Enterprise Connect Expands 2021 Conference Program, Adds Keynotes by Cisco and Amazon Web Services  

SAN FRANCISCO – Enterprise Connect has expanded its conference program, with new keynote presentations from Cisco and AWS added. Enterprise Connect will take place September 27-29 at the Gaylord Palms hotel in Orlando, Florida. Register here.

Eric Krapf, General Manager, Enterprise Connect said, “We’re excited to once again bring corporate IT decision makers together with industry vendors, analysts, consultants, and channel partners in person, to focus on the issues central to enterprise communications. Over three days, our in-depth, expert-led conference program will showcase the latest systems, software, services and applications, and we will also offer abundant opportunities to network and explore industry technology providers.”

Jeetu Patel, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Security and Collaboration, Cisco will present a keynote address on September 27. Patel leverages a diverse set of capabilities to lead the strategy and development for the Security and Collaboration businesses at Cisco and also owns P&L responsibility for this multibillion-dollar portfolio. A member of the company’s Executive Leadership Team, Patel is helping to redefine Cisco’s SaaS business and strategy to further accelerate the company’s transformation and growth. His mission is to build world class, subscription-based products that solve Cisco customers’ biggest problems.

Pasquale DeMaio, General Manager, Amazon Connect will present a keynote address on September 28. With 20 years of experience in delivering world-class b2b and b2c products, DeMaio led the effort to bring to market Amazon Connect, a self-service, cloud-based contact center based on the same technology used by Amazon customer service associates around the world to power millions of customer conversations. Prior to Amazon Connect, DeMaio worked on machine learning, augmented reality, maps and mobile. His specialties include customer experience, user experience and technology innovation.

Enterprise Connect General Sessions 

The Future of Communications Technology: Keeping Your Enterprise Ahead of The Curve 

Communications technology has always been business-critical. Now it’s the foundation of the enterprise’s ability to keep employees engaged and support the cross-company collaboration that leads to competitive advantage. Enterprise IT and communications decision-makers must think strategically about the business, while still understanding the technology deeply enough to make the right choices amid a highly competitive, constantly transforming industry landscape. Beth Schultz, Program Co-Chair; Editor, Enterprise Connect and No Jitter, and Jim Burton, founder & CEO of C-T Link and co-founder BCStrategies will moderate this session among thought leaders from vendors that are driving that transformation.

Women in Communications: Roundtable & Reception: Enterprise Connect is committed to giving voice to the women in enterprise IT who are guiding their organizations on communications and collaboration technologies and strategy. Schultz will moderate a roundtable discussion among women IT professionals who have carved out a place for themselves in a traditionally male field. The panelists will share career highlights, discuss the opportunities they see ahead for women in IT and provide guidance for others looking to equalize their footing and elevate their presence within IT. Following the roundtable, Schultz will share details around the 2022 Spotlight Award program, which recognizes exceptional Women in Communications leaders and role models.

Enterprise Summit: Preparing for What’s Next 

Many enterprises have found they need to rethink the very nature of the workplace, looking to technologies and policies that enable a hybrid model of in-office and at-home work. Meanwhile, end users are placing a premium on the experience provided by their communications and collaboration tools. And the onus for getting it all right, for employees and the business alike, rests on enterprise communications and collaboration professionals’ shoulders. In this session moderated by Schultz, enterprise IT decision makers including Martin Kastner, Chief Information Security Officer, Vyaire Medical and Craig Terranova, Director, Infrastructure & Operations, Oldcastle, will share stories and strategies to help attendees put their choices into perspective.

Contact Centers & CX: Blurring the Line Between Automation and Live Assistance 

With the first generation of self-service, the IVR, it was simple to tell the difference between machine and human assistance. But the smartphone has changed everything. More and more customer interactions are completed via digital self-service channels – increasingly supported by AI-driven voice and chat bots. However, this technology is also able to help with internal contact center processes, as AI-enabled systems “listen” to customers and guide live agents through ever more complex transactions. In this session, led by contact center guru Sheila McGee-Smith and Schultz, a panel of top contact center industry executives will discuss how speech and machine learning technologies are already changing the level of automation being deployed in contact centers.

The Conference Program will offer more than 40 sessions spanning eight tracks that encompass critical industry topics including:

• Contact Center and Customer Experience
• Video/AV Collaboration
• Collaboration Platforms
• Practical AI
• Embedded Communications & APIs
• Unified Communications & UCaaS
• Workplace Strategies
• Management, Networks & Security

View the complete conference program here. Media interested in a media pass, email Meryl Franzman at meryl.franzman@informa.com. For additional information on exhibition or sponsorship opportunities, contact Michael Leahy at Michael.Leay@informa.com. Click here for more information or to register to attend Enterprise Connect.

Enterprise Connect is taking steps to ensure attendee, exhibitor and partner safety. Enterprise Connect will adopt parent company Informa’s AllSecure Plan at the event. AllSecure is Informa’s approach to ensuring the highest standards of safety, hygiene, cleanliness and operational effectiveness for all exhibitors, attendees, speakers and press. Learn more about Enterprise Connect’s health and safety plan here.