Closing Out Interop

The short Day 3 at Interop featured sessions sponsored by InformationWeek Analytics. The first session focused on trends in mobility and mobile security. The stance on mobility was consistent with other sessions throughout the week: more mobile devices are coming, and employees will continue to bring these devices into the workplace. One of the concepts presented was similar to a concept from the cloud security session: individual security is a good starting point for corporate security. Another concept was that of using Mobile Device Management (MDM) vendors, since these vendors are specializing in methodology and technology for this new field.

A session on IPv6 followed, laying out the reasons that IPv6 has come into being and walking through the logistics of a transition to IPv6 addressing. Although some of these logistics are very helpful for a firm going through an IPv6 transition, the panelists did not specifically address the steps a company might go through to determine the timing of a transition. All companies will have different IP addressing needs and different levels of urgency for transitioning. Since an IPv6 transition is an infrastructure issue, it does not have an ROI attached and must happen in line with business objectives. Education and assistance on the timing of an IPv6 transition will be as important as the specifics of making that transition.

The final session covered the consumerization of IT, and there was actually a fair amount of material directly repeated from the morning session. The unique takeaway from this session was that IT needed to engage other business executives in dealing with the issue of consumerization. This is actually a theme that could be applied to other areas as well. The decisions that must be made for cloud, security, mobility, IPv6, and other areas cannot be made solely by IT because the effects are felt across the organization.

With Interop ending, the real challenge begins. Those that attended Interop (and those that followed the news online) must take the excitement and innovation from the conference back into the workplace. The IT industry is in a period of dramatic change; new technologies and new business models bring the chance for new approaches to corporate concerns. By leading these discussions, IT can be a key part of enabling business results and growth.