Efm Events

David Robinson
CIO
Lockton Companies

The classic line from the Matrix as Morpheus must teach Neo that the world he sees is not real. So what about your world? Do the challenges and barriers you perceive really exist - or can you learn to move freely around them. This discussion will challenge that what you see and believe and open your thoughts to new realities. What you decide and how you act from this new perspective will shape your future the way you want it to be.

Cindy Hewett
Product Manager of Reporting Solutions
CDS Global

CDS Global was facing competitive pressure related to their reporting technology. In addition to making reports available via the Internet, CDS Global also needed to provide robust reporting solutions to a client base with less time and resources available for data analysis. CDS Global will discuss the problem, how it is being solved, and customer reaction.

Roger Mellman
Sr. IT Engineer
Kingland Systems

There are many ways to measure how efficiently you are using your storage capacity. Cost per raw TB, per usable TB, percent allocated, active vs inactive, structured vs unstructured are some common ways to look at storage capacity. Is the way you "use" your storage capacity on auto-pilot? Do you wonder if there are any wasted resources yet you keep buying more? What about the data itself -- do you have any idea what percentage of your total capacity footprint is actually active and "in-use?” Would you be shocked if that number was 20% or lower? If you are purchasing physical capacity on a regular basis, does that growth rate concern you? There are many reasons why most IT environments would be considered "inefficient" when it comes to storage resources. This session is going to discuss what capacity efficiency problems exist today and what can be done to improve them.

Wayne Bowker
CIO
Des Moines University

Gary Mullen
IT Director
Madison County Memorial Hospital

Many IT organizations have virtualized the data center and now are looking to apply the same concepts to the desktop. Many organizations are exploring desktop virtualization and are making it part of their Windows 7 migration strategy. Few IT organizations have deployed a proof of concept and even fewer have seen the technology live, but most are excited about the technology as they understand the vast benefits and cost savings achieved from server virtualization.

In this session, Gary will discuss the benefits of desktop virtualization, the hardware and software components required for a successful implementation and how IT organizations can build the business case to gain executive support. There will also be a live demo of desktop virtualization so attendees can see the technology first hand.

Vicki Chia
Manager of Technical Support
Iowa Network Services

Chris Williams
Manager of Internet Products
Iowa Network Services

Tony Mumm
Manager of Product Development
Iowa Network Services

Iowa Network Services Technical Support center utilizes work-from-home capabilities for a subset of their call center staff. INS Management will discuss how the company, employees, and customers all benefit from this solution They will also share what technologies are used, their vision for the future, and how they believe the remote worker solution will improve their customer service.

Would your CEO characterize your company as an information company?  Does your company see IT as a cost center or a strategic asset?  Do you have the same voice as leaders of other functional units?  Do you shape and enable business strategy, or do you react to it? As leaders of technology organizations, our key challenge can be to find relevance in the world of executive management, operations, and business strategy.  And as a leader, only you can define your relevance.  In this talk we will examine ideas and approaches that make IT executives effective—and keep them that way.

Jean Foshier
IT lead
Iowa Workforce Development

John Lofstedt
Director of Information Technology
Medical Associates Clinic and Health Plans

Medical Associates Clinic and Health Plans was established in 1924 and has been steadily growing over the years since then. Five years ago a concerted effort was put into place to modernize and streamline efforts and expenses related to the business network and IT structure. Over the past five years, we have been able to greatly increase our network redundancy and performance and improve cost and efficiency through the use of convergence technology for data and voice routing. Our project has shown a great deal of success and through our learning, we have begun planning our IT objective for the next five years.

Becky Hamilton
Director of the Information Management Enterprise Services Team
Pioneer Hi-Bred

In this session, Becky Hamilton will discuss Pioneer’s ERP strategy which is a tiered approach for Tier 1 and Tier 2 markets. Pioneer is deploying SAP ECC 6, and Microsoft AX. She will review methodology, approach, and framework for decision-making. The initial Microsoft AX pilot implementation in Australia will also be discussed.

Ryan Wiederstein
CIO
R&R Realty Group

In this session, Ryan Wiederstein, CIO of R&R Realty Group will be discussing the value of bringing fiber to a multi-tenanted building. He will address the trends they identified tenants following, the benefits of fiber to both the property managers and tenants, and the related challenges with connectivity. He will also share how they were able to derive value from the existing infrastructure and mechanical/electrical systems; as well as the infrastructure provided by the customer versus the building owner. Additional discussion will include how fiber can reduce costs, attract and retain tenants, current applications, and the value of fiber.

David Robinson
CIO
Lockton Companies

Tom Fischer
SVP & CIO
GuideOne Mutual Insurance

Lane Arthur
VP & CIO
Pioneer Hi-Bred Intl.

Tina Tendall
CIO
Trinity Logistics

Jim Green
Regional CIO
Catholic Health Initiatives

Lesa Quinn
CIO
Iowa Department of Public Defense