Gartner Data Center Conference: Day One

Social Media: Many IT shops are reluctant to let employees use Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms at work, but Cappuccio argues that embracing social media and proactively establishing codes of conduct for employees is a better option than resisting inevitable change. Younger employees entering the workforce are already using these platforms to communicate with business colleagues, so getting ahead of the trend is a better option than getting run over by it.

Virtualization: Server consolidation is a given, but every IT organization should look to aggressively explore as many virtualization options as possible. However, Cappuccio cautions IT to be careful going past the 75% mark for virtualizated infrastructure.

Staff Training: Keeping trained and valuable employees is a must, and Cappuccio argues that companies that don't invest in training, rewarding, and retaining their best employees will be at a competitive advantage.

Cloud Computing: Undoubtedly the most hyped aspect of IT at the moment, Cappuccio cautioned that many of the most optimistic projections for cloud computing are missing the mark. Cloud computing will have a big impact, but Cappuccio cautions that "we won't be losing our data centers."

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