The Secret Sauce Of Business-Driven IT
XChange Solution Provider conference
The burning issue these channel leaders will discuss, debate and dissect until all hours of the night is the future of the channel. The XChange Solution Provider Conference, March 9-12, certainly arrives at a critical juncture in the transformation of the solution provider business model accompanied by fundamental changes reshaping the VAR-vendor partner structure. In addition to those seismic shifts, solution providers are coming to grips with new buyers of IT who reside outside corporate IT departments. Those new and influential buyers have been empowered by Software-as-a-Service, cloud and mobile technology solutions they can acquire as a service to help them achieve their business goals.
That is the reason behind the event's theme this year, "Driving Business Forward with IT." The theme and surrounding discussion are designed to put into focus the channel's impact and influence on customer innovation through the technology and business solutions they sell to customers. The XChange Advisory Board was the driving force behind the theme and selection of speakers, who will focus on how solution providers can help customers achieve positive business outcomes.
This year's event is bringing together dozens of speakers, including leading analysts, vendor executives, technology visionaries and progressive solution providers. For the first time at XChange, CRN's editorial team will conduct a closed-door channel chief round table to gain insight into the indirect sales strategy of today's most influential and fastest-growing vendors. The conference kicks off on Saturday, March 9, with the Cloud Integrators Forum and wraps up three days later with CRN's Channel Champions Awards Reception. In between, the early 800 attendees will engage with their peers, attend closed-door boardrooms and hear keynote presentations from a wide variety of industry experts. This year's event features presentations from the following:
1. Robert Faletra, CEO, UBM Tech Channel
2. Wendy Bahr, SVP, Global and Strategic Partners, Cisco
3. Stephen Baker, VP of Industry Analysis, NPD
4. Ira Bell, COO, Nimbo
5. Renée Bergeron, VP, Managed Services & Cloud Computing, Ingram Micro
6. Tiffani Bova, VP, Distinguished Analyst, Gartner
7. Scott Brown, SVP, Chief Economist, Raymond James & Associates
8. Ginger Clay, Team Member, 4-Profit
9. Kelley Damore, SVP, Editorial Director, UBM Tech Channel
10. Jeff Davis, SVP of Sales, D&H Distributing
11. Robert DeMarzo, SVP, Strategic Content, UBM Tech Channel
12. Bill Donohue, VP, Business Partner Sales, North America, IBM
13. Ron Dupler, CEO, GreenPages
14. Scott Goemmel, Team Member, 4-Profit
15. Lincoln Haven, VP, Partner Marketing Services, UBM Tech Channel
16. Michele Hayes, Sr. Director, Global Partner Program, Riverbed
17. Linda Hofflander, Director, Vertical Marketing, Samsung Electronics America
18. Rick Jordan, Director, Sales & Strategic Alliances (North America), Tenet Computer Group
19. Larry Kesslin, Partner, 4-Profit
20. Kenny Li, Partner, Cloud Spectator
21. Donald Lopes, Director, Cloud Services, Synnex
22. Keith Lubner, Founder, C3
23. Jeremy MacBean, Director, Business Development, IT Weapons
24. Eric Martorano, Senior Director, U.S. SMB Channel Group, Microsoft
25. Phil Mogavero, VP & Regional CTO, PCM
26. Stacy Nethercoat, VP, Software Product Marketing, Tech Data
27. Rauline Ochs, SVP, IPED
28. Joe Pucciarelli, Lead Analyst, IDC
29. Frank Rauch, VP, Americas Partner Organization, VMware
30. Dave Rice, CEO, TrueCloud
31. Kristin Rogers, Principal, KMR@work
32. David Rose, Product Designer, Serial Entrepreneur, MIT Media Lab Researcher
33. Don Ryan, VP, Fuld & Company
34. Meredith Scheraldi, Senior Manager, Channel Marketing, Symantec
35. Ken Thoreson, President, Acumen Management Group
36. Luanne Tierney, VP, Worldwide Partner Marketing, Juniper Networks
37. Dave Uhler, National Solutions Director of Research & Development, Slalom Consulting