Storage Decisions Conference Chicago - June 19 2012

Recognized as the area's best event for storage technology decision-makers

What's your first step in building smart storage systems? Find out at Storage Decisions...

If you’re like most IT shops, there is an abundance of initiatives in your queue -- everything from server virtualization expansion, VDI, cloud computing, big data, infrastructure convergence and data center consolidations. The one thread that ultimately determines success or failure in all of these projects? Storage.

Not only do you worry about keeping your storage infrastructure ahead of the curve … but you also have to account for -- and plan against -- the disruptive projects being pursued in the name of improvement. For any of these initiatives to succeed, you need smart storage (and smart storage managers).

By attending Storage Decisions Chicago on June 11 - 12, 2013, you'll take the first (and most important) step in preparing yourself to address today's rapidly changing IT environment. Engage with over 200 of your storage peers from the Chicago-area, along with the industry’s foremost independent experts, analysts, and several of the top storage vendors to hear timely and relevant advice for meeting your top-of-mind business initiatives.

Submit your application today to secure one of the limited FREE delegate passes!

The 2013 program agenda packs a real punch

Storage Decisions Chicago combines the multi-track content of a full conference with innovative vendor showcases and interactive sessions, resulting in 1½ jam-packed days of expert content and quality networking time. Expect 15+ sessions presented by the best and most knowledgeable experts in the storage field today. Plus hours of networking time and product demonstrations from our sponsors. (Download the agenda)

Now – more than ever – the free, vendor-neutral training we offer at our Storage Decisions events is of critical importance. You and your organization can't afford for you to fall behind - attend Storage Decisions to get field-tested strategies and independent advice for avoiding unforeseen problems, simplifying complex processes, and getting things done faster and under-budget!

Register Today!

Attendance is FREE for qualified storage pros - complete our quick online application to secure your complimentary seat - or contact our Delegate Recruitment Manager Mike Parisi at 617-431-9718.

Follow Storage Decisions online @StorageEvents and #SDChicago13.

Date and location

Tuesday, June 11 - Wednesday, June 12
Westin Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL

Justify your trip

Can't get our of the office? Need to justify your trip to your boss? Download our Justification Letter to convince your boss to let you attend Storage Decisions. Why start from scratch when you can customize this letter, drafted with the help of past attendees

Attending Storage Decisions is like money in your pocket. Your organization wins and you win. With FREE registration, access to today's top independent experts, and reps from 20+ tech vendors - we'll save you time, money and countless headaches. Download the Justification Letter today!

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EXPAND ABOUT STORAGE DECISIONS COLLAPSE

2013 Conference Agenda

Tuesday, June 11
12:00-1:00 PM	Storage Decisions Registration and Refreshments
1:00-1:15 PM	Welcome Address Presented by Rich Castagna, Editorial Director, Storage Media Group
1:15-2:15 PM	Decision Tree: Storage (and Storage Networking) for Virtual Environments Session in detail Presented by: Howard Marks Founder & Chief Scientist DeepStorage.net	What is Big Data and Why You Should Care (Architecting Storage for Big Data Environments) Session in detail Presented by: Ben Woo Managing Director Neuralytix, Inc	Solid-State Storage is Everywhere -- But Where Does it Work Best? Session in detail Presented by: Dennis Martin Founder & President Demartek
2:15-2:25 PM	Move to Breakout Rooms
2:25-3:25 PM	Internal Cloud Toolkit (How you can build a cloud storage service in your data center) Session in detail Presented by: Marc Staimer Founder & CDS Dragon Slayer Consulting	The State of NAS, or How to Cope with File Storage Growth Session in detail Presented by: Phil Goodwin Senior Manager and Principal Architect Cognizant Technologies	Solid-State Technology -- What's New? Session in detail Presented by: Dennis Martin Founder & President Demartek
3:25-3:35 PM	Move to Breakout Rooms
3:35-4:05 PM	DEMO LAB: Issues and Opportunities in Managing the Copy Data Explosion Session in Detail Presented by: Brian Reagan VP Product Strategy & Business Development Actifio	DEMO LAB 2 More info coming soon!	DEMO LAB 3 More info coming soon!
4:05-4:15 PM	Move to Main Ballroom
4:15-5:15 PM Session in detail	Executive Keynote Address Stop Backing Up, But Restore Instantly: How "Non-Backup" Data Protection Methods Are the Future Presented by W. Curtis Preston, Founder, Truth in IT, Inc. & BackupCentral.com Introduction by Rich Castagna, Editorial Director, Storage Media Group
5:15-7:00 PM	Storage Decisions Welcome Cocktail Reception Enjoy free drinks and appetizers as you meet representatives from all of our sponsoring organizations. Get a first-hand look at the latest technologies while interacting with your peers – plus, you can take advantage of terrific giveaways and enter to win great prizes!
5:30-6:30 PM	Ask The Experts Zone A selection of today's expert presenters is available to answer your questions in free one-on-one consultative sessions. Sign up at the ATE Zone board to reserve your appointment. Attendees will walk away with an exclusive Resource Folder from the Experts!

Wednesday, June 12
7:30-8:30 AM	Registration and Welcome Refreshments
8:30-9:45 AM Session in detail	Morning Keynote Address Shark Infested Waters: 10 Ways to Cut Your Storage Costs Now Presented by Jon Toigo, CEO, Toigo Partners International Introduction by Rich Castagna, Editorial Director, Storage Media Group
9:45-10:45 AM	Morning Sponsor Speed Rounds Find out about the latest innovations from three of the leading technology providers in the storage market. Get the inside scoop on how these select sponsors can help you solve your most pressing storage challenges.
10:45-11:15 AM	Refreshment and Networking Break
11:15 AM-12:15 PM	Back to the Future: How LTFS and Other Innovations Are Returning Tape to a Production Storage Role in the Data Center Session in detail Presented by: Jon Toigo CEO & Managing Principal Toigo Partners International	Integrating Cloud Backup Services Session in detail Presented by: Ben Woo Managing Director Neuralytix, Inc.	Alternatives to Traditional Storage Architectures Session in detail Presented by: Phil Goodwin Senior Manager and Principal Architect Cognizant Technologies
12:15-12:25 PM	Move to Breakout Rooms
12:25-1:25 PM	Afternoon Sponsor Showcase Get the inside scoop on the latest and greatest storage products, and learn how top solution providers can help solve your most daunting challenges—all in 10-minute, rapid-fire presentations.
1:25-2:40 PM	Exhibit Hall Lunch
1:30-2:30 PM	Ask The Experts Zone A selection of today's expert presenters is available to answer your questions in free one-on-one consultative sessions. Sign up at the ATE Zone board to reserve your appointment. Attendees will walk away with an exclusive Resource Folder from the Experts!
2:40-2:50 PM	Move to Breakout Rooms
2:50-3:50 PM	Remote & Mobile Backup in a Cloud World Session in Detail Presented by: W. Curtis Preston Founder Truth in IT, Inc & BackupCentral.com	File Share and Sync -- Commercial, Roll Your Own, or Avoid at All Costs? Session in detail Presented by: Marc Staimer Founder & CDS Dragon Slayer Consulting	Converged Systems -- IT in a Box? Session in detail Presented by: Howard Marks Founder & Chief Scientist DeepStorage.net
3:50-4:00 PM	Move to Main Ballroom
4:00-5:00 PM	Second City Open-Mic Session Moderated by Rich Castagna, Storage Media Group Editorial Director Panelists include: Howard Marks, Marc Staimer and Jon Toigo This unscripted, fast-moving, expert Q&A session will provide drill-down, practical advice on key challenges that storage managers face today. Attendees are invited to ask our panelists for specific technical advice having to do with their current or planned projects.

Featured Speakers

	Phil Goodwin	Bio
	Senior Manager and Principal Architect Cognizant Technologies

	Howard Marks	Bio
	Founder and Chief Scientist DeepStorage.net

	Dennis Martin	Bio
	Founder and President Demartek

	W. Curtis Preston	Bio
	Founder Truth in IT, Inc., BackupCentral.com

	Marc Staimer	Bio
	President and CDS Dragon Slayer Consulting

	Jon William Toigo	Bio
	CEO and Managing Principal Toigo Partners International; Chairman, Data Management Institute

	Benjamin S. Woo	Bio
	Managing Director Neuralytix, Inc.

EXPAND AGENDA AND INDEPENDENT SPEAKERS COLLAPSE

Storage Decisions exhibitors and sponsors

Event Sponsor (Click logo for sponsor information)

Platinum Sponsors (Click logo for sponsor information)

Gold Sponsors (Click logo for sponsor information)

Silver Sponsors (Click logo for sponsor information)

5 Reasons to Attend

#1:	Breakout sessions tailored to your level of expertise. While session themes are relevant to virtually all storage managers, you have the opportunity to pursue topics targeted to your specific information needs. You're able to schedule your itinerary specific to your level of expertise and by the topics most pressing to your organization's storage needs.
#2:	An independent viewpoint with vendor-neutral advice. At other conferences, vendor-types deliver thinly veiled sales pitches disguised as content. At Storage Decisions, every speaker is independent - so there is no hidden agendas in the advice they deliver. Attendees get information they can trust that addresses the key issues they face now.
#3:	Network with over 200 peers and learn that you're not alone. It happens to everyone, you spend an inordinate amount of time at work by yourself. Therefore it's easy to feel as if you're the only one facing the problems of the storage world. After attending Storage Decisions, you realize that your're NOT alone. With over 200 attendees gathered under one roof, this proves to be an excellent opportunity to network, trade ideas and forge new relationships.
#4:	No pie in the sky theories or far-flung predictions. Storage Decisions Chicago provides relevant information that you could put to use immediately. Attendees receive specific expertise that streamline their storage infrastructure through SAN planning, bringing their storage network to the next level of "readiness," identify their best targets for storage automaton and ensure they're in line with looming regulatory compliance.
#5:	Ease the pain of buying storage. The process of purchasing storage can be trying - from research to RFP writing to negotiating with sales reps. After your two days at Storage Decisions, the process gets a whole lot simpler. We have over 20 of the top vendors gathered in one convenient place. Attendees make the comparison themselves in minutes by talking to representatives at each booth and learning everything they need to know from a qualified person whose job it is to answer their queries.

Attendee testimonials

"The best thing about Storage Decisions is the vendor neutral sessions –it’s very valuable to separate the vendor hype from facts."
-- Brian LaGoe, Systems Administrator, Eastern Michigan

"This really opened my eyes to a lot of “gotchas” in putting storage architecture together."
-- John Corcoran, IT Manager, Larry Roesch Auto Group

"[Storage Decisions] Gives real-world ideas, use cases and logical solutions."
-- Mike Scheckel, Director of IT, Clark Dietz

"Always refreshing to hear – that's why I attend the SD conference every year!”
-- Ryan VanBeek, IT Director, Lenox Hill Radiology

"The speakers were excellent as usual; provided technical info, tips and best practices as well."
-- Tottie Moncada, Enterprise Lead / DR Engineer, Esurance Inc.

"Good combo of fact, common sense and good ideas." – Sam Leader, Senior Project Manager, Hearst Newspaper

"Extremely enlightening and made me somewhat concerned about our mobile users.”
– Ken Hundrieser, Bureau Chief, Illinois Commerce Commission

"Provokes thought and analysis, pools experiences of group, and reminds the need to think more deeply about our solution.”
– Gary McGlauchlin, Senior Network Support Analyst, Republic Bank of Chicago

“Gives the participants a real world scenario to work with instead of hypothetical.”
– Donna Alt, Technology Specialist, Purdue University

“Peer networking allowed us to discover other challenges in other companies.”
– Tamer Ahmed, Systems Engineer, Allstate Insurance Inc.

EXPAND REASONS TO ATTEND COLLAPSE

FAQs

Hotel and city information

Westin Michigan Avenue (Website)
909 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, Illinois 60611
Directions & Map

Prizes and Giveaways

Attendees can enter the following raffles onsite:

Additional prizes to be announced....

Contact Us

If you have questions regarding enrollment or attendance at this seminar, please contact Mike Parisi, Delegate Recruitment Manager, at 617-431-9718 or mparisi@techtarget.com.

For Sponsorship/Exhibiting Opportunities

Sean Matthews, Sales Director
617-431-9414
smatthews@techtarget.com

For Speaking Opportunities

Maria Gomez, 617-431-9313
mgomez@techtarget.com

Conference Chair

Rich Castagna, 415-281-2913
rcastagna@techtarget.com

For Marketing Opportunities and Partnerships

Rick Nendza, 617-431-9634
rnendza@techtarget.com

Mailing Address

Storage Decisions
c/o TechTarget
275 Grove Street
Newton, MA 02466

EXPAND FAQs, VENUE, CONTACT COLLAPSE

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Designing Storage to Meet Big Data Requirements featuring Benjamin Woo

Integrating Cloud Storage
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Action! Configuring Storage for Media & Entertainment Applications

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