Roundtable: IoT in a Customer-centric World (Toronto)

There’s a lot of talk about the Internet of Things (IoT) these days, but how are companies preparing for it, what are the IoT issues that concern them, and where are they when it comes to putting IoT data to work for the organization? These and several other important questions were discussed at the CIO Master Series Roundtable, IoT in a Customer-centric World, held September 22, 2016 in Toronto, and attended by 15 IT executives from a variety of public- and private-sector organizations in the Greater Toronto Area.

The private session was organized by leading Canadian IT events producer The IT Media Group and moderated by its VP Executive Programs, John Pickett. Sponsor for the roundtable was Salesforce, represented at the table by Chris Makkreel, Head of Solution Engineering.

The conversation delved into such areas as: security concerns related to IoT due to its Internet origins, the unregulated and often unknown intelligence built into many of these devices, and the lack of good security practices on the part of employees, especially millennials; the importance of vendors in moving towards a more mature IoT environment; the information-management challenges posed by the enormous amounts of data generated by IoT devices; and the need for organizations to be front and center on IoT technologies if they are to remain competitive.

The session was clearly one that resonated with the participating executives. “This was one of the liveliest discussions we’ve had at any of our CIO Master Series Roundtables,” said Nasheen Liu, ITMG Managing Partner and VP, Strategy. “Everyone at the table was fully engaged and eager to share their insights and challenges. Every participant rated the session “Excellent” on their feedback forms.”

You can find out more about this engaging topic in the highlight videos below.

Session Highlights Videos

Applying sensor data

How sensor data is being used in IoT and implications for machine to machine interaction.

Security issues

Security and privacy considerations related to data being monitored and gathered.

Competitive Necessity

Discussing IoT as a competitive necessity.

Managing Disruption

How IoT disruption can be managed.

Post session interviews

Chris Makkreel - Enabling IoT value

Chris Makkreel - The IoT imperative

Paul Lewis - IoT security considerations

Paul Lewis - Creating business value with IoT

Nancy Florence - IoT organizational impact

John Comacchio - The art of the possible with IoT

John Comacchio - Using IoT to improve product design

About CIO Master Series roundtables

The IT Media Group’s CIO Master Series is the most successful roundtable program for IT executives in Canada, bringing together scores of senior level peers for thoughtful private discussions around the top issues facing enterprise IT. Based in Toronto, The IT Media Group’s leadership team includes some of the most experienced and well respected technology, media and business professionals in the country.