OK, So let’s get started on our IT journey…
As I mentioned in my last post, I was fortunate enough to get out and attend some conferences across the country this summer. The most recent of which was the CompTIA Breakaway event in Washington DC the first week of August. For those who aren’t familiar with CompTIA (www.comptia.org), they are the national IT trade organization and a valuable resource for IT R&D, trend tracking, education and partner building.
Click The Picture For a Slideshow
Every year CompTIA puts together a large week long event they call Breakaway. This years event brought more than 1,200 IT organizations together with the goal of allowing IT solution providers (like me), VARs, Vendors, and anyone in the IT channel to come together to share knowledge and information. It’s a great place to network with your peers, hear about the latest trends in IT from top industry leaders such as Microsoft, Cisco and Motorola and meet the vendors who offer those solutions face to face.
To kick off the event Todd Thibodeaux, President and CEO of CompTia gave a state of the IT industry report. I am happy to report that the IT industry growth is still very strong even in the midst of a weak national economy. CompTia also reporting an estimated 450,000 unfilled IT positions available across the US on any given day. Meaning the need for a skilled workforce in the IT industry will remain high for the foreseeable future.
Hot Topics: Cloud Computing and Healthcare IT (HIT)
The two hot topics at this year’s Breakaway were Cloud Computing and Healthcare IT (HIT). I had the opportunity to listen to one of the industry’s top leaders in cloud computing – Dave Sobel, CEO of Evolve Technologies. I came away with some great information that I can’t wait to share with you (the readers) as well as my existing and future clients. I also attended the Healthcare Tech Summit hosted by CompTIA. The keynote was given by Dr. Carolyn M. Clancy, Director, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and she had some great insights into what drives the adoption of (or lack of) technology in the medical arena. For a nice one page snapshot of the Healthcare Tech Summit, please click here.
What Drives Behavioral Change?
My personal favorite keynote address of the event was given by Peter Sheahan, Founder and CEO of ChangeLabs. He’s a very dynamic speaker and had some great insights into what drives behavioral change and the influencers of “next big thing”. His latest book “Making It Happen” is great. I am currently reading it, and I would recommend that you add it to your reading list as well.
Future Topics To Look Forward To…
In the coming weeks on this blog, I’m going to delve deeper into both the topics of Cloud Services and Healthcare IT. In the category of Cloud Services, some of the topics we’re going to explore include: What is the Cloud, Is it Safe for Business Applications, and How Can my Business Take Advantage of the Cloud. On the HIT front, we’re going to be exploring the topics like: Criteria for Selecting an EMR Solution, Current Legislation Driving the Adoption of EMR, The Transition to ICD10, and How Can I Find the Right Technology Partner for My Practice just to name a few. I hope to try and share what I’ve learned and help you make some sense of the ever changing world of technology.
If you have any specific questions about any topics discussed here, please comment or email me directly.
