.

We all know that technology is changing the world around us every day, and the pace of this change continues to increase. Join Charles Reid, the CEO of BC Hydro, as he discusses how BC Hydro has been leveraging technology to transform the way the organization does business, detailing BC Hydro’s technology roadmap and the value created from its three largest technology programs.

Session discovery topics:

• Improving customer service and increasing energy conservation through web and mobile technologies
• Growing business value through process transformation supported by SAP implementations
• Leveraging the convergence of operating and information technologies; smart metering

The accelerating pace of mobile innovation is triggering paradigm shifts for business. Faster networks, more powerful devices, mobilized enterprise applications, and new development, delivery and management platforms are being leveraged to redefine the “art of the possible.” In leveraging these technologies and new categories of managed services, businesses are transforming customer experiences, streamlining employee workflows, enabling efficient machine-to-machine connections and mining Big Data for business analytics. Join Gerri Grenier, Miguel Kanafany, Annalisa King, Vaughn Ravenscroft and moderator Larry Baldachin as they share first-hand experiences deploying solutions for today’s mobile workforce and connected enterprise.

Security requires the integration of people, process and technology. When the components are considered in total, they should provide for adequate overall risk mitigation. As IT executives, taking stock in the state of your information security strategy, policy and execution is imperative in this evolving and shifting landscape. Roy Mellinger will share his process and success strategies for reviewing your security blanket for ‘wear and tear.’

Session discovery topics:

• Today’s threat landscape — managing the battle lines
• Success — it’s all in the way you communicate
• Providing flexibility to address a changing security environment
• C-suite communication — be prepared

2013 is a groundbreaking year for mobile devices. For the first time, mobile will exceed the desktop in web usage, owing largely to the rapid development and adoption of mobile apps. Though the enterprise application market is just beginning, many IT organizations view mobile apps as tools to revolutionize customer and employee relationships, and to drive revenue through increased access and customization. Join this timely discussion to explore strategies and best practices for developing applications for the future of your business. Key discussion topics include measuring tangible value of enterprise mobility and mapping an adoption path for mobile applications. CIOs attending this executive boardroom should come prepared with questions from their experience driving mobile computing strategies in the App Age.

For years CIOs worked to include the voice of IT leadership in executive-level conversations and to change the perception of IT as a mere cost-cutting unit. Now, with the CIO firmly established as a business leader and IT shifting into a new role as a brokerage for service, CIOs are advocating for the dissolution of silos that divide IT from other departments in the organization. Where new technology design and processes were once segregated as IT projects, cross-departmental alliance around these is now becoming necessary for smarter production. Join Lynette Hughes, David Trent and Gabriel Vitus as they discuss the basic principles of creating a sound IT strategy in order to ensure that the IT department runs like an efficient, accountable business.

Customer experience is now the golden egg for powerful business strategy, and the need to focus more on the user raises awareness about the inefficiencies of aging systems. When ICBC acknowledged many of their systems weren’t adapting to the latest customer needs, they launched a $400M transformation program to prepare the organization for the future. For the transformation team, change management was as important as the technology. In this session, Sheila Eddin and Catherine Aczel Boivie, Ph.D. will discuss the philosophy behind change management and the responsibility of the IT leader to ensure engagement stays high through the turbulence of transformation. It’s an exploration of the intricacies of the human factor within transformation, from maintaining employee awareness and training to managing the complexity of a multi-stakeholder relationship.

If we’ve learned anything from James Bond, it’s that even the most sophisticated technology isn’t a full-proof shield, and that strategy and ingenuity often save the day. While most CIOs don’t have James Bond’s budget, they nonetheless face global threats that demand strengthening of their organization’s security program. For the IT leader, the challenge is to create a framework that ensures the best use of financial and resource expenditures, and brings clear value to the business. Join discussion leader Greg Lake to share best practices and key strategies for building a leading edge security program in your organization.

Due to the format of the Executive Boardroom session, there are a limited number of seats available. Seating priority will be given to CIOs. To reserve your seat, please contact Scott Pond at 503-972-4451, or scott.pond@evanta.com. Sponsor participation is limited to Boardroom sponsor attendees only.

The profile of the IT organization is in constant flux, and the most resilient teams are those that prioritize the human factor and organizational culture to build better business practices and results. In this co-presentation, Allan Smith and Annalisa King will share how their organization’s cultures contribute to their success. Through real-world examples, they will discuss how they focus on leadership and people engagement in order to create and drive business value for their companies. This session challenges IT leaders to consider how they are deliberately fostering their culture and creating new possibilities for enabling technology.

The world is getting more complex, and in order to build higher efficiency and return on assets, organizations need to work smarter. This means joining disparate systems to not only understand their relationship and detect anomalies, but to develop more responsible tracking for the purpose of building smarter networks and organizations. As we look at smarter physical infrastructure, there are many changes occurring across the globe that will influence our need for these results and the value we receive from them. From technological evolution to government regulation and accounting changes, the impact is real and cannot be ignored. In this session, Jim Fletcher will highlight some of substantive operational changes and opportunities that are on the horizon, and identify how they will impact your organization.

Since the invention of the printing press, the world has been on a technological transformation fast track. For many CIOs, the biggest challenge to implementing new technologies into the workplace is not technical, but lies in how technologies change the way people work, teach and learn. This change impacts the way society does everything, and the speed of change is increasing exponentially. As the CIO of the Vancouver School Board, Brian Kuhn is passionate about future technologies and how they will transform both people and industries. Bringing a futurist and educator perspective, Kuhn will discuss how to recognize and adapt to technological shifts, and how to use these toward more focused development that works for the business.

Technology has changed the culture of buying and service, as many consumers now prefer to make purchases, give feedback and access support services through devices instead of the old-fashioned way. But with this shift to easier and more individualized commerce, businesses are challenged to adjust to changing demographics, consumer preferences, technology and competition. At Mountain Equipment Co-operative, CEO David Labistour is facing this challenge head on by creating an innovative digital culture that allows the organization to connect with clients in savvier ways. In this session, Labistour will share MEC’s story and strategy for embracing and enabling change in the new world of digital consumerism.