Agenda

Monday, August 25

7:30 am Registration and Morning Refreshments

8:30 am Opening Remarks

Honorable Brad Johnson, Secretary of State, State of Montana

8:45 am Opening Keynote

Inventor of the Year

Woody Norris, Inventor and Futurist

Woody Norris is a visionary. He looks into the future, gathers insights into how life could be improved, and applies what he finds to the problems of today. In the world of invention, only one in 2,000 patent applications actually issues as a patent, the rest are rejected. Yet Woody holds more than 50 U.S. patents and 300 around the world - and the number grows each year. He has won numerous awards including the prestigious $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize, which is the inventor's equivalent to an Academy Award. He is perpetually in the midst of multiple wide-ranging projects, all of which involve technology. Early poverty and the lack of a college education were never barriers to Woody. He has always found ways to innovate by using technology to "do more with less." In this fascinating keynote, he will describe why he is convinced that the future holds unimaginable wonders in store for us. His enthusiasm is infectious, and as he often says, "It's a great time to be alive!"

10:00 am Morning Break

10:30 am Concurrent Sessions

Next Generation Workforce

Demand for IT talent continues to escalate as retirement is draining IT staffs. At the same time, the pool of qualified candidates seems to be steadily shrinking. How do you attract a new generation of qualified workers? Who are they? What will they expect and demand? How can you keep the staff you have and what is the best way to train and motivate them to take on new skills and challenges? This session focuses on developing the workforce of tomorrow.

Joe Schopfer, Human Resources Policy and Programs Consultant, Department of Administration, State of Montana

Cisco Systems, Inc. Representative

Web 2.0

YouTube, MySpace, wikis, blogs and collaborative tagging are all part of the web-based social networking phenomenon that is sweeping the country. From presidential candidates to 13-year-old entrepreneurs, everybody seems to be using various flavors of these tools. To date, however, most of this social networking activity takes place outside of government. Is this about to change? Can government use these same tools to significantly increase civic engagement? This session explores various forms of Web 2.0 technologies and practical applications to real world government interactions.

Alan Cox, Vice President, Government Technology Executive Events

eDiscovery and eRetention

As paperless government becomes a reality, the challenge of determining what to save and what to throw away becomes more complex. Managing the growing volume of electronic records is made even more complex by the legal and organizational rules which govern retention. Which types of electronic records must be retained? How long must they be kept? What does it mean to retain a record in the digital realm? Understanding the legal and organizational implication of erecords management is crucial. This session focuses on current technologies and directions, as well as the impact of recent legislation.

Sean Dillon, Microsoft Corporation

11:30 am Lunch

12:15 pm General Session

Situation Room: Data Breach

Modeled on the concept of the White House Situation Room, this session takes the audience through a data breach simulation. We have all heard numerous stories about nightmares faced by public and private organizations after the loss of sensitive information. The odds are against it happening to you, but what if it does? No one wants to be front page news - at least not in this way. It will never be possible to protect 100% of all data, but it is possible to set priorities and to be prepared...and to stay out of the headlines! This thought-provoking session focuses on how to prevent a data breach, how to react to a loss should it occur, and last but not at all least, how and when to disclose it.

Moderator: Alan Cox, Vice President, Government Technology Executive Events

Honorable Brad Johnson, Secretary of State, State of Montana

Dick Clark, Chief Information Officer, State of Montana

1:30 pm Afternoon Break and Refreshments

2:00 pm Concurrent Sessions

Data Security in a Web 2.0 World

The life-changing conveniences offered by technology are balanced by the trials and tribulations of securing the systems. The ever-increasing use of wireless and mobile devices only adds to the challenge. This session looks at the latest tools, standards and solutions for assessing vulnerabilities, shoring up defenses and avoiding the type of incidents that we have been reading about all too often.

Reaching the Public through New Communication Methods

Government jurisdictions throughout the country are creatively using technology to communicate to constituents and employees. Second Life, Wiki's, Facebook, YouTube, Blogs and webcasts are all being used in government organizations. This gives rise to many questions. Are blogs effective? Is Facebook appropriate for a government organization? Do our citizens use tools like these and would they use them to communicate with or about government? This panel of journalists and government Public Affairs representatives will discuss these new tools and provide their thoughts on how they are used today and their effectiveness in government settings.

Moderator: Bowen Greenwood, Communications Director, Office of the Secretary of State, State of Montana

Panelists:

John Adams, Reporter, Great Falls Tribune Capitol Bureau

Mike Dennison, Reporter, Lee Newspapers State Bureau

Don Dunwell, Reporter, Beartooth NBC

Gayle Shirley, Public Information Officer, Legislative Services Division, State of Montana

Charity Watt-Levis, Public Information Officer, Department of Transportation, State of Montana

Green Technology and Sustainability

In our world of finite resources, environmental responsibility has never been more important than it is today. While today's government leaders know this, it can be difficult to develop programs that bring about real change. Yet technology also holds the promise of more energy efficient IT environments, greener buildings, and fewer travel requirements through telecommuting. What role does technology play in creating a greener government? This session will address these issues and promises to provide a thought-provoking look at how government and technology leaders need to rethink technology's role in a greener future.

Mike Boyer, Enterprise Infrastructure Projects Director, Department of Administration, State of Montana