As the Industry Changes, How Will You Keep Up?

November 14, 2024

Written by Eric Krapf, General Manager and Program Co-Chair, Enterprise Connect Publisher

Communications will always be a mission-critical function for enterprise IT. Your end users work more collaboratively than ever before, and even if your executive leadership has hopped on the latest return to office (RTO) bandwagon, end users will continue to work with colleagues and partners in dispersed offices around the country or globe. And of course your customers engage with you digitally and are continually expecting a better experience when they do so.

But so much is changing about how enterprise IT teams deliver communications/collaboration/CX capabilities. How do you keep up?

For Enterprise Connect 2025 next March 17 – 20 in Orlando, FL, we’re focusing on some key areas where change and risk are most prominent—including security, AI, and strategy/management issues for IT leaders. I’m excited to share our latest rollout for this aspect of our program: Half-day training sessions targeting these critical areas.

These sessions will take place Monday, March 17, 8 a.m. – 12 p.m., and we’ve landed some outstanding, vendor-agnostic experts to help you get a grounding in these key issues and take away insights and plans you can use to bolster your organization’s readiness to tackle critical issues.

On cybersecurity, experts from consultancy Data Perceptions will provide a deep dive on fundamental security principles and how IT pros specializing in communications/collaboration can play their part in strengthening the enterprise’s defenses. Among the key areas of focus:

• The Importance of Cybersecurity: Discover why cybersecurity is vital for professionals in communications technology
• The Cybersecurity Triad: Understand the core principles of cybersecurity.
• Cyber Risk Management: Learn the basic principles, best practices, and real-world examples of managing cyber risks.
• Cybersecurity Policies, Standards, and Procedures: Discover the essential rules and guidelines that shape your organization's cybersecurity stance.
• Relevant Cybersecurity Controls: Discover the controls that are crucial for communications technology.
• Top 10 Cybersecurity Practices: Equip yourself with the top practices that will influence your communication technology projects.

When it comes to AI, one thing we heard at our Enterprise Connect AI conference last month was that across the enterprise, many IT pros and end users alike remain uncomfortable and relatively inexperienced with the technology. Considering the importance AI will have to the enterprise going forward, some basic understanding and perspectives on AI seem like a vital part of enhancing and refreshing your IT team’s skill set. So we’ve enlisted Treb Gatte, CEO of consultancy Marquee Insights, whose training will include a participatory Workshop activity, as well as a deep dive that will take the class through the following topics:

• Introduction to AI
• How AI Works
• AI Ethics and Impact
• AI in Your Industry
• AI Applications and Trends
• The Future of AI

Finally, underlining the larger theme of navigating change, I’m delighted to have an experienced trainer, Rae Ann Bruno, president of Business Solutions Training, delivering a class entitled, Leading IT Teams and Customers Through Organizational Change. Back when Unified Communications was a new concept, many IT teams saw the value in applying change management principles to their UC rollouts, to help end users understand the benefits of these newfangled collaboration systems. Now with AI and a new generation of collaboration systems, change management is vital for IT team members as well as end users. Rae Ann will cover key principles for leading change, including:

• Actionable change management strategies: Practical approaches to help IT teams and end users navigate technology transitions with an emphasis on ease of adoption and a better overall experience.
• Reskilling and upskilling insights: Guidance on preparing IT teams and end users for advancements in AI, cloud, and collaboration tools, enhancing team adaptability.
• Strategies for higher adoption and productivity: Techniques to support the adoption of new technologies through streamlined processes and effective procedures.
• Experience Level Agreements (XLAs) as a tool for impact: An introduction to using XLAs to complement traditional SLAs, ensuring that user experience and technology impact are prioritized alongside performance metrics.

The bottom line is that your enterprise communications/collaboration/CX environment is changing, with new kinds of risks around every corner – as well as some important opportunities. At Enterprise Connect, we’re committed to giving you the grounding you need to drive change and take your enterprise to new heights. I hope you can join us in Orlando – and I encourage you to sign up now to get our lowest rates, plus some terrific discounts if you bring a group of 3 or more. See you next March!