2014 PDS Technology Conference: Cutting-Edge Innovations to Help IT Pros Accelerate Performance

MILWAUKEE, WI--(Marketwired - Sep 18, 2014) - New and emerging technologies can help organizations gain efficiency and a competitive advantage, but the increasing complexity of information systems can make it challenging to advance quickly. For an inside edge, IT professionals are invited to attend the 18th annual 2014 PDS Technology Conference, to be held Oct. 22-23, 2014 at the Monona Terrace in Madison, Wis.

Paragon Development Systems (PDS), a leading provider of IT consulting, design, services and implementation, offers this educational event as a complimentary offering to qualified registrants, ranging from CEOs and CIOs to IT directors and engineers. Attendees will represent a wide variety of industries including healthcare, education, manufacturing, financial services and government. This year's conference theme, "Accelerate Together," focuses on helping IT professionals accelerate their business strategy and leadership growth along with their path to maximizing user efficiencies.

"In order to not only survive but thrive in today's changing technology environments, IT professionals need to understand and leverage the monumental shifts that are taking place," said Jonathan Ravdin, M.D., PDS President & CEO. "The 2014 Technology Conference offers educational sessions that will inspire today's tech leaders with innovative new ways to accelerate their organization's performance and provide an opportunity for attendees to share expertise and insights with their peers."

The conference will feature nationally renowned speakers along with general and industry-specific strategy sessions designed to inspire and educate attendees. Keynote speakers include:

• Dr. James Canton, Renowned Global Futurist, Social Scientist, Author and Visionary Business Advisor
• Christopher J. (CJ) Bruno, President, Intel Americas
• John Hinshaw, Executive Vice President of Technology and Operations, Hewlett Packard
• Afterburner, Inc., Fighter Pilot Team
• Donald Driver, Green Bay Packers All-Time Leading Receiver, "Dancing with the Stars" Champion and New York Times Best-Selling Author

Strategy session highlights include:

• Society 3.0: The Future of Work, Skills and Careers in a Technology Driven World, presented by Dr. Tracey Wilen-Daugenti, Renowned Technology Author and Thought Leader
• Anything as a Service: How to Avoid Focusing on the Urgent while Ignoring the Important, presented by Josh Schulman, National Director of Business Development and Strategy at Winthrop Resources
• The Cloud Management Scenario and 24/7 Availability, presented by Donna Scott, Vice President and Distinguished Analyst at Gartner Research
• How to Succeed @ SaaS, presented by Jeff Kaplan, Founder of THINKstrategies & Cloud Computing Expert
• How will the Internet of Things (IoT) Impact Your Operations? presented by Todd Meister, Vice President of the Software and Solutions Innovation Organization at Cisco 
• Protecting Your Business with Backup Solutions, a panel discussion featuring John Byrnes, IT Team Leader at Alliant Energy; Thad Molling, Manager of IT Network Services at Promega Corporation; and Craig Wuerzberger, Systems Engineer at Sub-Zero Group, Inc.
• How Rockford Public Schools and PDS Partnered to Assess Existing IT Maturity and Deliver a Long-Term Strategic Plan, presented by Dr. Daniel Woestman, Assistant Superintendent of Accountability for the Rockford Public School District and Del Poss, Principal Consultant at PDS
• Insight into 2014 Education Horizon Report, presented by Anton Inglese, Chief Information Officer and Assistant Superintendent of Batavia School District and Vicky Lyons, Technology Services Director of School District of La Crosse
• Empowering IT as a Service with Cloud and OpenStack® Technology Innovation, presented by Brenda Basista, Cloud Category Manager - Americas at Hewlett Packard
• The New Style of IT - Software Defined Networks & Datacenter, presented by Tom Williams, SDN & DC Go-To-Market Strategy & Deployment at Hewlett Packard
• 2014 Mini Medical School: Current Health Trends, Economics and Disruptive Technologies, presented by Dr. Jonathan Ravdin, PDS President and CEO

For more information or to register for the 2014 PDS Technology Conference, visit www.pds2014.com.

About PDS
While providing IT solutions, services and technologies, PDS builds strategic relationships with clients that result in improved performance, which is measured by increased productivity, decreased cost, higher customer and employee satisfaction and greater business compliance. Founded in 1986, PDS partners with medium to large enterprise organizations in healthcare, corporate and government/education industries to provide strategic value and advanced technology solutions. PDS is a privately held company with offices throughout the Midwest. Learn more by visiting www.PDSIT.net.