North Louisiana
TECHBY20 Symposium

Plenary Session: Mapping the North Louisiana Technology Ecosystem & Learning How We Got Here

Breakout Sessions

Breakout 1: Does our Tech Ecosystem have a Talent Problem or a Communication Problem?

In response to the 2019 North Louisiana CIO / CTO Roundtable meeting, we have found that communication around finding/retaining talent is one the core issues of our ecosystem. In this session, we will briefly revisit those concerns and attendees will discuss possible solutions to bridge this communication gap in our industry

Breakout 2: Understanding the Difference Between IT and Cybersecurity

For decades, IT Professionals were the first and last line of defense for small and mid-size businesses when it came to securing their data. Learn why this paradigm is changing dramatically, and how a partnership between dedicated cybersecurity firms and managed services providers creates a balanced solution to IT and cybersecurity risk management.

Breakout 3:What’s New in the Cloud and How Amazon and the State of Louisiana are Partnering to Help Your Business Prepare for It

AWS Educate is Amazon’s global initiative to provide students and educators with the resources needed to accelerate cloud-related learning. These resources include access to the AWS console, instructional content, learning paths to expose students to the top careers in cloud and a job board to connect students and employers.
In partnership with AWS, Louisiana Community and Technical College System institutions launched a new cloud computing degree program developed with short-term, high value certificates marking an exciting first step to bring cloud computing education throughout the state.

Lunch & Keynote Presentation with Panel Discussion Topic: Igniting Diversity with Strategic Partnerships

Keynote Speaker and Panel Facilitator: David Elcock, Executive Director, International Consortium of Minority Cybersecurity Professionals

Breakout Sessions

Breakout 1: Targeting Federal R&D Dollars Can Grow Your Company and Our Regional Economy: Learn From Recent DoD SBIR Award Winners

Breakout 2: IoE vs. IoT: Strategy, Value, Implementation Tactics & Knowing Which is Which

Since 2015, the Internet of Everything (IoE) has been tracked by Gartner as one of the fastest growth areas in modern business technology. Not to be confused with its older cousin the Internet of Things (IoT), IoE has a much broader application and implication for businesses as the use of the internet itself is the central control mechanism for success. This presentation will cover the pillars of IoE, definitions, applications and the future of this concept as we are on the threshold of 2020.

Breakout 3: Funding Tools for Improving Your Technology Capacity

If technology is a driving factor in how you see your organization’s growth in the coming years, this session is for you. During the “Funding Tools for Improving Your Technology Capacity” you will hear how organizations are leveraging grants to move forward with their project where technology is a necessary facet. This session will focus on funding for School Districts, Higher Education, and State and Local Government organizations. We will evaluate the current and future grant landscape, review best in class projects, and provide you insights about how technology is supporting programmatic drivers in grant funded projects.

Breakout Sessions

Breakout 1: Building a Customized IT Talent Pipeline

Building relationships with education and training providers in North Louisiana can deliver a consistent pipeline of talent and create opportunities to influence the curriculum and embedded certifications. Learn how GDIT has done this, and other examples from around the state.

Breakout 2: Why Digital Engagement Strategies Should Be Part of Your Customer Experience

Customer experience and contact centers are at an inflection point from a technology evolution perspective. The goal for this session is to help demystify the evolution of modern day customer experience leveraging digital media channels, SMS, ChatBots, Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing (NLP) and such other advancements. You’ll also learn why customer experience is critical to your business with the rapidly changing consumer landscape.

Breakout 3: Using Your Tech Super Powers for Great Good

In this breakout, you’ll learn about the technological needs of the City of Shreveport, how the current administration plans to effectuate a Smart City, and how your tech super powers could make a massive impact for generations to come. Plan on walking away from this session armed with a list of things you can do to change the city for the better.

Power Hour Networking Mixer Sponsored by Transformyx