Article taken from the Dayton Daily News: http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/business/it-conference-addresses-tech-trends/nS2M6/

Posted: 10:01 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012

Rapidly changing technologies present a constant challenge for information technology professionals, who must keep up with innovations such as cloud computing and mobile devices that promise the newest solutions to businesses’ needs.

Technology First’s sixth annual “Taste of IT” conference Wednesday at Sinclair Community College’s Ponitz Center is a forum for area business IT professionals to discuss the latest technology trends.

The conference brings together noted speakers, local companies and national providers for “an immersive day of learning and networking” about today’s hottest IT technologies and business challenges, said Paul Moorman, IT strategist for NewPage Corp. and a past board chair for Technology First, a regional IT industry trade association.

“As technologies explode and options abound, building the better IT team will be the key differentiating factor between tomorrow’s successful company and those left behind,” Moorman said.

Steve Hangen, WinWholesale’s chief information officer and vice president, said one of the conference’s major benefits is the “networking opportunities that surface around discussing technology experiences with other local attendees that assist in decision making and optimized utilization.” Hangen is Technology First’s current board chair.

Information technology and advanced data management is one of the Dayton region’s key industries, accounting last year for more than 23,000 area jobs with total average earnings of $73,559, according to the Dayton Development Coalition.

This year’s Taste of IT event features keynote addresses by representatives from GE Aviation, Google and Dayton-based Lighthouse Technologies.

GE Aviation has the financial and human resources to pilot new technologies, and makes purchasing decisions on a much larger scale than most companies, said Ann Gallaher, Technology First’s chief operating officer.

The presentation by the company’s Chief Technology Officer Greg Hasselbeck and Chief Information Officer David Burns will give local businesses “insight into how GE Aviation made the decision to move in a new direction, what they discovered, and what they might do differently next time,” Gallaher said.

Google Sales Engineer Matthew DeLacey will discuss the company’s Google Enterprise business products suite, which could provide an alternative solution” to Microsoft Office, Gallaher said.

ESPN college basketball analyst and former college basketball coach Mark Adams, who in August was named Lighthouse Technologies’ executive vice president of sales and marketing, will take IT professionals through his “Wolf Pack” strategy on building highly effective teams.

Industry experts also will address such topics as mobile devices in the workplace; integrating social, mobile and cloud technologies; computer forensics; and leveraging large amounts of data to learn more about your customers and grow revenues.

“The presentations and exhibit hall provide a one-stop resource to not only learn about new technologies but about suppliers that can help answer their burning questions,” Gallaher said.

Article taken from the Dayton Daily News: http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/business/it-conference-addresses-tech-trends/nS2M6/