Attend the only storage conference offering direct access to today's foremost independent experts

Practical and technical advice for utilizing new tools and applications to solve specific, yet contemporary problems facing storage managers in data centers today!

Storage Decisions Chicago – scheduled for June 19 - 20, 2012– brings together 200 of your storage peers from the Chicago-area, along with the industry’s top independent experts, analysts, and several of the top storage vendors to provide cutting-edge perspective and unparalled advice formeeting the storage demands of today's ever-changing business environment.

Built on a successful event model, Storage Decisions Chicago combines the multi-track content of a full conference with innovative vendor showcases and interactive sessions, resulting in 1½ jam-packed days of expert content and quality networking time.

Now – more than ever – the free, vendor-neutral training we offer at our Storage Decisions events is of critical importance. You and your organization can't afford for you to fall behind - attend Storage Decisions to get field-tested strategies and independent advice for avoiding unforseen problems, simplifying complex processes, and getting things done faster and under-budget!

Register Today!

Attendance is FREE for qualified storage pros - complete our quick online application to secure your complimentary seat - or call our Delegate Recruitment Manager Mike Parisi at 617-431-9718.

Attendee Testimonials

"The information presented got me out of my box and allowed me to see things from a different point of view."

"I got what I needed to come back to work with: improvement ideas."

"My team loved the way the events are coordinated and organized, bringing major vendors under one umbrella and offering parallel tracks."

“Storage Decisions events are always informative and worth attending”

“[The sessions] make me rethink some basic storage ideas, re-evaluate backup needs”

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Conference Agenda

DAY 1 - TUESDAY, JUNE 19, 2012
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM	WORKSHOP REGISTRATION
11:00 AM - 1:30 PM Breakout in detail	Pre-Conference Workshop: Protecting the Data Asset - Creating a Practical Framework Facilitated by Jon William Toigo, CEO, Toigo Partners International; Chairman, Data Management Institute Lunch included for workshop attendees
1:15 PM - 1:45 PM	CONFERENCE REGISTRATION AND WELCOME REFRESHMENTS
1:45 PM - 2:00 PM	Welcome Address Presented by Rich Castagna, Storage Media Group Editorial Director Located in Main Ballroom
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	Three Breakouts (Choose one session)
Breakout in detail	How vSphere 5 Changes Storage Configuration, Maintenance and Management Presented by Howard Marks, Founder and Chief Scientist, DeepStorage.net Located in Main Ballroom
Breakout in detail	Getting the Most Out of the Storage You Have: Avoiding the Expensive Headaches of ‘Rip and Replace’ Presented by Marc Staimer, Founder and CDS, Dragon Slayer Consulting Located in Breakout #1
Breakout in detail	Snapshots and CDP: The End of Backup as We Know It? Presented by Brien Posey, Freelance Writer and Independent Analyst, BrienPosey.com Located in Breakout #2
3:00 PM - 3:10 PM	MOVE TO MAIN BALLROOM
3:10 PM - 3:55 PM	Sponsor Showcase Find out about the latest innovations from two of the leading technology providers in the storage market. Get the inside scoop on how these select sponsors can help you solve your most pressing storage challenges. Located in Main Ballroom
3:55 PM - 4:55 PM	Executive Keynote Address - Flash Deconstructed: How This Mega-hyped Technology Will Play out in Our Data Centers Introduction by Rich Castagna, Storage Media Group Editorial Director Presentation by Steve Duplessie, Founder and Senior Analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group Located in Main Ballroom
4:55 PM - 6:45 PM	STORAGE DECISIONS WELCOME COCKTAIL RECEPTION Enjoy free drinks and appetizers as you meet representatives from all of our sponsoring organizations. Get a first-hand look at the latest technologies while interacting with your peers – plus, you can take advantage of terrific giveaways and enter to win great prizes! Located in the Exhibit Hall
5:15 PM - 6:15 PM Sign up here	Ask the Experts Zone Today’s expert presenters are available to answer your questions in free one-on-one consultative sessions. Sign up at the ATE Zone board to reserve your appointment in advance. Attendees will walk away with an exclusive Resource Folder from the Experts! Located in the Ask the Experts Zone of the Exhibit Hall
DAY 2 - WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM	REGISTRATION AND WELCOME REFRESHMENTS
8:15 AM - 8:30 AM	Welcome Address Presented by Rich Castagna, Storage Media Group Editorial Director Located in Main Ballroom
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM	Four Breakouts (Choose one session)
Breakout in detail	New (Old) Tools for DR: Can Cloud, Virtualization and Other Nascent Technologies Contribute to Business Continuity Success? Presented by Jon William Toigo, CEO, Toigo Partners International; Chairman, Data Management Institute Located in Main Ballroom
Breakout in detail	Building a Hybrid Cloud Storage Infrastructure Presented by Marc Staimer, Founder and CDS, Dragon Slayer Consulting Located in Breakout #1
Breakout in detail	Innovations in Storage Networking: Next-Gen Storage Networks for Next-Gen Data Centers Presented by Dennis Martin, Founder and President, Demartek Located in Breakout #2
Breakout in detail	Next Generation Data Protection with HP StoreOnce and Data Protector 7 Software Presented by Matt Jacoby, Nearline Technical Marketing Manager & Mike Peebles, Product Marketing Manager, HP (Sponsored Technical Session) Located in Breakout #3
9:30 AM - 9:40 AM	MOVE TO BREAKOUT ROOMS
9:40 AM - 10:40 AM	Morning Sponsor Speed Rounds Get the inside scoop on the latest and greatest storage products, and learn how top solution providers can help solve your most daunting challenges – all in 10-minute, rapid-fire presentations. Located in Breakout #1 and Breakout #2
10:40 AM - 11:10 AM	REFRESHMENT AND NETWORKING BREAK Located in the Exhibit Hall
11:10 AM - 12:10 PM	Four Breakouts (Choose one session)
Breakout in detail	The Evolving Role of IT Operations: How IT Ops Will Need to Evolve to Create Value and Maintain Strategic Relevance Presented by Steve Duplessie, Founder and Senior Analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group Located in Main Ballroom
Breakout in detail	IT and Storage for Big Data Analytics Presented by Randy Kerns, Senior Strategist, Evaluator Group Located in Breakout #1
Breakout in detail	Data Backup for Virtual Servers Presented by Brien Posey, Freelance Writer and Independent Analyst, BrienPosey.com Located in Breakout #2
Breakout in detail	Introducing IBM's Hypervisor for Storage - SmartCloud Virtual Storage Center Presented by Drew S. Davis, Storage Solutions Sales Leader, IBM (Sponsored Technical Session) Located in Breakout #3
12:10 PM - 12:20 PM	MOVE TO MAIN BALLROOM
12:20 PM - 1:20 PM	Afternoon Sponsor Showcase Find out about the latest innovations from three of the leading technology providers in the storage market. Get the inside scoop on how these select sponsors can help you solve your most pressing storage challenges. Located in Main Ballroom
1:20 PM - 2:50 PM	EXHIBIT HALL LUNCH Located in the Exhibit Hall
1:20 PM - 2:35 PM Session in detail	HEALTHCARE LUNCH: Storage Strategies for the Health IT Pro Presented by Marc Staimer, Founder and CDS, Dragon Slayer Consulting Lunch brought to you by: Whiptail Location TBA
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM Sign up here	Ask the Experts Zone Today’s expert presenters are available to answer your questions in free one-on-one consultative sessions. Sign up at the ATE Zone board to reserve your appointment in advance. Attendees will walk away with an exclusive Resource Folder from the Experts! Located in the Ask the Experts Zone of the Exhibit Hall
2:50 PM - 3:50 PM	Three Breakouts (Choose one session)
Breakout in detail	Protecting Data on Mobile Devices Presented by Howard Marks, Founder and Chief Scientist, DeepStorage.net Located in Main Ballroom
Breakout in detail	21st Century Storage: What's New and What's Changing Presented by Randy Kerns, Senior Strategist, Evaluator Group Located in Breakout #1
Breakout in detail	A Deeper Dive: Where (and How and Why) to Implement Solid-State Storage Presented by Dennis Martin, Founder and President, Demartek Located in Breakout #2
3:50 PM - 4:00 PM	MOVE TO MAIN BALLROOM
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Breakout in detail	Closing Executive Keynote - Storage 2012: Time of the Infrastruggle Presented by Jon William Toigo, CEO, Toigo Partners International; Chairman, Data Management Institute Located in Main Ballroom
5:00 PM	CONFERENCE ADJOURNS

Independent Speakers

Bio

Steve Duplessie
Founder and Senior Analyst
Enterprise Strategy Group

Bio

Randy Kerns
Senior Strategist
Evaluator Group

Bio

Howard Marks
Founder and Chief Scientist
DeepStorage.net

Bio

Dennis Martin
Founder and President
Demartek

Bio

Brien Posey
Freelance Writer and Independent Analyst
BrienPosey.com

Bio

Marc Staimer
President and CDS
Dragon Slayer Consulting

Bio

Jon William Toigo
CEO and Managing Principal
Toigo Partners International;
Chairman, Data Management Institute

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Storage Decisions exhibitors and sponsors

Event Sponsor (Click logo for sponsor information)

Platinum Sponsors (Click logo for sponsor information)

Gold Sponsors (Click logo for sponsor information)

Silver Sponsors (Click logo for sponsor information)

Top 5 Reasons to Attend

#1:	Breakout sessions tailored to your level of expertise. While session themes are relevant to virtually all storage managers, you have the opportunity to pursue topics targeted to your specific information needs. You're able to schedule your itinerary specific to your level of expertise and by the topics most pressing to your organization's storage needs.
#2:	An independent viewpoint with vendor-neutral advice. At other conferences, vendor-types deliver thinly veiled sales pitches disguised as content. At Storage Decisions, every speaker is independent - so there is no hidden agendas in the advice they deliver. Attendees get information they can trust that addresses the key issues they face now.
#3:	Network with more than 200 of your peers and learn that you're not alone. It happens to everyone, you spend an inordinate amount of time at work by yourself. Therefore it's easy to feel as if you're the only one facing the problems of the storage world. After attending Storage Decisions, you realize that your're NOT alone. With over 200 attendees gathered under one roof, this proves to be an excellent opportunity to network, trade ideas and forge new relationships.
#4:	No pie in the sky theories or far-flung predictions. Storage Decisions Chicago provides relevant information that you could put to use immediately. Attendees receive specific expertise that streamline their storage infrastructure through SAN planning, bringing their storage network to the next level of "readiness," identify their best targets for storage automaton and ensure they're in line with looming regulatory compliance.
#5:	Ease the pain of buying storage. The process of purchasing storage can be trying - from research to RFP writing to negotiating with sales reps. After your three days at Storage Decisions, the process gets a whole lot simpler. We have over 30 of the top vendors gathered in one convenient place. Attendees make the comparison themselves in minutes by talking to representatives at each booth and learning everything they need to know from a qualified person whose job it is to answer their queries.

About Storage Decisions

Storage Decisions conferences and seminars offer a comprehensive curriculum, built to address the specific challenges and complex projects facing today’s IT professional. Storage Decisions events facilitate education, peer-to-peer networking, and vendor interaction that storage pros can use to optimize existing operations. Every Storage Decisions event guarantees cutting-edge technical advice and practical guidance that can be implemented immediately.

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Hotel and city information

McCormick Place Convention Center
South Building, Level 1
2301 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60616
www.mccormickplace.com

FREE PARKING: Complimentary parking will be available to conference attendees.

Nearby Hotel:
Hyatt Regency at McCormick Place
T: 312-567-1234
www