Interop Preview: Big Data, Cloud, Mobility In Spotlight

Two of enterprise IT's biggest worry-inducers, cloud and mobility, lead the program at the Interop 2012 conference and expo, happening May 6-10 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

"Interop's job is to take this vast amount of innovation and technological change that is happening in the market and distill that down so that our attendees can leave with actionable information," said Interop general manager Jennifer Jessup.

Setting the tone for Interop, which is owned by InformationWeek parent company United Business Media, will be a series of keynotes that address the challenges and opportunities presented by cloud computing, mobility, big data, and other new technologies. "The keynoting companies will have customers on stage, so they're not just talking about their own products and strategies," said Jessup.

[ Can you spot tech's next big thing? Check out 10 Must-See Tech Product Ideas From Startups. ]

Kicking off the keynote sessions on Tuesday is Cisco chief technology officer Padmasree Warrior, who will talk about how the cloud, mobility, and video are enabling new work and collaboration styles. She'll be followed by Zynga CTO Allan Leinwand, who'll provide some insight on how his company uses a hybrid cloud architecture to support millions of users on Farmville, Cityville, and other online games.

For a preview, watch Leinwand's recent interview on our live Web TV show, Valley View, using the video clip below:

At Interop 2012 on Tuesday morning, Avaya senior VP Marc Randall will pose the question, "Application Driven Networking: Practical or Pipe Dream?"Also on the slate Tuesday are Dell networking VP Dario Zamarian and Google Enterprise director Jonathan Rochelle.

Wednesday's keynote session will be led by VMware CTO Steve Herrod, who will talk about "The Software Defined Data Center." He'll be followed by a cloud panel featuring execs from Verizon, NetScout Systems, and Rackspace.

Conference sessions will begin each day following the keynotes. This year's tracks include Cloud Computing, Networking, Wireless and Mobility, Virtualization, Data Center, Storage, Collaboration, Information Security, and IT management. "We've got content for CIOs and those who aspire to be CIOs," said Jessup.

The exhibit hall is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, and from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Thursday.

Beyond show content, Jessup said Interop offers a number of ways through which attendees can collaborate with and learn from each other. The hall floor will be home to a Community Hub, which features a theater where show goers can interact and participate in roundtable sessions with track chairs. "It's a place where people can just hang out on the show floor," said Jessup.

Interop isn't all work. In the evenings there'll be Tweet-ups where attendees can share a drink and discuss the day's content. And Tuesday night is the attendee party at Eye Candy Sound Lounge & Bar in Mandalay Bay.

See the future of business technology at Interop Las Vegas, May 6-10. It's the best place to learn how cloud computing, mobile, video, virtualization, and other key technologies work together to drive business. Register today with priority code CPQCNL07 to get a free Expo Pass or to save 25% on Flex and Conference passes..