Delivering Digital Resiliency
in a Changed World

Two-Day Virtual Event

March 9 and March 16, 2021

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Join IDC for our 56th annual Directions conference focused on delivering digital resiliency in a changed world.

The 2021 Live Virtual Event will be held over two dates – March 9th and March 16th from 11:30am – 4:30pm ET. Hear from eight main stage presenters, two closing keynote presentations, choose from 27 breakout sessions, visit the virtual expo area and much more.

Join us as IDC's thought leaders present their expert insights, intelligence and guidance for finding success in the next normal.

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IDC Mainstage Speakers

Meet this year's IDC mainstage speakers who will set the stage by sharing insight on how organizations can be digitally resilient in this changed world.

Digital Resiliency: DX Spending and the Need to Drive Adaptability and Automation

Crawford Del Prete

President, IDC

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Adapting to the New Competitive Forces in a Post Pandemic World

Meredith Whalen

Chief Research Officer, IDC

The Future of Work is Hybrid – Now what's the question?

Amy Loomis, Ph.D.

Research Director, Future of Work

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#PervasiveIntegrity: Maturing Security into Resiliency

Frank Dickson

Program Vice President, Cybersecurity Products

Creating an Autonomous Enterprise: The Keys to Delivering Self-Regulating Business & IT Systems

Rick Villars

Group Vice President Worldwide Research

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Why the C-Suite Must be the Digital Dream Team in the Future Enterprise

Philip Carter

Group Vice President, European Chief Analyst

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Exploring the Value of a Cloud Centric and Autonomous Digital Infrastructure

Matthew Eastwood

Senior Vice President, Enterprise Infrastructure, Cloud, Developers and Alliances

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Enterprise Applications: Relevance Requires New Innovation

Mickey North Rizza

Program Vice President, Enterprise Applications and Digital Commerce

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The Big Data Elephant: Leveraging Data in the Era of Automated Decision Making

A $700 billion big data marketplace promises leaders that more data will help them make better decisions. But what if this promise isn't real? From her work with setting up data practices inside organizations, Dr. Tricia Wang reveals the big data elephant in the room: Organizations are struggling to get the ROI out of their big data investments, and yet they keep being told to invest more in analytics and digital transformation. She details the inconsistent and unreasonable hopes that companies have for big data and how these problems can worsen with automation and artificial intelligence. Dr. Wang shares how organizations can solve this problem by not just focusing on solving for technical complexity but also by understanding human complexity. Her talk leaves the audience with concrete takeaways for setting up an integrated data supply chain.

Featured Keynote

Tricia Wang

Global Tech Ethnographer

Global technology ethnographer Dr. Tricia Wang, helps companies innovate and grow by integrating big data — all that you know about your customers and your market — with thick data, the human element that is invisible to quantitative data analysis. She is a recognized leading authority on digital transformation, operationalizing data science, customer experience, and ethics of personal data usage in artificial intelligence.

About Tricia's Keynote

Featured Keynote

Ramesh Srinivasan

Writer, advisor, and speaker examining the intersection of technology, innovation, politics, business, and society.

Dr. Ramesh Srinivasan is a leading voice pointing the way toward a digital world that supports democracy, economic security and business interests. He blends his skills as a leading academic, author, engineer, social scientist, storyteller, policy adviser, and ‘thought leader’, to shine a light on how technology and innovation, from all quarters and countries, will make a balanced world possible, for all.

About Ramesh's Keynote

Innovators Around the World: Overcoming Inequality and Creating the Technologies of Tomorrow

How can we arrive at a future where technologies serve business interests alongside with the causes of democracy, economic security, and the global community? Ramesh Srinivasan will discuss key flashpoints around AI, automation and the gig economy, disinformation and political polarization, and the developing world. Srinivasan is currently working with major stakeholders in the EU and the US Congress and many prominent figures in the media to collaborate with technologists and regulators alike toward a digital world that supports the interests of all of its stakeholders.

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