What a spectacular view we all had of both Manhattan and New Jersey from atop the Deutsche Bank building at 60 Wall St – we all owe Deutsche Bank a big thank you for being such a gracious host. But of course, once we got going the audience only had eyes for the dazzling presenters and the erudite panelists.
The event got off to a robust and slightly provocative start with Adam Devine of WorkFusion comparing financial data to sewage – and the rawest and smelliest of sewage as well! We can forgive him for that analogy as it worked well to describe how filtering is so important in a 21st century data management environment. However the main cut and thrust of Adam’s presentation was how they enable their clients to leverage Crowd Computing so that machines learn how to filter that data more effectively.
Next up was Ganesh Iyer of IPC whose presentation concluded smelling of roses – I just could not resist mixing my metaphors. Ganesh frightened and enlightened us – first the fright of all those regulations both regional and global and then swiftly onto enlightenment with his insights into how connectivity is part of the solution.
This was followed by a vibrant panel discussion ably led and moderated by Paul Rowady of TABB Group. Total Cost of Ownership was the topic of the day and there followed an hour of in-depth discussion. Technology costs are still rising year on year but revenues have not risen in unison hence it does not take a mathematical genius to deduce that a reckoning of some sort is waiting in the wings. However, the panel discussed real solutions, or at least ideas and concepts that could be crafted into solutions in the right hands. I hope you will forgive my teasing point that to glean all the clever ideas that the panel offered, you had to be in that room high above downtown New York City.
I can say the audience was buzzing with conversation as the networking reception stretched to 8:30pm – an hour later than scheduled. All in all an enjoyable event with some very practical and applicable insights shared with those who came.
