Data Center Workshop

Tour of CenturyLink's Sterling, Virginia data center*

*Registration for tour pending TIA approval.

Transportation from TIA’s headquarters will be provided, in addition to box lunches, for the ride to CenturyLink’s Technology Solutions data center. Please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to departure and be sure to carry a government-issued photo ID. Buses will leave promptly at 12 noon.

Networking Reception

TIA Headquarters & Conference Center, Arlington VA

Registration & Breakfast

Opening Remarks by TIA Staff

The New Economics of Data: How Capital, Control and Speed to Market Are Redefining IT Strategy

Steve Gunderson, Principal, Vice President of Sales, Transitional Data Services

Jonathan King, Vice President, Cloud Strategy and Business Development, CenturyLink Technology Solutions

Jim Weber, Director Network and Data Center Operations, Neustar

Tim McCrosson, Leader of the Agency Oversight and Implementation Team, Office of E-Government and IT
U.S. Office of Management and Budget

Moderator:  Jim Leach, Vice President Marketing, RagingWire Data Centers

Enterprises today rely heavily on IT systems to both deliver services and value to customers, as well as maintain business operations. But as more companies transition their workflows and services to IT-based systems, the role of IT departments is becoming increasingly complex. Lacking the right IT strategy, network engineers and application developers may get tied up with maintaining current systems, rather than focusing on growing a company's business by developing new products or services for customers.

The session will address the new economics of running a business in a digital economy and how companies must look to find solutions or partners to meet their computing needs without losing sight of their core business. Topics include:

• Best practices to IT strategy: IaaS, CoLo, or DIY?
• Calculating TCO: Connecting the CIO with the CFO when defining an IT Strategy

Break

Architecture & Cabling for Beyond-100G in the Data Center

Brad Booth, Principal Engineer, Microsoft

John D'Ambrosia, Chief Ethernet Evangelist, Distinguished Engineer, Dell

Steve Cheng, Senior Staff Network Architect, Google

Patrick Van Vickle, Senior Manager, Product Design and Engineering, Sumitomo Electric Lightwave

Scott Miles, Director, Product Line Management - Core Switching, Juniper Networks

Moderator: Lisa Huff, Principal Analyst, Discerning Analytics, LLC

HD telepresence, telemedicine, Ultra-High Definition (4K) on-demand streaming all need one thing: big ol' fat data connection pipes that can meet the capacity and low latency needed for such applications. But how are ISPs, MSOs, and enterprises going to meet such connection requirements when current cloud computing, Internet-enabled mobile devices, and consumers' increasing appetite for media-rich social media and entertainment services are already congesting today's network infrastructure?

This session will address the latest in data center cabling, switch virtualization, and data center interconnect, as well as how 100/400G is the new 40/100G and what this new-found capacity means for software-based virtualized switching. Topics to include:

• Transitioning from Multi-Mode to Single-Mode
• What 400G Could Mean for Top-of-Rack and End-of-Rack Architecture
• New Thinking on 25/50G within Hyper-Scale Data Centers

Lunch and Networking

What You Should Know About Cross-Border Data Flows

Gregory N. Hicks, State Department Visiting Fellow, Office of the President, Center for Strategic and International Studies

Jonathan King, Vice President, Cloud Strategy and Business Development, CenturyLink Technology Solutions

Adam C. Schlosser, Director, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Center for Global Regulatory Cooperation

Christopher Wolf, Partner, Hogan Lovells US LLP

Ted Dean, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Services, U.S. Department of Commerce

Moderator: Eric Holloway, Director, International & Government Affairs, Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA)

For roughly 30 years, commercial Internet traffic has grown in importance in an increasingly globalized economy, but as almost every facet of government, commercial, and individual life becomes increasingly digitized within an all-IP world, new regulations and policies are emerging that could balkanize the Internet and reduce the many benefits of its open architecture.

This session will give attendees an overview of the challenges and solutions to cross-border data flows, including EU-US Safe Harbor and ongoing efforts under current trade agreement negotiations, in addition to other efforts to provide for regulatory compatibility. Topics to include:

• Current, practical solutions to regulatory compatibility for cross-border data flows that are administered by the Department of Commerce (e.g. U.S.-EU Safe Harbor and APEC Cross-Border Privacy Rules).
• The regulatory challenges in other countries that can restrict the ability of data centers to send data from one legal jurisdiction to another (i.e. cross-border data flows).
• Future policy solutions through the use of trade agreements being negotiated by the U.S. and other countries (e.g. T-TIP and TPP).

Cybersecurity in the Data Center: Developing Partners and Practices to Keep Your Data Secure

Adam Boone, Chief Marketing Officer, Certes Networks

Ian Kelly, Senior Engineer, Google

Steve Orrin, Chief Technologist, Intel's Federal Division

John Pescatore, Director of Emerging Security Trends, SANS Institute

Daniel Walsh, Consulting Engineer, Red Hat

Moderator: Darrell Tanno, Principal, Solutions Reservoir

Whatever your IT strategy, whether it be CoLo, Public, Private or Hybrid, cybersecurity is a very real problem for every corporation and government agency. According to the Department of Homeland Security Computer Emergency Readiness Team, or US-CERT, in 2007 there were a reported 12,000 cyber incidents, or violations of an organization's security policy. In 2012, the Government Accountability Office reported that the number of violations had quadrupled. This compounding trend indicates that this year alone may see as many as 75,000 reported cyber incidents.

Explore the implications of such threats on IT strategies, what ISPs, data center and cloud service providers are doing to mitigate risks and maintain the security of their clients' data, and what clients need to be aware of when negotiating their SLAs with providers in the event of cyber incidents, natural disasters, or disruption in service. Topics include

• The challenges to data encryption in distributed computing
• Developing applications within containment
• Next-generation firewalls & developing security in the cloud

Break

Preparing the Workforce for Tomorrow's Networking Needs

Rick Madan, Executive Director, Network, TEK Systems

Caroline Meek, Account Manager, TEK Systems

Tim Siebes, Director, Telecommunications, TEK Systems

Tony Whitlock, Regional Director of Network Services , TEK Systems

Virtualization of the data center is significantly changing the status quo of data center administration and application development operations. Roles, workflows and skill sets must adapt to the open-endedness of the software defined data center. From silo'd computing, network infrastructure and storage roles to the merging of these roles, we have entered the era of the data center architect. The role requires looking at the operation holistically and uniting those with specific expertise in the server, network, storage, security, and application development arenas.

However, a knowledge gap and talent shortage exists today across all roles from network administrators to engineers to business services and application developers. Employees and organizations able to bridge the gap will be well positioned for the disruption and innovations still to come.  Session topics to include:

• Talent Market Analysis: Recruiting challenges at the national, regional and local levels
• Supply and demand schedules for recruiting and resource planning as well as talent retention
• The importance of merging technical skills with soft skills to fulfill the development of user applications

Reception