The annual Gartner Symposium/ITxpo taking place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from September 28 to 30 will examine the need for companies to evolve into a digital business and remain competitive.

“No company, irrespective of size and industry, can afford to avoid the digital disruption taking place. Gartner predicts that this will be a defining year in which CIOs will use digital to transform their risks into bold business outcomes,” says Jeffrey Mann, Gartner research vice president.

What started as a discussion on the Nexus of Forces (the convergence of Social, Cloud, Mobile and Information) four years ago, has grown to examining how to lead in the digital world in 2013 and new digital business processes and business models in 2014.

This year, the theme of the symposium is built around the need for CIOs to rise to the challenge of making IT the central point for value and innovation in the organisation.

“Today, companies need to pursue agile practices at digital speeds while still focusing on IT reliability to support the core business. The Symposium will help delegates discover the precise speed, agility, and leadership skills needed to harness this massive wave of technology change,” says Mann.

Multiple tracks will detail the strategies, insights, and tools executives need to lead the next-generation of IT. There will be sessions on technology and transformation leadership discussions, and a business outcomes stream.

Speakers will include the likes of Kenyan analyst Mbula Schoen who will discuss the Hype Cycle for ICT in Africa and Gartner research vice-president Brian Burke who will present the top strategic technology trends for 2016.

“As the digital business matures and becomes more pervasive, organisations are making digital the core of their enterprise strategy. The focus towards a true digital business starts with the customer or citizen and considers a whole new technology ecosystem which we will explore in-depth this year,” adds Mann.

For more information or to register, please visit www.gartner.co.za/symp15