December 14, 2011

Conference Focuses on End Users' Ethernet Experience

The Ethernet Alliance will hold a Technology Exploration Forum (TEF) February 16, 2012 at Silicon Valley’s Techmart conference center, featuring a cross-section of business, industry, and technology leaders who will speak on a range of topics, including data centers, networking, the Internet, power issues, and the future of Ethernet.

The conference “The End Users Speak!” will focus on end users and their experience with the latest Ethernet technologies, and explore further improvements and needs for Ethernet.

“Throughout the past three decades, Ethernet has fundamentally altered the face of both the global technology and communications ecosystems. Now, as we move toward the next generation of Ethernet technologies and speeds, it is imperative that all of the stakeholders work together to facilitate Ethernet’s continued expansion and evolution,” said John D’Ambrosia, chair, Ethernet Alliance, in a statement. “By opening the door to greater dialogue, the Ethernet Alliance is helping to ensure that technology creators better understand end user needs and expectations of Ethernet technologies not only immediately, but for the long-term, as well.”

Offering a variety of panels and sessions, such as “Ethernet in Future Data Centers”, “Ethernet and the Heart of the Internet,” and “The Role of Power in Networks,” The End Users Speak! includes featured speakers from Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX); Chevron; Comcast; Dell; Frontier Communications; Google; Harris Broadcast; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Nationwide Insurance; the Walt Disney Company; and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Andrew F. Bach, senior vice president, global head of network services, NYSE Euronext, will present a keynote addressing financial system networking, and technology’s ability to keep up with the demands of the financial community.

Added Paul Nikolich, chief strategy officer, YAS Broadband Ventures, and chair, IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee, “Standardization efforts optimally commence when specific industry need is defined; therefore, opening the lines of communication between technology’s users and developers is imperative. The Ethernet Alliance’s TEF gives these two groups the opportunity to come together to explore the industry’s needs and may provide the basis for launching future standardization efforts.”