Series Overview

The second of our web seminars will discuss the technologies that can help deliver a greener IT department and a greener business.

Our expert panel will explore the IT products and services that can limit the environmental footprint of the IT department. We will address issues such as how to select energy efficient IT equipment, how to audit and optimise data centre efficiency, the role that virtualisation, hosted software and thin clients can play in reducing your carbon footprint, and how to develop a greener printing strategy.

The seminar, hosted by IT Week, will also examine how IT can underpin the green transformation of the entire business. The panel will discuss how new desktop management systems can eradicate the problem of PCs being left on overnight, how next-generation video conferencing is limiting the need for corporate travel, and how business intelligence and supply chain management applications can help firms monitor and reduce their carbon emissions.

Meet the speakers

John Madden brings more than a decade of industry experience to Ovum Summit, where he covers professional services and consulting; enterprise services; outsourcing and managed services; offshore outsourcing trends; systems integrators (SIs), including global, midsize and regional SIs; and support services. He also concentrates on trends in the small to medium business (SMB) market. Much of John's coverage focuses on the strategies of the major system and services vendors, including vendors attempts to use services-led solutions selling and business value as a catalyst for the adoption of dynamic computing technology and services. He also focuses on vendors efforts to expand their internal services expertise, and augment their services partnerships and partnership-management techniques. John also charts SMB initiatives, particularly how vendors are expanding and augmenting their efforts to sell to midsize businesses.

John regularly consults with some of the industry's leading server and services vendors, as well as global and regional SIs and outsourcers, as they develop new services around dynamic computing, refine and enhance existing services, and devise effective competitive strategies in an increasingly cut-throat market. John assists vendors as they develop marketing messages and presentations aimed at services customers, potential partners and the press. He has spoken at forums and conferences including ISPCON, and is widely quoted in leading industry and business publications and news outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, InformationWeek, TechTarget.com and CNET News.com.
Prior to joining Ovum Summit, John was a senior writer at PC Week (now eWEEK), where he spearheaded the magazine's coverage of outsourcing and services. He closely followed larger IT service providers such as IBM Global Services and Electronic Data Systems; hosting providers; and systems integrators and consulting firms. John charted the progress of traditional hardware and software vendors, SIs and outsourcers, as they added or expanded their own services divisions.

John earned a bachelor's degree in Journalism from Boston University.

Ian Osborne was appointed project director for the Grid Computing Now! project at Intellect, the UK hi-tech trade association, in February
2005.

Grid Computing Now! is a Knowledge Transfer Network project, funded as part of the DTI Technology Programme, which is aimed at transferring the knowledge and capabilities necessary to demonstrate the value of Grid Technologies in UK public and private sectors. Intellect is leading this project in partnership with the National e-Science Centre in Edinburgh, a world leader in Grid Technologies for e-Science. The leading technology suppliers within the IT industry are also heavily involved in providing leadership and support for the project.

Ian has worked in IT since 1972. He trained as a Computer Programmer at Cornhill Insurance before stints with British Airways and International Computers Limited. In 1979, Ian joined the Hewlett-Packard Company where he was to enjoy a substantial career working in Research & Development, Quality and Marketing at HP locations in the US and UK. He held senior management positions in HP's European Research Laboratories and more recently with its Telecom Systems Business, focused on large distributed monitoring systems for the world's communications service providers. Ian left in October 2003 to establish his own consultancy company, serving the needs of start-up organisations in Scotland. He also established links with Cranfield University's School of Management where he is an Executive Doctoral student. Ian's research interests are in the application of Learning Networks to improving business innovation and he runs an active Innovation Leaders Network for senior managers across industry.

Ian has a Masters Degree in the Management of Technology, a joint degree awarded by the Universities of Sussex and Brighton in 1992. He is a Member of the British Computer Society and a Chartered Information Technology Professional.

Martin Niemer is Senior Product Marketing Manager for EMEA at VMware, driving product-related marketing programs across the region for VMware's products. Prior to joining VMware, Martin worked as worldwide product manager for Neoware, looking after the company's Linux client operating system and remote management solutions. Following that he was Neoware's Technical Director in Central and Eastern Europe, where he was involved in pre and post-sales service. Before working for Neoware, Martin held a number of product management and professional services positions at eSeSIX.