InnoTech Austin

Competitive advantage is defined by a how a business makes money in a unique way. In turn, Business Agility is a tool that can be applied to a company’s business model to accelerate or unlock additional advantages. At the core of that process sits technology, where IT and CIOs play the most critical role. As such, the presentation will focus on the questions:

• What are business models and why do they matter to IT?

• What is Business Agility?
• How can Business Agility unlock new competitive advantages within a business model?
• How does the CIO & His/Her IT Organization play a role in this process?
• What does this say about the role of this new CIO?

As Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms take heat for ill-fated privacy policies and stances on advertising, companies should revisit fundamental social media strategies and tactics. Anvil President & Founder Kent Lewis will outline ten social strategies to help maximize awareness and engagement for 2019 and beyond. This session will cover a mix of new channels, content formats and new ways to leverage social to build thought-leadership, engage customers and prospects alike. From this session, you will learn how to apply evolving techniques like live streaming, podcasting and influencer marketing to create a more compelling social presence.

Every innovation and technology venture began when its founder set out to solve with a very human problem. With the immense pressure to stick to project timelines and constantly solve the numerous small steps on the long road to solving that human problem, it's understandable that the big picture goal can get lost along the way. Staying connected to the "Why" of your work not only keeps you motivated in executing your piece of the puzzle, but gives the venture as a whole the best chance to realize its potential. This presentation will explore how those immersed in the technical and innovation realm can access and leverage the purpose and passion in their work.

Key Takeaways: 

• Why everyone in innovation and technology should value the human side of their work
• How you can access the purpose and passion in your career in tech
• Understanding your company’s story and keeping it present in your day-to-day (the heart of your passion project)
• Ways you can translate your company’s story to connect with and influence your audience

Don’t Buy Tools First!

Google Suites or Microsoft Office 365, are all you need to start your Agile Implementation! Senior Leaders and Staff are told they need to first buy or trial Tools to guide their Agile Implementation.

This is bass-ackwards!

Vendors and consultants drive Agile Implementations. They are paid by the number of seats you buy. Don’t buy into that! Use familiar tools to leverage hyperlinks and collaborations.
Lay out, pilot, and implement Agile processes across at least a couple of teams. Tweak those processes over a couple of projects. Then track how much manual time you are spending, then consider Software Tools.

Today we show how to use your free or low-cost productivity tools at your shop. You can start, pilot, and implement Agile without buying tools.

We’re now cloud and mobile first from infrastructure to applications to devices, but we are still automating bad processes, our IT teams are overburdened, and our staff is concerned about their future job prospects. We’ll discuss how to move off your legacy platforms to free up time to focus on emerging platforms, teach business users how redesign processes that were not possible before, reallocate how IT teams work to focus on the right types of work, and how to develop all levels of IT staff for their next job.

Phillip Seawright will share what worked and didn’t work from in his career across his time in IT at eBay and PayPal, software delivery consulting, and advising CEOs and CIOs for organizations of all sizes.