Summit Schedule | Sponsors & Exhibitors | Education & Networking | Location & Hotel | Registration

SAM Summit 2010 registration open. Register today and save up to $350.

What’s on the agenda? This is the in-depth, hands-on event you've been waiting for! The sessions feature top speakers culled from IBSMA members and other industry pros. Sessions will address cutting-edge trends for 2010, such as software-as-a-service, vendor compliance audits, tools selection and automating license management. You'll also hear the latest developments from Oracle, IBM and Microsoft. Each case study session will run two hours and include practitioner and expert presentations and moderated discussion.

Where will it be held? We selected the University of Chicago's modern Booth School of Business, a world-class venue on Chicago's Miracle Mile, close to the subway, museums and restaurants. This international city is an ideal location and a favorite of our worldwide member community.

Who will attend? Just as we've had in the past, this year's SAM Summit will welcome sophisticated and experienced practitioner and industry attendees who are looking for tips and solutions for challenging—and in some cases, maturing—software and IT asset management environments. Registration is limited to 60 and you should register early for the best discounts and to ensure your space.

What's included in the registration fee? In addition to five in depth and cutting-edge sessions and materials, you'll enjoy a networking lunch, plus informative presentations from our vendor sponsors. There will also be a post-conference cocktail and appetizer reception where the SAM Practitioner of the Year Awards will be presented.

On this SAM Summit 2010 page you'll find details on the sessions, additional education opportunities, hotel and travel, sponsors and more.

SAM Practitioner of the Year Awards  The winners of the International Business Software Managers Association fifth annual SAM Practitioner of the Year Awards will be honored at a special ceremony at SAM Summit. Submit your nomination by April 16.

Read about the 2008 winners in Profiles in Excellence. (This article is available from IBSMA.com.)

Special Pre-Summit Social Events and Education  Arrive early in Chicago or extend your stay and attend a pre-summit social networking activity or professional education course. Details

SAM Summit 2010 is sponsored by the International Business Software Managers Association (IBSMA) and ECPweb.com.

Here's what attendees of past SAM Summits, held in Chicago, said about the conference:

“I enjoyed the ‘SAM family’ atmosphere. The conference was the right size to interact and share experiences.” – David Maraia, The Hartford

“Expert speakers and qualified advanced participants.” – Scott Lemm, University of Michigan

“The setting was excellent. The organization very good. The software compliance panel discussion and seminar were worth the trip.” – Kate Besso, Kaiser Permanente

“I liked the mix of roundtables and presentations, best practices and how other companies met the challenges of implementing SAM.” – Jeremy Cormier, Wellpoint Inc.

“I enjoyed the panel discussion with Microsoft, Oracle, SIIA and [attorney] Rob Scott.” – Tracey Schildt, SC Johnson & Son, Inc.

“I’m going to be able to take a lot of the content discussed and integrate it with process definitions within our team.” – Kathleen Rich, Ernst & Young

“The [conference] information gave me a better understanding of what I need to address with my company.” – Sherrill Whelan, Anixter Inc.

Chicago, May 24, 2010

8:30–9:00 | Conference Welcome and Director's Address

9:00–10:45 | Pioneer Natural Resources Takes Charge with Software and IT Service Management Process Automation

Part 1. The journey from paper-based asset management to a robust integrated system of automated service and asset management and discovery tools took IT asset manager Bonetia Williams several years to accomplish. But the end result is a sophisticated and effective money- and time-saving program. In this session, Williams, from Texas-based Pioneer Natural Resources, will share her tips on tool selection, building a business case, management of desktop software and virtual machine licenses, along with purchasing, vendor and contract management.

Part 2. Jill Powell, consultant and advisor to Pioneer Energy on implementation and process design, offers concrete suggestions and her perspectives on project design, planning and implementation for this state-of-the-art system.

Part 3. Following the presentation, moderator Steven Russman will lead an interactive discussion on process improvement and best practices, and you'll come away with real next steps you can apply to your program.

Presenters: Bonetia Williams, IT Asset Manager, Pioneer Natural Resources and Jill Powell, Consultant, ManageSoft. Moderated by Steven Russman, IBSMA.

Topics covered: Tool evaluation, needs assessment, business justification, budget, infrastructure considerations, integrating tools, process assessment, process design, staffing, lessons learned, automating license management

10:45–11:00 | Break (coffee in the Exhibit Hall)

11:00–12:45 | University of St. Thomas Manages the Impact of Online Service Offerings

Part 1. The potential benefits of SaaS (software-as-a-service) are intriguing, but IT managers rightly worry about losing control of data, security and service quality. Yet, a well-crafted contract with your SaaS provider will set mutual expectations for a functional partnership. Hear firsthand from Thomas Oscanyan, IT manager at St. Thomas University, on the lessons he learned while establishing an acquisition policy for decentralized IT departments and educating end users on the ins and outs of IT procurement. Oscanyan is a 2008 winner of the IBSMA SAM Practitioner of the Year Award.

Part 2. David Ochroch, a favorite SAM Summit presenter, builds on the material presented in part one and will detail how to navigate the trickiest SaaS contract areas and how to get the most from your SaaS program.

Part 3. Moderator Cynthia Farren will guide the discussion and bring real life and best practices together in a session wrap-up that will explore audience concerns, suggestions and tactics for this emerging area.

Presenters: Thomas Oscanyan, University of St. Thomas and David Ochroch, DNO Consulting. Moderated by Cynthia Farren, Cynthia Farren Consulting.

Topics covered: Software as a service, offsite data management, procurement policies, vendor management, software licensing, outsourcing, contracting for services

12:45–1:45 | Lunch in the Expo Hall and Exhibitor Presentations

Network while you enjoy catering from chef Wolfgang Puck's world-famous restaurant during the lunch break.

Looking for a lunch alternative? SAM Summit exhibitors will offer informative presentations and hands-on demonstrations during the lunch break.

12:45–1:15 | Chaos to Control: Continuous Compliance Helps You Avert the Panic During a Software Audit

Ensure continuous compliance with BigFix. BigFix DSS SAM offers real-time monitoring, reporting and usage patterns for intermittently and continuously connected computing devices. IT pros use BigFix to ensure continuous compliance with user-defined configuration, security and software license policies and data is at your fingertips whenever you need it. Cutting-edge agent and relay architecture shorten implementation timeframes to hours or days for even the largest heterogeneous computing environments. Attend this session and learn how BigFix creates unprecedented time-to-value.

Presenter: Jeff Spitulnik, director of product management, BigFix, Inc.

1:45–3:30 | Liberty Mutual Insurance Tackles Next-Generation License Management

Part 1. Liberty Mutual Insurance blazed new trails when it launched hardware asset management and installed one of the first asset repository tools in the 1990s. More than fifteen years later, the group is going strong, showing a return on investment and supporting IT service management and governance initiatives. In this session, software asset managers Andrea Smith and Leah Lisowski offer highlights of the company's long trek to excellence, including lessons learned. They will describe how to build and sustain a world-class SAM initiative and the steps they take marketing the value of SAM through a multi-year enterprise project to align company-wide IT purposes and goals, and increase efficiency.

Part 2. Russ Parker, chief technologist for SAM consultancy Minerva Enterprises, will describe and demonstrate how Liberty Mutual uses technology to automate manual software reconciliation processes.

Part 3. Our professional moderator will offer insights and an objective view on making SAM a profitable reality in large organizations.

Presenters: Andrea Smith and Leah Lisowski, Liberty Mutual Insurance with Russ Parker, Minerva Enterprises.

Topics covered: License management tools, license compliance, license models, process assessment, metrics, software audit, tools for managing virtualized software, managing a mature infrastructure, IBM license management, Oracle license management

3:30–3:45 | Break (coffee in the Exhibit Hall)

3:45–5:00 | Ask the Experts: Software Publisher Panel on Preparing for a Compliance Review

Don't miss this one-of-a-kind panel of software industry experts in a lively and informative presentation and discussion of how you can prepare for a publisher's compliance review. Hear first hand from software company representatives on what you can do to ready your organization and how to make the process run smoothly and quickly. We provide tips, suggest tools and dispel the myths and misinformation. Plus, you can ask questions and challenge the authorities. Oracle and EMC are confirmed presenters. Others to be announced.

5:00–5:45 | Town Hall Meeting and Conference Wrap Up

5:45–7:00 | Reception, Awards Presentations and Prize Drawings in the Exhibit Hall

The SAM Practitioner of the Year Awards will be presented at 6:00, followed by a drinks and appetizer reception. Prize drawings will be held at 7:00.

Stop by for an informative review of the latest options from leading software and service vendors. Exhibits will be open during meals, breaks and the evening reception. Meet these companies at SAM Summit:

For information on exhibit and sponsor packages, contact ECPweb (e-mail: Inquiry@ECPweb.com or call 734.930.1925).

IBSMA Industry Members support 2010 programming. For details on industry members visit IBSMA.com.

May 23 | 1:00–5:00 | Practitioners Certificate in Software License Management (PCSLM)

Attend this condensed session of the PCSLM course. See course details and registration.*

May 23 | 6:00–8:00 | Social event to be announced.

May 24 | 8:00 | First-time Attendee Orientation

First-time attendees to SAM Summit are invited to an orientation breakfast. We'll cover how to get the most out of your conference experience and answer questions on sessions and speakers. Look for details in the conference book or ask at the registration desk.

May 25 | 8:30–5:00 | Assessing Software Asset Management Processes Course (PCSAM)

This is an intensive daylong version of the two-day course focusing on conducting a process assessment and developing a SAM scorecard. This session does not include the certificate exam. The exam is available online for an additional fee. See course details and registration.*

May 25-26 | 8:30–4:30 | Oracle Licensing & License Management Training

Learn how to navigate the world of Oracle products and licensing in this unique course offered exclusively by IBSMA. Join former managers in Oracle’s License Management Services group, Patrick de Veer and Mark van Wolferen, for this intensive two-day course. See course details and registration.*

*Additional fee for these events and courses.

All sessions will be held at the University of Chicago Center Conference Facilities.

450 North Cityfront Plaza Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60611
312.464.8660

On-site wireless Internet access available in the conference area.

A premier conference center in the heart of Chicago. The University of Chicago Booth Center is conveniently located in the center of Chicago's business community, just blocks away from the Loop and steps away from Magnificent Mile shopping, restaurants and hotels. It is easily accessible with public transportation and adjacent parking lots.

Driving directions and parking information for the conference center.

Hotel Accommodations

We suggest the following hotels. Those marked with * are within walking distance. For recommendations contact IBSMA. Reserve early.

Chicago Visitor Information

For a database of great Chicago restaurants and events, visit the Chicago Tribune's Metromix. For city travel information, visit the City of Chicago Web site.

About the International Business Software Managers Association (IBSMA)
The International Business Software Mangers Association (IBSMA) is the world's largest nonprofit association of business-focused software management (SAM) professionals working together to develop and promote SAM best practices and address issues of common concern. Visit IBSMA.com for details.