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Symposium/ITxpo has a raft of new features to maximize the value and enjoyment you get from attending Asia-Pacific’s biggest and best ICT event. Don’t miss out – add these sessions to your calendars now!

Community Sessions
Tuesday, 17:00 – 18:00
This is your opportunity to question and comment on the key issues you face, and hear insights into how your peers are addressing the challenges, and taking advantages of the opportunities faced by your role. These sessions will be followed by informal drinks for your community to increase your networking. Open to Community Members only

Great Debates
Informative, engaging and entertaining – these Debates give you the opportunity to have your say through Interactive Voting and monitor the debaters progress with the Interactive Worm.

Wednesday, 13:15 – 14:15
34E Is Globalisation Eroding Australia's ICT Capability?

Thursday, 13:00 – 14:00
44E Will Broadband Save Australia When the Resources Boom Goes Bang?

CIO Insights
On Tuesday and Thursday, hear how some of Asia-Pacific's leading organizations are using IT to drive business success, with advice and guidance on achieving the business imperatives of your organization.

27D Tuesday, 17:00 – 18:00 David Backley, CTO, Westpac Banking Corporation
41D Thursday 08:30 – 09:30 Garry Whatley, CIO, Corporate Express
43D Thursday 11:00 – 12:00 Murray Harrison, CIO, Australian Customs Service
44D Thursday, 13:00 – 14:00 John Sheridan, Acting HISD, Department of Defence
46D Thursday, 15:30 – 16:30 Peter Bourke, Director of IT, Westfield

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With just a few days to go until Symposium/ITxpo here are a few helpful hints before you arrive in Sydney:

Registration
If you have not registered, it's not too late! Online registration will stay open until 5pm Friday 16 November.

The on site registration desk will be open:

Monday 1400-1800
Tuesday 0730-1900
Wednesday 0800-1830
Thursday 0800-1930
Friday 0800-1230

Remember to bring your registration barcode email with you. If you have not received this please email gartner@infosalons.com.au

• Transport


• Parking


• Climate for the latest forecast & warnings
  November average temperatures for Sydney range from Min 15 – Max 24 degrees Celsius


• Visit Agenda Builder to create your own personal agenda

Wireless Network
A public wireless network will be installed throughout the ITxpo showfloor and selected session rooms, so bring your 802.11b/g compatible device and stay connected

Special Needs
Email gartner@infosalons.com.au if you have any special needs that you have not yet advised us of

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For those in the know, Gartner Symposium/ITxpo is not just about presentations from IT industry leaders, it is the premier industry event of the year. A chance to catch up with colleagues from around the country and the Asia Pacific region. On Tuesday, don't miss the Welcome Reception taking place on the ITxpo show floor. Want to meet up with a colleague? Meet up at the Gartner stand on the ITxpo show floor. By Wednesday you should have signed up for your Community! Connect with people that share the same role as you but in a different industry, state or even country. Wednesday evening sees the Communities come together for drinks at the end of sessions that day.

Close of session Thursday gives everyone involved in Gartner Symposium/ITxpo the chance to relax and have some fun at the Gala Dinner. Welcome drinks commence at 5.45pm on the ITxpo show floor before moving into the Gala Dinner. Every year the team at Gartner provide entertainment and an atmosphere where you can relax and enjoy the company of colleagues and friends.

So whilst the focus is on the session each day - take the time to connect and network with those around you. Any questions don't forget to ask your Gartner Account Executive, and if you don't know who that is email elizabeth.dashwood@gartner.com.

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Below you will find the times of all key activities taking place during Symposium/ITxpo so you can plan accordingly:

Tuesday
Tutorials 0830-0930
Keynote 1000-1100
Sessions 1115-1800
Welcome Reception 1800-1930

Wednesday
Sessions 0830-1645
Community Sessions 1700-1800
Community Networking 1800-1845

Thursday
Sessions 0830-1745
Pre-Dinner Drinks 1745-1830
Gala Dinner 1830-2230

Friday
Sessions 0830-1045
Locknote 1115-1215

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At the Gartner stand on the ITxpo show floor come and experience Gartner for IT Leaders live. Gartner for IT Leaders delivers the insight you need-when you need it. Instant access to exclusive Gartner research that's tailored to your specific job role. Advice from world-renowned Gartner analysts to help you make the right decisions with confidence. Spend less time searching for information and more time applying the right insight in the context of your business.

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If you need a hotel during Symposium/ITxpo there are still rooms available at discounted rates through the website or tel +61 2 9211 7222

Special Requests
If you have any special needs (dietary, medical or other) that you have not already let us know about, please do so via email gartner@infosalons.com.au or tel: +61 2 9280 1295

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Who is YOUR Gartner Account Executive?

Gartner Symposium/ITxpo is a great opportunity for you to connect with the many resources available to you from Gartner. Guarantee your success by enlisting the help of your Gartner Account Executive.

Don't know who your Gartner Account Executive is? Email elizabeth.dashwood@gartner.com and we will put you in touch with your Gartner Account Executive. Your Gartner Account Executive will tailor your Gartner Symposium experience based on current challenges within your organisation and your industry.

Book in for a "Gartner for IT Leaders" web walkthrough, register for a community and meet like minded professionals and be sure to secure your one on one with a Gartner analyst.

Make the most of your Gartner Symposium/ITxpo experience by having a Gartner Account Executive show you how!

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To make the most of your time at Symposium/ITxpo we encourage you to get a head start by using Agenda Builder. Our interactive scheduling tool helps you navigate through over 230 sessions to create your schedule. It’s quick, easy and convenient.

Browse by track or session type. You can also view job role recommended agendas, to see the sessions Gartner believes will help you most in your role, be it business intelligence, security, vendor management or a number of other roles. Are you a Gartner analyst 'groupie,' with a favorite list of analysts you want to hear speak? You can browse by Gartner analyst, too. Or simply browse by day and time, and pick from the rich array of sessions you see.

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Wondering what Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2007 is all about and why you should be there in person? Get a feel for what really happens and the focus of this year's event. Watch the video for a sneak peek at the energy and excitement that is Gartner Symposium/ITxpo.

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Once registered for Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2007 you will receive additional information from Gartner to assist in planning for the event. The Symposium Information Pack will be the primary source of logistical information and this will be released approximately two weeks before Symposium. The information park will include the documentation licence key which will allow you to download presentations prior to arriving onsite. One week out from Symposium you will be emailed your registration barcode that you will be asked to bring with you on the day to ensure your registration is quick & easy.
If you haven't already done so, Register Now!

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Symposium Communities is the program to help you get the most out of Symposium/ITxpo right now even before you arrive in Sydney in just a few short weeks. Once registered for Symposium/ITxpo, Symposium Communities is complimentary so you'll automatically receive an email invitation to join Symposium Communities Online, the new online networking portal is where it all begins. Take a look at the short steps in the email invite and join your online Symposium Community with now over 2200 members worldwide. You’ll be able to find those members who will be heading to Sydney and you can begin networking today.

Check out the many other benefits of Symposium Communities – find the Gartner analyst sessions geared specifically to your role by way of the Recommended Agendas. Pre-register for the Analyst/User Roundtables – each Community has at least one of these dynamic peer networking sessions, but they're limited to 12 end user delegates only!

You will benefit - join Symposium Communities for your more personal Symposium experience - it is easy to get started and it is free!

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Take a look at our new virtual brochure to see what's in store. This easy-to-use tool allows you to flip through as though you were holding the brochure in your hand. Have fun exploring these pages and diving deeper into areas that intrigue you. It's all right here at your fingertips!

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With just 40 days to go until Symposium, now is the time to make all your arrangements;

• Register online to ensure you receive pre-event communications and access to our online tools to maximize your time at Symposium/ITxpo 2007.


• Book your accommodation to ensure you don’t miss out on your preferred hotel.


• Make travel arrangements through your preferred airline early to take advantage of the best available airfares.

To assist you in making your bookings, please note the following dates & times:

Symposium/ITxpo 2007: 0830 Tuesday 20 November 2007 – 1215 Friday 23 November 2007.
Monday: Go to Market! (this is a separate event requiring an additional registration and is not included in Symposium/ITxpo 2007 registration) 0900 Monday 19 November 2007 - 1530, Monday 19 November 2007.

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Welcome to Sydney Symposium/ITxpo 2007. We have lots of new activities and content this year delivered during the 150+ sessions by 50 of Gartner’s leading analysts. Be sure to go to the online agenda builder to select those sessions, across all of Symposium, that are most relevant to you in your role.

What is new:

• Social Networking: This year we are bringing the power of 'social networking' to Symposium through our Online Communities. Once you register for Symposium/ITxpo sign up for our Online Communities and see a visual map of other delegates at Symposium who have a similar IT profile to yours. Mouse over the map to find other delegates with similar interests and click to send a message or even arrange a face-to-face meeting. This is a powerful tool that will help you get the most out of peer networking at Symposium.


• CIO Insight Sessions: Five well-known Australian-based IT leaders will share their real-world experiences and practical advice on how to use IT to deliver business outcomes.


• Community Sessions: Share insights with your peers on the big issues that will affect the future of your role in IT by attending one of the eight new Community-driven, analyst moderated sessions where several nominated delegates will discuss the big challenges, their experiences and the lessons learnt.


• Great Debates: Some issues in IT today aren’t clear-cut. There is no black and white, no best answer. Take for example the impact of globalisation and outsourcing on Australian IT, or the political debate about national broadband policy. Our two new “Great Debates” will tackle these controversial issues head-on, and Gartner analysts with diametrically opposed points of view will engage each other in a lively debate, inviting audience participation through interactive electronic voting. You get to say who won!

Keep a close eye on this blog for the latest news and views - and above all, contribute! We'd like to hear your opinions - and so would your peers! Feel free to make suggestions or ask us questions here. We welcome your input.

Enjoy Symposium/ITxpo!

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CIOs seeking the sweet spot between governance, strategy and value can safely ignore physical infrastructure in their efforts to interface with the rest of the business, according to John Roberts.
"The business just does not care about what kind of servers our routers you are going to buy," he says.
Instead, CIOs should concentrate on making sure that their engagement with the business is productive, creative and works hard to ensure that IT directions are determined by business strategy.
To find the sweet spot, he recommends considering three elements:

• Ensure IT strategy is being optimized and implemented


• Make governance forums places of creative debate, insight and optimum decisions


• Ensure IT's value and contribution is understood and continually enhanced

Achieving these three, he said, will not be possible "… if you are running IT as a cost centre. That's a no-win situation."

But a mutually acceptable and beneficial outcome can be achieved, he said, when IT focuses on applications as the most important tool to align with business strategy, and makes sure it can also point to strong architectural plans, firm principles that inform decisions and a talented team that is evolving to meet emerging needs.

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"IT is in a unique position to rise up and get beyond a role as technology producer or watcher to become a process champion for the organization," says Gartner's Michael Melonovsky. "You can take a broader role!"

Melonovsky's remarks come in the context of his presentation on "Overcoming the Five Major Hurdles of Business Process Management Adoption."
Those hurdles, he says, are:

• Strategic alignment


• Culture and leadership


• People


• Governance


• Methods

All must be overcome in a lengthy process, rather than with a big bang.
That process, he says, has five steps
1. Acknowledgement of operation inefficiencies – a phase in which an enterprise starts to take the need for process seriously
2. Becoming process aware – a phase in which businesses begin to design processes and ask how they can be measured. This can happen within or without IT
3. Interprocess automation and control – a phase where new processes are linked and controls are devised and tested
4. Enterprise valuation control – In which measurements are refined
5. Agile business structure – the final phase, in which continually improved processes and the structures that support them make an organization more effective than ever before!

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Wondering how to drive innovation and growth in the future? Wednesday afternoon's Premier Sponsor Panel offered plenty of insights.

Cisco's Kevin Bloch urged delegates to consider the impact of the Internet on their business. Noting that the music, television and other content-related industries have all effectively become internet businesses of late, he urged organizations aiming for growth to plan the networks they need to cope with this new reality.

IBM's Tom Rosamilia focused on agility and flexibility, qualities he said CEOs desire from their CIOs, but only believe exists one fifth of the time.

Roberta Mackintosh of Verizon said IT should make sure they understand the tools that can let them take advantages of the human resources organizations have scattered around the world. "Take advantage of the global economy and the intelligence of your human resources," she urged. "Use technology, infrastructure and tools to work more productively using best practices from around the globe."

Adobe's Mark Phibbs offered business process improvement as another useful tactic. "It is about focusing on business process improvement as related to customers or partners," he said. "That's something we think can be achieved using electronic forms, which can be used more cost-effectively and compellingly to add value and improve processes."

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"I'm exhausted," a delegate told your blogger yesterday. "Who could have thought that all this listening and thinking could make me so tired?"

Well here's the mail: it sure can, especially when the thinking was in response to quality material such as Wednesday's sessions.

There's more to come, though.

Thursday features fascinating case studies from the likes of Qantas and MYOB, plus ground-breaking sessions like:

"Women and Men in IT: Breaking Through Sexual Stereotypes."

We've even got your social life covered tonight, with an evening event preceded by drinks.

Drinks? Did someone say drinks? Keep it to orange juice for now and have a great day!

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Australian business' proclivity for exporting makes it imperative that local companies embrace technology as never before, according to Dell's Asia-Pacific President Steve Felice.
Delivering the Master Keynote, Felice recounted the tale of a local steel maker who recently asked Dell how it could reduce technology costs to ensure competitiveness across the region, but especially in China.

For Dell, Felice said achieving this outcome will be possible by planning a move to homogeneity and away from complexity, a shift he expects will see many business adopt x86 as their standard server platform and either Windows or Linux as their operating system of choice.

"Ninety two percent of all server units out there are x86 now," he said. "And they account for 55 percent of spend. Only 8 percent of server technologies are proprietary, but they are 45 percent of spend."

Such economics, he asserted, cannot continue as IT departments are pressured to achieve more.
And those achievements, he said, are now expected to do far more than just sustain a business.
"There is a proliferation of issues to deal with around security, privacy and regulation," he said. "At the same time you have time to market issues."

"IT departments simply cannot say 'I can't look at growth' because I am protecting the business."

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