Pictured: Zeus Kerravala of ZK Research talking to Ramesh Marimuthu, VP with Tata Communications
Following a dynamic and energetic first day, the 2023 Global Media Summit from NetEvents resumed for business on Thursday in the heart of Silicon Valley. The Dolce Hayes Mansion in San Jose was once more the focus of media and analysts from more than 25 countries worldwide. Day Two featured debate on hot technology topics and critical industry issues, from the rising tide of cyberthreats, developments in cloud, the future of the datacenter and, of course, paradigm shifts in digital transformation.
The day got off to a flyer courtesy of a fireside chat on ‘Building Hyperconnected Ecosystems’, led by Zeus Kerravala, Founder & Principal Analyst, ZK Research. He was in conversation with inspirational guest speaker Ramesh Marimuthu, VP & Head of Americas, Tata Communications. How do you develop connectivity that works for the whole enterprise ecosystem? What technologies will power that? Business outcomes will be the main driver in this scenario.
Is new thinking needed to fight back a rising tide of cyberthreats? A definite ‘Yes’ was heard loud and clear in the first debate of the day, chaired by Roy Chua, Founder & Principal at Avid Think. The session went on to examine some of the cutting-edge work being done in the security space, especially in the area of EDR, MDR and XDR. Panellists joining Chua included Matt Lourens, Office of the CTO, CheckPoint; Dr Srinivas Bhattiprolu, Global Head of Advanced Consulting Services & Pre-sales, Nokia Cloud and Network Services; Jason Rolleston, VP & GM of Security Business, VMware; and Terry Stuart, VP, Sales Engineering and Professional Services, Xcitium. How do you measure the value of security when so much is at stake? What kind of tools are delivering the best results? What about considerations like behaviour change and leadership?
The second discussion of the morning revolved around the future of the datacenter, and on finding the right cloud to edge to core balance. Panellists in this hotly contested area included Manish Mehta, CTO of Security with ServiceNow; Michael McNerney, Marketing VP, Supermicro; and UN advisor and leading IT academic Professor Martin Curley. It was moderated and chaired by Steve McDowell, Principal Analyst & Founding Partner, NAND Research. What price cyber resilience in the datacenter of the future? Is ‘hybrid’ the answer to everything? And is there a trend back to on-prem in the offing?
By way of a swerve, the third debate centred on 5G, and beyond that 6G. Where is the next wave of mobile solutions for commercial use coming from? What are the business drivers for those solutions? Is the future all about Private 5G? Chaired by Paul Hughes, Research Director, Future of Connectedness, IDC, the discussion featured panellists Anit Lohtia, CTO – 5G Strategy Lead, Dell Technologies; Jan Söderström, Vice President and Head of Advanced Technology and Industry Group, Ericsson; and Marc Cohn, Principal Technology Strategist, Spirent Communications.
Perhaps the morning’s main highlight was the closing round-up delivered by the ever inspirational Martin Curley, Professor of Innovation, Maynooth University and Chair of the UN’s Digital Health Symposium. Professor Curley shared a number of the valuable insights he has gained as a thought leader at the cutting edge of digital transformation. Curley is extremely passionate about bringing the healthcare sector into the modern world and outlined his vision for a new generation of healthcare technology. He introduced Curley’s Law, his formula for unleashing the exponential power of digital technologies for the betterment of the sector.
Professor Curley has enjoyed a diverse career in both industry and academia, and his name is known around the world. He has lectured at several universities and spoken at many conferences, and is no stranger to boardrooms across the globe.
NetEvents 2023 came to a close with an afternoon of intimate and highly focussed media briefings and analyst sessions, a unique forum bringing businesses and media from around the world under one roof.
Attention now turns to the EMEA Summit, scheduled to take place in Rome on Sept 20 and 21, 2023.
By Guy Matthews, Editor of NetReporter
