The buzz: Supply chain. Companies doing business globally require full supply chain transparency and optimized performance management to become and remain competitive and profitable. Can the latest technology innovations help them attain the speed needed to keep up with today’s pace of business, integrate a disconnected supply chain, coordinate siloed functions, and improve other key factors to help grow the bottom line? The experts speak. Simon Ellis, IDC: “In the ‘modern’ supply chain, integration is now more important than functionality.” Richard Howells, SAP: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but rather the one most adaptable to change” (Charles Darwin paraphrased by Leon C. Megginson). Join us for Supply Chain Evolution: Speed Is the New Cost.

The buzz: Manufacturing. Manufacturing processes are rapidly accelerating, as shop-floor-management-by-clipboard yields to mobile-powered efficiencies and real-time analytics. But manufacturers still face tough challenges: overwhelming amounts of Big Data; poor production quality; embarrassing cost overruns; new global competitors; consumer demands for customization; the aging workforce; social media cries for environmental responsibility; and agility-deterring siloed internal functions. So much to fix, so little time. The experts speak. Adel Kahn, Fujitsu: “In God we trust; all others must bring data” (Edward Deming). Matthew Littlefield, LNS Research: “Perfection is impossible. However, striving for perfection is not. Do the best you can under the conditions that exist. That is what counts” (John Wooden). Frank Platt, SAP: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic” (Arthur C Clarke). Join us for Speed of Manufacturing: Zooming from Idea to Performance.

The buzz: Innovation vs. operations. Innovation tops the agenda for many CEOs, while CIOs are focused on ensuring sound operations. With both agendas critical to your company’s survival and growth, is it possible to foster an innovation culture without compromising operational integrity? The experts speak. Dave Jordan, TCS: “The man who doesn’t know where he wants to go, shouldn’t be surprised when he ends up somewhere else” (Mark Twain). Marc Cecere, Forrester Research: “Nearly all CIOs want innovation, but most innovations occur as a byproduct of a project rather than as an end in themselves.” Svend Wittern, SAP: “Painting is easy when you don't know how, but very difficult when you do.” (Edgar Degas) Join us for Innovation vs. Operations: Can You Have It All?

Today’s buzz: Getting social. Tell the truth. When it comes to “social status”, is your company a hider or seeker? The experts speak: Michael Miscisin, Ernst & Young: “Social media can no longer be the purview of the summer intern, a small group in marketing, or outsourced to a PR agency. The ‘Social Enterprise’ is a concept that leverages the full scale of any company, to build trusted relationships that benefit each function, division, business unit, and geography.” Alan Lepofsky, Constellation Research: “Changing to ‘social’ just for the sake of it is a losing strategy. You need to have a plan that maps the right tools as solutions to specific problems. No one tool is going to solve everything.” Anthony Leaper, SAP: “By using the label ‘social enterprise’, are we in danger of focusing on it in isolation of the bigger picture, thus potentially diminishing its value? After all, social + nothing = 0. We can all be ‘Social’!” Join us for The Rise of the Social Enterprise: What’s Up?

Today’s buzz: Customer engagement. The changing digital landscape is challenging your ability to connect with customers and theirs to connect with you. Have you figured out yet how to become the digital brand they really want you to be? The experts speak. Becky Carroll, PwC: “Companies are becoming big and slow and losing their agility; it is time to become big and fast if one is to keep up with the rapidly changing competitive market - and customer expectations. Kees Jacobs, Capgemini: “There is a ‘scary digital line’ between adding value to consumers on the one hand and intruding their privacy on the other. In their drive to leverage all kinds of great digital technologies, more and more companies are stepping on ‘digital landmines’ that are exploding in their face.” Dr. Volker Hildebrand, SAP: “Knowing is not enough. We must apply. Willing is not enough. We must do.” (Johann Wolfgang Goethe). Join us for Consumer Engagement: Walking A Fine Digital Line.

Today’s buzz: Real-Time. You want your business to operate in real-time. But have you taken a hard look at what real-time really means for your IT systems, business processes, bottom line? The experts speak. Dave Holloman, IBM: “Computers get better faster than anything else ever. A child's PlayStation today is more powerful than a military supercomputer from 1996.” (Erik Brynjolfsson, MIT Center for Digital Business) Frank Niemann, PAC: “The technological foundation for real-time business operations has been available for some time, but many businesses have not taken advantage of this yet.” Penny Silvia, IBM: “…We can rebuild him. We have the technology … Better than he was before. Better, stronger, faster.” (The Six Million Dollar Man, 1974) Dan Lahl, SAP: “I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity. But I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity.” (Oliver Wendell Holmes) Join us for Real-Time Business: Breakthrough Results.

Today’s buzz: Manufacturing. Manufacturers are pushing automated processes into overdrive to survive in the competitive global marketplace. The resulting systems evolution is creating new types of factory jobs requiring specialized skills. Will labor cede even more jobs to robots? The experts speak. Mike Yost, MESA International: “Twenty years ago, information technologies were holding manufacturers back. Today, manufacturers are still looking to make sense out of the role of modern IT-based solutions.” Bob Parker, IDC: “The manufacturing industry is facing a ‘productivity imperative.’” Jeff Jackson, Deloitte: “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” (Albert Einstein) Chuck Pharris, SAP: “The dominant concern throughout the 20th century was a reconfiguration of our political and social structure. This question has now been usurped by what is the role of technology within it.” Join us for more insights on Manufacturing Trends: Automation in Overdrive.

Today’s buzz: HCM. The top tech trends – social media, analytics, cloud, mobility – are transforming the entire HR function, impacting how businesses of all sizes manage their human capital. Is your company resisting these changes or embracing new best practices for HR success? The experts speak. Paul Khanna, Deloitte: “I was always the greatest when I was fighting for something.” (Muhammad Ali). Kris Dunn, Kinetix: “640K of Memory should be enough for anybody. (Bill Gates, circa 1981) Will Staney, SAP: “’Social recruiting’ has been a buzzword in the recruiting world for quite some time.…When we first started getting into social recruiting, it was overwhelming and time-consuming. All the tools that were piecemeal in the past are now converging, making it easier for recruiters to be social.” Join us for more of their expert insights on HR Tech Update: HCM Evolution.

Today’s buzz: Fraud. In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain of money or valuables, or to damage an individual. With all our sophisticated technology, surely we’re smarter than the bad guys-and-gals who steal money and identities, and cheat companies and the consumer. Are we? The experts speak. Prakash Santhana, Deloitte: “‘All I want for Christmas’: a cybercriminal’s wish list. Yes, even the naughty ones have a list!” Mike Kosonog, Deloitte: “How to counter frauds, fakes, and scams? Be secure, vigilant, resilient.” Vincent Walden, Ernst & Young: “Today’s fraud schemes are not about ‘cooking the books’. It’s about ‘greasing the payments’.” Michael Lortz, SAP: “Are you ready? No matter your industry, size of business, relationship with customers, partners and employees – you are subjected to fraud. It happens every day. It’s either, ‘What has already happened?” or ‘When will it happen?’” Join us for Fakes, Frauds, Scams: Who’s Winning?

Today’s buzz: Getting social. Tell the truth. When it comes to “social status”, is your company a hider or seeker? The experts speak: Michael Miscisin, Ernst & Young: “Social media can no longer be the purview of the summer intern, a small group in marketing, or outsourced to a PR agency. The ‘Social Enterprise’ is a concept that leverages the full scale of any company, to build trusted relationships that benefit each function, division, business unit, and geography.” Alan Lepofsky, Constellation Research: “Changing to ‘social’ just for the sake of it is a losing strategy. You need to have a plan that maps the right tools as solutions to specific problems. No one tool is going to solve everything.” Anthony Leaper, SAP: “By using the label ‘social enterprise’, are we in danger of focusing on it in isolation of the bigger picture, thus potentially diminishing its value? After all, social + nothing = 0. We can all be ‘Social’!” Join us for The Rise of the Social Enterprise: What’s Up?

The buzz: Wake-up, retailers! Today’s shoppers are not loyal to any one channel. They expect to browse, price, purchase, and even return items across multiple platforms and devices. Are you ready? The experts speak: Brian Kilcourse, Retail Systems Research: “The retail industry is at a true ‘reset’ moment, triggered by the rapid adoption of consumer technologies around the globe. It’s no longer about what retailers want to sell, but what consumers want to buy.” Christine B. Whittemore, Simple Marketing Now: “The biggest challenge in retail today is figuring out how to be human across all channels and expressing that in a convincing manner to customers.” Russ Hill, Jr., SAP: “Uncovering customer buying behavior is a matter of survival and a necessary ingredient that is radically changing the way business processes are orchestrated in the retail enterprise. No longer open heart surgery, but a heart transplant.” Join us for more insights on Beyond Channels: Chasing Retail Customer Loyalty.

Today’s buzz: In-memory. Today, your recipe for a truly intelligent business requires a magic ingredient: data. Lots of it. But even if you’ve captured the best and fastest data in the world, you still need the right information culture to make use of it whenever, wherever, however you need it. Good news: Now, in-memory technology allows you to store that information in a flexible, fast-to-access, and affordable way. Ah, can the sweet taste of success be far off? The experts speak: Mike D’Urso, Deloitte: “’Keep it as simple as possible but no simpler’. When it comes to Information Technology, we all enjoy systems that are easy to understand and use.” Holger Mueller, Constellation Research: “In-memory will change enterprise applications as we know them – but it’s no walk in the park.” Timo Elliott, SAP: “The most sophisticated, easiest-to-use pencil in the world won’t turn anybody into Picasso. Same goes with Big Data.” Join us for insights on In-Memory Computing: Making Data Memorable.

Today’s buzz: Millennials. Millennials, aka Gen Y, are the post-Gen X demographic born between the early 1980s–early 2000s. A diverse, well-educated, expressive cohort, they’ve made a unique mark on commerce, work, and social media. According to a Daily Mail 2013 survey, 94% of Millennials would prefer to give up sex than give up their smartphone. How do you market to this burgeoning segment? Hear from these experts: Craig Macdonald, a Managing Director with Accenture Interactive’s Marketing Data Management and Data Monetization Practice, helps the world’s largest advertisers manage their global marketing and media programs. Dr. Paul Marsden, a consumer psychologist, helps brands understand consumers and their emotional needs. He co-founded Brainjuicer, an international brand communications research agency. Madhur Aggarwal, SAP VP Strategy and speaker on the Art & Science of Marketing, was named to the 40 under 40 by Brand Innovators. Join us for Marketing to Millennials: Myth vs Fact.

Today’s buzz: In-memory. Today, your recipe for a truly intelligent business requires a magic ingredient: data. Lots of it. But even if you’ve captured the best and fastest data in the world, you still need the right information culture to make use of it whenever, wherever, however you need it. Good news: Now, in-memory technology allows you to store that information in a flexible, fast-to-access, and affordable way. Ah, can the sweet taste of success be far off? The experts speak: Mike D’Urso, Deloitte: “’Keep it as simple as possible but no simpler’. When it comes to Information Technology, we all enjoy systems that are easy to understand and use.” Holger Mueller, Constellation Research: “In-memory will change enterprise applications as we know them – but it’s no walk in the park.” Timo Elliott, SAP: “The most sophisticated, easiest-to-use pencil in the world won’t turn anybody into Picasso. Same goes with Big Data.” Join us for insights on In-Memory Computing: Making Data Memorable.

Today’s buzz: Millennials. Millennials, aka Gen Y, are the post-Gen X demographic born between the early 1980s–early 2000s. A diverse, well-educated, expressive cohort, they’ve made a unique mark on commerce, work, and social media. According to a Daily Mail 2013 survey, 94% of Millennials would prefer to give up sex than give up their smartphone. How do you market to this burgeoning segment? Hear from these experts: Craig Macdonald, a Managing Director with Accenture Interactive’s Marketing Data Management and Data Monetization Practice, helps the world’s largest advertisers manage their global marketing and media programs. Dr. Paul Marsden, a consumer psychologist, helps brands understand consumers and their emotional needs. He co-founded Brainjuicer, an international brand communications research agency. Madhur Aggarwal, SAP VP Strategy and speaker on the Art & Science of Marketing, was named to the 40 under 40 by Brand Innovators. Join us for Marketing to Millennials: Myth vs Fact.