What you need to know to accelerate your cloud and data strategy

At Choice Hotels, cloud is a tool to help the hospitality giant achieve corporate goals. That can include making progress on immediate objectives, such as environmental sustainability, while keeping an eye on trendy topics such as the metaverse and ChatGPT.

“We’re investing in technology, we’re investing in leveraging the cloud to do meaningful things while we figure out what does tomorrow look like?” said CIO Brian Kirkland.

Kirkland will describe key points on how cloud is enabling business value, including its sustainability initiatives, at CIO’s Future of Cloud & Data Summit, taking place virtually on April 12.

The day-long conference will drill into key areas of balancing data security and innovation, emerging technologies, and leading major initiatives.

The program kicks off with a big-picture view of how the cloud will change the way we live, work, play, and innovate from futurist and Delphi Group Chairman and Founder Tom Koulopoulos. Afterward, he will answer questions in a lively discussion with attendees.  

Before organizations map an architectural approach to data, the first thing that they should understand is data intelligence. Stewart Bond, IDC’s vice president for data integration and intelligence software, will dissect this foundational element and how it drives strategy as well as answer audience questions about governance, ownership, security, privacy, and more.

With that foundation, CIOs can move on to considering emerging best practices and options for cloud architecture and cloud solution optimization. David Linthicum, chief cloud strategy officer at Deloitte Consulting and a contributor to InfoWorld, will delve into strategies that deliver real business value – a mandate that every IT leader is facing now.

Want to know how top-performing companies are approaching aspects of cloud strategy? Hear how Novanta Inc. CIO Sarah Betadam led a three-year journey to becoming a fully functional data-driven enterprise. Later, learn how Tapestry – home to luxury consumer brands such as Coach and Kate Spade – developed a cloud-first operating model in a conversation between CIO Ashish Parmar and Vice President of Data Science and Engineering Fabio Luzzi.

Another top trend is AI. Phil Perkins, the co-author of The Day Before Digital Transformation, will discuss the most effective applications of AI being used today and what to expect next.

At some organizations, data can be a matter of life and death. Learn about a data-focused death investigations case management system used to influence public safety in a conversation between Gina Skagos, executive officer, and Sandra Parker, provincial nurse manager, at the Province of Ontario’s Office of the Chief Coroner.

Throughout the summit, sponsors including IBM, CoreStack, VMware, and Palo Alto Networks will offer thought leadership and solutions on subjects such as new models of IT consumption, cloud security, and optimizing hybrid multi-cloud infrastructures.

Check out the full summit agenda here. The event is free to attend for qualified attendees. Don’t miss out – register today.