The Future of Tech Is Coming: Are You Ready?

5/1/2017

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When you think about the future of tech, does it make you feel excited and optimistic? Scared and uncertain? Lonely and isolated?

If you chose "all of the above," it would be understandable. Technologies that are making their way out of the labs and into commercial deployment today and in the coming years -- think 5G, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, more and more automation -- have the potential to transform all aspects of our lives. But, I wouldn't blame you if the current administration has you worried about the future of tech, in general. Or if our increasing dependence on technology over personal relationships has you wishing for less tech in the future. Or even if the potential for future technologies to be built with today's biases makes you a little uneasy.

We cover the future of tech and what it means for service providers and their customers every day here on Light Reading, but it's also worth looking at what it means for the future of your own career. Technology is the heart of our industry, and recognizing what's coming down the pipeline, promising to change the game, can make or break a career. How do you pivot when a technology doesn't pan out (WiMax, anyone)? How do you balance what's coming next versus what your customers want today? What tech should you be wary of or betting on? (See The Near Future Is Here, Intel Eyes an IoT & 5G Future and Time for a Telecom Reboot.)

Women in Comms will be discussing all this and more at our networking luncheon in just two weeks in Austin, Texas. On Monday, May 15, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. CT, women and men in the next-gen comms industry will come together to network and discuss the issues that matter the most to us, including paving a career path with the future of technology in mind. We'll also hear from a panel of top service provider executives who will give us the real lay of the land for women in the industry today -- what progress has been made, what challenges remain and how to tackle them head on. It will be a practical, interactive discussion that we invite you all to take part in.

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After the Women in Comms' networking luncheon on Monday, May 15, stay for the Leading Lights Awards Dinner where we will reveal this year's most inspiring woman in comms and the female tech pioneer of the year! Register for the WiC event here and Leading Lights here!

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Mark your calendars for May 15 and plan to join Light Reading, Heavy Reading and the following incredible speakers for a memorable day of networking, discussion and progress.

• Melissa Arnoldi, President, Technology Development, AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T)
• Dawn Callahan, CMO, Boingo Wireless Inc.
• Kate Kuehn, Deputy CISO & Head, Security Practice, BT Americas
• Liz Centoni, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Computing Systems Product Group, Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO)
• Cheri Beranek, CEO, Clearfield Inc. (Nasdaq: CLFD)
• Nelly Pitocco, Vice President, Enterprise, Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S)
• Caroline Chan, Vice President & General Manager, 5G Infrastructure Division, Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC)
• Heidi Hemmer, Vice President, Supply Chain, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ)
• Honore’ LaBourdette, Vice President, Global Market Development, Telco Business Group, VMware Inc. (NYSE: VMW)

Looking forward to seeing you all in Austin! It's cheaper than a ticket to Estonia after all!

— Sarah Thomas, , Director, Women in Comms