Gartner Symposium brings IT heavyweights to Central Florida

   The Gartner Symposium/ITxpo is the industry's largest and most strategic conference for senior IT and business professionals. More than 6,000 senior business and IT strategists will gather for the insights, tools and solutions they need to ensure that their IT initiatives are key contributors to and drivers of their enterprise's success.The 20th anniverary event is set for Oct. 17-21 at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel.
    In celebrating its 20th anniversary, some of the most influential leaders in technology will take to the Symposium/ITxpo stage to provide their perspective on the future of IT and its impact on their businesses.
   Mastermind Interview Keynotes include:

• Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO, Salesforce.com, on Tuesday, October 19
• John Chambers, chairman and CEO, Cisco Systems, on Wednesday, October 20
• Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft Corp., on Thursday, October 21     

    After two years of economic turmoil, IT leaders are trying to position their enterprises for success in a changed world. With new rules and realities come fresh opportunities to innovate, transform and grow. It's an exciting time for CIOs and senior executives, one that's ripe with possibility and rich in potential. At Gartner Symposium/ITxpo, Gartner analysts and IT leaders will discuss how to prepare for these changes.
    In the opening Gartner analyst keynote on Monday, October 18, titled "Transitions: New Realities, Risks and Opportunities," analysts will explain how the industry is in a time of unprecedented transition across every aspect of IT, including the people who use technology, the ways it is used, how it's delivered, and its impact on business and society.
    This year's agenda revolves around nine tracks, including the renowned CIO Program at Symposium/ITxpo, that deliver on the needs and expectations of IT leaders as identified by Gartner clients. It's a mix of management and technology insight empowering senior-level IT and business people to make the strategic, organizational and technology-investment decisions required to weather the economic challenges and emerge with a competitive edge. The tracks include:

• Applications
• Business Intelligence & Information Management
• Business Process Improvement
• Enterprise Architecture
• Infrastructure & Operations
• Program & Portfolio Management
• Security & Risk Management
• Sourcing & Vendor Relationships

     The CIO Program at Gartner Symposium/ITxpo will provide information and tools for the choices CIOs face now, expanding their thinking, accelerating their decision making and enabling them to test their ideas. Based on the experiences of working with more than 3,000 CIOs, and presented in a peer-to-peer environment, the program provides CIOs with: CIO-exclusive sessions with Gartner analysts and industry thought leaders; workshops concentrating on making decisions from the CIO's perspective and providing a context for gaining insights from their CIO peers; and a CIO-exclusive lounge, a work area that enables CIOs to meet their peers and remain productive at the event.
Gartner Symposium/ITxpo will immerse more than 150 Gartner analysts, more than 180 solution providers and more than 6,000 delegates in an environment designed to reveal the newest strategies and technologies on key issues such as security and privacy, speed and agility, business strategy at the right cost, growth and overall performance.
      Delegates can choose from more than 350 sessions that deliver expert IT intelligence from every corner of the IT industry. The sessions, workshops, and networking opportunities will provide attendees with the advice they need to get real business results.
     ITxpo, a solution showcase teeming with leading providers of IT solutions aimed at driving business imperatives, will highlight the next steps in technology through live demonstrations, face-to-face meetings with exhibitors, and fast-paced presentations on key technology directions aligned with 11 ITxpo Marketplaces — Applications; Business Intelligence, Data Management & Integration; Business Process Management; Data Center & IT Operations; Enterprise Architecture; Enterprise Networking & Communications; Outsourcing & IT Services; Content, Collaboration & Social Software; Program & Portfolio Management; Security & Compliance; and Wireless & Mobile.
The Emerging Technologies Pavilion at ITxpo will house some of the most intriguing up-and-coming providers in enterprise IT, including Gartner Cool Vendors, across key markets. The Pavilion will include demonstrations and theater sessions highlighting what makes these providers so intriguing, and why they’re likely to become the major providers of tomorrow.
    For complete event details, please visit the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo website at www.gartner.com/symposium/us.
    About Gartner
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world's leading information technology research and advisory company. Gartner delivers the technology-related insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to technology investors, Gartner is the valuable partner to 60,000 clients in 10,800 distinct organizations. Through the resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Executive Programs, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events, Gartner works with every client to research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A., and has 4,300 associates.