After a year of absence I’m really looking forward to being able to attend Connect (or ConnectED as it is now called) in Orlando again this year. Based on the sessions schedule I’m convinced it will be another great event. I also look forward to having the honor of being able to speak on two topics – close to my heart – with two great cospeakers:

Together with Sasja Beerendonk I will be speaking on the topic of struggles and challenges in becoming a social business:

BP202 – Beyond Theory: Trials and Tribulations in Becoming a Successful Social Business

There are many theories and ideas around “how to become a social business” but what really does or doesn’t work? We wanted to know, and instead of just going blindly with the theory, we did the opposite and interviewed 32 companies in various stages of their journey to becoming a social business. Not just asking them about the big wins, but also talking about the struggles and small successes that really made the difference for them. Taking these experiences and real life examples of companies the likes of Dutch Railways, DAF, Saxion, Forbo Eurocol and Bavaria, and aligning them to the various theoretically relevant concepts, we were able to come up with some interesting concepts. In this session, we will take you through these concepts and theories and, using the examples provided by the companies, show you how these can help you identify the successes and avoid the pitfalls in becoming a social business

Date and Time: Tue, 27-Jan, 11:15 AM – 12:15 PM
Location: Dolphin – S. Hem 2

For the description and details on this session and other great sessions at ConnectED check out the session preview tool or the blog post Sasja did a few weeks back.

And together with Bill Malchisky I will be doing a Chalk Talk session on privacy:

CHALK403 – Personal Privacy Paradigm

In a world of ubiquitous information access, how does one maintain their privacy and avoid future forward situations that may be hard to extrapolate? People have a right to privacy, but through the combination of lawyers and technology what used to be an easy paperwork process can introduce significant gray areas with overreaching background check releases and agreements that can be unwise to sign as is. Additionally, customers need to protect their information, regulated data, and trade secrets, all while ensuring outside vendors can do their job even when working through multiple layers of contracting organizations. This BOF discusses trends in privacy protection and degradation while providing tips you can use to help you with that next gig while also protecting yourself, your family, or your company. Please bring your privacy challenges as Femke and Bill provide insight while fostering what should be a lively group discussion. See you at the Swan.

For more details and to register check out the IBM Connected website. Hope to see you there!