More than 90 of the continent’s most influential IT decision makers today gathered at South Africa’s world-renowned Sun City Resort for the second and final day of IDC’s groundbreaking Africa CIO Summit 2009. The world’s premier IT and communications market intelligence and events firm hosted the conference under the banner ‘Reflections and Innovations Ahead’ and, together with the world’s leading ICT suppliers, provided pioneering advice on utilizing the very latest technology to streamline management and reduce costs in these times of economic uncertainty.
With CIOs in attendance from South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon, Senegal, Cote d’lvoire, Kenya, Mauritius, and Angola, IDC’s Africa CIO Summit 2009 offered unparalleled opportunities for networking with the region’s most dynamic industry leaders. Senior international IDC figures and high-ranking regional thought leaders from some of the world’s most innovative ICT vendors delivered a series of insightful presentations to the assembled delegates, who came from a diverse range of verticals that included government, oil and gas, telecommunications, construction and real estate, banking and finance, group companies, aviation, utilities, education, and manufacturing.
Mr. Frank Gens, IDC’s Chief Analyst and Senior Vice President of Research, opened the day’s proceedings with a compelling insight into the phenomenon of ‘Cloud Computing’, explaining what it really is, where it should fit into CIOs’ strategic plans, how quickly other CIOs are likely to integrate it into their environments, and what the key benefits and challenges are for CIOs from this emerging IT delivery model.
Huawei Symantec’s CTO, Mr. Tad Lebek, then delivered his fascinating vision for the future of storage before Gens chaired a panel of industry experts discussing the subject of ‘Aligning IT to the CXO’s Agenda’. The panellists engaged in lively debate on how best to champion the cause of ICT within the organization, how to utilize IT more effectively to support business units, and, critically, how to demonstrate the value of ICT initiatives when all eyes are on the bottom line.
The curtains were brought down on the hugely successful IDC Africa CIO Summit 2009 with a visionary address on the future of ICT in Africa, delivered again by Frank Gens. He opined that the coming years will be a fascinating period for the development of the continent’s IT and communications markets, as some organizations continue to build their infrastructures, while others surge forward, implanting cutting edge technologies that disrupt traditional business models and create new opportunities in lines of business and the optimization of workflow. He ended by providing a summary of the Summit’s proceedings and an examination of current and future IT trends and the impact they will have on how the region communicates and conducts business in the coming years.
This was one of the best events I had the oppertunity to attend. I can’t wait for next years event. The speakers were visionary and the entertainment, out-of-this-world.
Thanks IDC, for a great time.
The event had a few snags as it was the first time it was held in Africa but overall a great experience! It is seldom that CIO’s have the opportunity to network with peers and technologists in such an exclusive environment.
It was also a great opportunity to share our challenges, ideas and requirements with a captive audience of vendors and industry leaders. The international representation was impressive to say the least (IDC, Huawei Symantec, IBM, Oracle etc)
Looking forward to next year’s event!