Gartner conference in Dubai scrutinises the future of technology
Deliberations feature CIOs and IT experts
Dubai is hosting one of the most anticipated events for technology leaders: the Gartner CIO & IT Executive Conference. The conference, November 19-21, 2024, brings together hundreds of CIOs, IT professionals, and Gartner experts, offering attendees a unique opportunity to connect with some of the world’s leading technology providers and innovators.
Focusing on transformative IT strategies, the event at Grand Hyatt Dubai promises to deliver cutting-edge insights and practical guidance across 17 critical topics for today’s IT leaders.
The conference will explore how organisations can adapt and thrive in an increasingly volatile global environment. With economic uncertainties and rapid technological advancements, the pressure on CIOs to innovate and drive efficiency has never been higher.
A central theme at the 2024 conference will be the development of technology strategies that are resilient and flexible enough to meet the challenges of a fast-evolving landscape. This theme is essential and urgent in today’s rapidly changing technological environment.
CIOs and IT leaders will have the chance to immerse themselves in a comprehensive programme designed to address their most pressing concerns. The conference agenda covers various issues critical to business transformation, from accelerating digital change and modernising applications to optimising cloud infrastructure and operations.
Each session is tailored to equip attendees with the tools and insights to navigate today’s complex IT environment and make data-driven decisions to shape their organisations’ future. The content is theoretical and highly practical, ensuring attendees can immediately apply what they learn to their roles.
Dedicated tracks
The event’s agenda is carefully crafted to cater to the unique needs of CIOs, with dedicated tracks focused on emerging technologies, leadership development, and risk management.
One such track, ‘Evolving CIO Leadership and Skills to Drive Digital Business Transformation,’ will empower executives to embrace their role as leaders in a rapidly changing digital landscape. Attendees will gain invaluable techniques for leading transformation efforts and aligning technology with business objectives, creating more excellent organisational value.
Another key focus at the conference will be artificial intelligence (AI) and its transformative potential. The ‘CIO Guide to AI, Emerging Technologies and Innovation track will delve into the accelerating pace of technological disruption primarily driven by AI. Experts will offer insights into how AI reshapes enterprise software, advising CIOs to leverage these technologies to foster innovation and achieve strategic growth.
The conference will address critical risk management issues in addition to AI. With emerging technologies like generative AI (GenAI) posing new security challenges, the ‘CIO Strategies to Drive Business Value with Risk Management’ track will provide strategies for mitigating risk, fostering resilience, and creating secure technology environments. This track will be particularly relevant for IT leaders seeking to build robust cybersecurity models that effectively manage and distribute decision-making across their organisations.
The conference will also feature discussions on intelligent applications and user experience. As organisations continue to modernise legacy systems, the ‘Future of Intelligent Applications’ track will explore how new platforms, low-code/no-code solutions, and Agile methodologies are reshaping software development. Experts will guide how to build the future of IT through accelerated engineering practices and next-generation technologies like AI and GenAI. This track will delve into specific case studies and best practices, providing attendees with actionable insights.
Infrastructure and cloud optimisation will also be key topics, with the ‘Building the Digital Foundation’ track focusing on managing and optimising cloud, edge computing, and multi-cloud environments. These are vital for companies aiming to achieve extreme agility and create autonomous, anywhere operations that can adapt to the challenges of a global marketplace.
The conference will further highlight the growing importance of data and analytics. In the ‘Strategies to Drive Business Value from Data and Technology’ track, attendees will learn how to build a robust data foundation that supports AI-driven decision-making. Key discussions will include fostering a data-centric culture, improving data governance, and ensuring privacy and security—critical aspects as data continues to be a key driver of business success.
In addition to the in-depth discussions and expert-led sessions, the conference will feature Gartner’s latest IT research, providing attendees exclusive access to valuable insights and predictions.
Gartner’s projections
According to Gartner’s projections, by 2026, more than a quarter of Fortune 500 Chief Data and Analytics Officers (CDAOs) will be responsible for top-earning products based on data and analytics.
Additionally, by 2027, using GenAI tools to explain and replace legacy business applications is expected to reduce modernisation costs by as much as 70%. By 2028, IT services are predicted to be powered by a combination of GenAI, hyper-automation, and the metaverse, fundamentally altering the landscape of IT service provision.
With the increasing threat of misinformation and cyber risks, Gartner also forecasts that by 2028, enterprise spending on combating misinformation will exceed $30 billion, consuming a significant portion of marketing and cybersecurity budgets. This forecast highlights the urgent need for IT leaders to develop resilient strategies to navigate this complex and multifaceted threat landscape.
Featured image: AI and its transformative potential will be a key focus at the Gartner CIO & IT Executive Conference. Credit: Darlene Alderson
