IDC Summit to focus on latest trends in ICT market

For the first time in the event's history, the CIO Summit will not only target the country's leading technology executives, but will also welcome influential finance and marketing leaders in a nod to the shifting dynamics that are shaping technology investments around the world today.

Digital transformation efforts are at the core of investment decisions, and line-of-business (LoB) executives now clearly have a critical role to play alongside the CIO in facilitating this journey. A recent global study conducted by IDC shows that at least 45% of technology spending undertaken by organisations is now drawn from budgets outside of the IT department.

Meanwhile, South African trends underpin the CIO focus on transformative technologies with enterprise mobility already implemented by 20% of organisations interviewed in 2015 and indicated as a planned investment by 37% of CIOs in 2016. Similarly, significant business impact technologies are gaining momentum, with big data - for example - currently implemented at only 6% of organisations but indicated as a key investment priority by 35% of CIOs.

Rise of LoB influence

While the CIO remains the prime leader of technology decisions, it is becoming increasingly difficult for vendors to ignore the rise of LoB influence. Chief financial officers (CFOs) and chief marketing officers (CMOs) are now among the most influential decision makers, particularly in relation to critical business disruptors such as cloud, mobility, social, and big data analytics.

The CIO Summit will present an in-depth analysis of the latest trends currently shaping the South African ICT market, focusing on key CIO priorities such as enabling the process of digital transformation, creating business value through the Internet of Things (IoT), and managing the implications of a constantly evolving cyber security landscape. The agenda will also include a number of vertical-focused tracks enabling attendees to customise their experience to meet their individual needs.

Keynote speakers at the event include:

• Joseph Pucciarelli, group vice-president and IT executive advisor, IDC.
• Bill Keyworth, vice-president of Research, IDC.
• Matt Eastwood, senior vice-president for Enterprise Infrastructure and Datacentres, IDC.
• Mark Walker, associate vice-president for sub-Saharan Africa, IDC.
• George Kalebaila, senior research manager for Telecoms and Media, IDC.
• Andries Lombaard, country manager for South Africa, IDC.