A Glimpse into the Iconic IDC Insights 2015

by  Gitikka Ganju Dhar Business Events | January 11, 2016 | Feature

Gitikka Ganju Dhar

The prestigious IDC Insights 2015 unfolded on Dec. 10 in Hyderabad amidst much hype! “This is it!” proclaimed, yours truly to the audience, as I opened the conference. And what an accomplished audience it was - the CIO’s, CEO’s and CFO’s of India Inc. were all in attendance. “You are in a city that befits your presence, all of you, the Bahubalis of their respective businesses! Welcome once again, mighty ones!” were the words I welcomed the delegates with.

More than 1,100 IDC analysts provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries worldwide. In 2014, IDC Insights Awards were architected as the first platform in the region for leaders to come together and celebrate the journey towards creating transformational business value through technology. The first edition in 2014 was a full house and an emphatic success. We worked, we networked and we played.  The 2nd edition of IDC Insights Awards not only kept its promise but also raised the bar and delivered a world class conferencing experience. Indeed, a platform to reckon with is born!

The man who has made IDC South Asia what it is today, Jaideep Mehta (M.D, IDC, South Asia), opened house. Eva Au, Managing Director, IDC, Asia Pacific addressed the delegates at The IDC Insights Awards held later in the evening. Praveen Narayan Kalugotla, Head of Product Sales Management and Product Marketing at NetApp (the title sponsor for the event), India & SAARC was the first speaker to step up and address the gathering. Then began two long but enriching days spent listening to different players and their transformational stories.  In an atmosphere where the seismic shifts in technology have presented unprecedented opportunities, and existential challenges, to organizations across the board, we gathered to talk about the mother of all phenomenon, the digital revolution. All were in agreement that these shifts have changed business models, enabled businesses to rethink their customer engagement processes and opened new channels of communication, sales and service. It was also iterated, that at the same time, digital technologies have presented the opportunity to revolutionize supply chains, factories, employee engagement models and create entirely new business lines.

Malcolm X once said, “The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.” Shalil Gupta’s presentation, IDC’s Futurescape was the highlight of the first day. It laid out IDC's vision for the ten most important shifts that will happen in IT organizations over the next thirty-six months. Shalil is Associate Vice-President for Insights and Consulting, IDC India.

Other key speakers were Jaideep Mehta; Rajesh Garg, CEO, Landmark Group; Adrian De Luca, Vice President, Asia Pacific, Hitachi Data Systems; Cyrus Mistry; Rajiv Srivastava, MD, HP Inc. India; and Sangeeta Reddy, JMD, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise.

And then we changed gear for the evening, when everyone raised a flute to the crazy ones! That night, The IDC Insights Awards applauded winners who were able to leverage digital technologies and online marketing and engagement platforms to great effect. The awards, which are independent and non-sponsored, ensures objectivity in the reward process. The selection process was governed by an eminent jury consisting of senior IDC analysts and eminent business leaders.

The evening saw singer-songwriter Raghu Dixit perform to a happy audience. Joining The Raghu Dixit Project in entertaining the delegates were members of the Rivega Dance Studio who had flown in from Sri Lanka. As expected, they delivered a riveting performance. 

Some events extract value from your experience and knowledge base, while others expose you to knowledge and leave you mentally richer. As a professional I gained from talking with an audience from across India, across multiple verticals of corporate business. More importantly, I gained from detailed exposure to the digital revolution that is changing the world. They say, don’t they, knowledge gained is everything gained. And don’t I always say, content is king. Or, may I say, content makes the queen! Happy Insights everyone! Happy New Year, too!