Interop 2016: It's All About The Network

Registration for a whole new Interop opens today. In what we're calling "Interop 2.0," attendees can expect a world of new experiences at Interop Las Vegas 2016.

2016 marks the 30^th anniversary of the conference, so the Interop team took a step back this summer to envision what the future should be, with ideas fueled by attendee and sponsor feedback. The IT industry is changing at an unprecedented rate, and we wanted to embrace and celebrate that change.

The result is the next evolution of Interop, reimagined around the future of the network and the people who run it. May 2 through 6, 2016, will be a week dedicated to celebrating the network and its potential in helping all of us do business.

As always, Interop's conference program will provide excellent practical information and technical skills training. In 2016, it will also include strategic thinking that will help attendees shepherd their companies to the next generation of industry -- one that relies on robust network and IT architecture at its core. 

In addition, Interop will showcase the amazing results achieved by technology in action. Seeing is believing; Interop Las Vegas 2016 will feature more hands-on demonstrations and training than ever, involving real-world examples to fuel your imagination.

What's new for 2016?

The InteropNet Demo Lab: For 30 years, the InteropNet has been the manifestation of our interoperability goal. By bringing together competitors and friendlies, infrastructure and services, and pushing the envelope on technology, we have provided connectivity to the entire Interop community during every Las Vegas event. 

In 2016, InteropNet will be used to showcase the applications and technologies that run on top of the network. The InteropNet Demo Lab will be front and center on the expo floor, demonstrating IoT capabilities and innovative applications running on core infrastructure. The Demo Lab will be an environment where attendees can see the industry come to life and experience new systems, services and applications in real time. Think future city, IKEA show room, and technology petting zoo rolled up into one.

One and two-day summits: IT professionals can no longer work in isolation in NOCs, data centers, and server rooms. They are instrumental in developing and implementing the strategies and solutions behind today's successful businesses, making new things possible through the power of technology. In workshops and conference sessions, attendees will get practical training and tips to help them excel at everyday IT operations, along with lessons on transforming the business with technology. 

Through our new Interop Summits, attendees will get even more insight into developing technologies, learn about their potential, and discuss how to implement them to drive their own organizations forward. The 2016 Summit program includes The Future of Networking Summit, Container Summit, Dark Reading’s Cyber Security Summit, DevOps Summit, Software-Defined Architecture Summit and the IT Leadership Summit. The Summits take place on Monday and Tuesday, May 2 and 3, kick-starting a week of continuous professional development.

Experiential Exhibit Floor: (Say that 3 times quickly!) The Interop exhibit floor is where it all comes together. It will include the InteropNet Demo Lab mentioned above, along with Technology Zones, the InformationWeek News Desk, Startup City, Best of Interop announcements, and hands-on demonstrations in the Interop Theater.

Our new Technology Zones are focused exhibit areas organized by crucial technologies and solutions that top the list for technology buyers: security, cloud, and storage. Each zone will feature free content where expo attendees can take advantage of education provided by our vendor community.

Interop is a mix of the practical and visionary. Along with emphasizing the importance of innovation in the conference sessions, we will highlight our Startup City participants on the expo floor, in show floor theater sessions and Startup Hot Seat programs. Interop is a level playing field, where both new and established vendors can experience the limelight.  

What would you like to see at Interop? Let us know in the comment section.