Gartner IT IOCS Conference Highlights: Creating More Effective IT I&O Leaders

This year's Gartner IT Infrastructure, Operations & Cloud Strategies Conference was chock-full of sessions to help I&O leaders and team members overcome challenges and pursue opportunities.

Throughout the three-day event, which took place at the Venetian in Las Vegas last week, one word was mentioned over and over (and over and over and over — well, you get the point). That word, of course, was "generative."

And it wasn't just as part of generative AI, although I’m not sure there were any sessions that didn't mention GenAI at least once. In fact, in session on the metaverse ("Building a Digital Future: The Metaverse"), Gartner VP Marty Resnick did his best not to use the term, even asking attendees for an over/under on the number of times he would let it slip into his talk. "I'm kind of curious," he said. "The over/under — we're in Vegas, we need to bet a little bit. I am going to try not to use the words 'generative AI' for the next 30 minutes." The audience set an over/under of 5 and the final tally was just 2, a feat that earned him an ovation. (Resnick did say, by the way, that despite no longer being the shiny new toy thanks to GenAI, "the metaverse is not dead.")

The opening keynote, however, was filled with the word "generative" — but it was used mainly with "transformation" not "AI." The keynote speakers spoke of the need for generative transformation, which to attain, workforces would need a "generative mindset."

Speaking of shiny new things, it wasn't all learning and networking for Gartner attendees — from the conference windows (and from much of the Las Vegas Strip) you couldn't miss the Sphere, a new music and entertainment arena that opened in September. Many of the attendees were lucky enough to see U2 perform inside the Sphere, which boasts a 16K resolution wraparound interior LED screen.

Sphere2

If you weren't able to attend this year's Gartner IT IOCS conference and so missed out on the 178 research-driven sessions and 125 exhibitors, this slideshow will give you a taste of what Gartner believes I&O leaders should focus on in the coming year — and best practices for getting the job done.

The sessions highlighted in this slideshow offer insights into empowering your staff while developing their skills and increasing their productivity, as well as delve into such topics as generative AI, cloud computing, ransomware, hiring, diversity, sustainable tech, and more.