Introducing IT Roadmap: 2005 – The Final Tour of 2004
Network World’s new event, IT Roadmap: 2005, arrives at a time when technology moves faster than ever. The 2004 year ended with a dizzying array of innovations that reshaped how enterprises deploy, manage, and secure their IT environments. Executives faced a double challenge: understand what those changes mean for their current portfolios and decide which emerging tools and platforms should drive next year’s investment decisions. IT Roadmap: 2005 is designed to meet that need by distilling the most critical developments and turning them into a clear, actionable strategy.
At its core, the event is a guided walk through the tech landscape of 2004, framed with an eye toward 2005. It covers topics that were hotbeds of activity last year - such as the rise of broadband connectivity, the proliferation of virtualization, the tightening of security protocols around data centers, and the acceleration of mobile computing. For each topic, the program delves into the underlying trends, explains how they impact cost, performance, and risk, and offers a set of best‑practice recommendations. The goal is not just to inform, but to equip IT leaders with a concise, future‑ready blueprint that can be translated into budgeting cycles, procurement plans, and operational roadmaps.
John Gallant, President and Editorial Director at Network World, stresses the pace of change. “So much changes so quickly in technology that IT executives need more frequent and deeper updates on key enterprise technology developments,” he says. This emphasis on urgency is mirrored in the event’s structure: a compact, intensive schedule that delivers dense, actionable content in a short timeframe. By the end of the tour, participants should leave with a solid grasp of where their organization sits relative to industry standards, what gaps exist, and which vendors and technologies warrant deeper evaluation.
IT Roadmap: 2005 also benefits from the expertise of two seasoned research professionals. Johna Till Johnson, President and Chief Research Officer of Nemertes Research and a Network World columnist, joins Gallant to provide data‑driven insights. Their partnership blends journalistic rigor with academic research, ensuring that each presentation is grounded in verified trends rather than hype. This dual perspective helps IT executives differentiate between short‑term buzz and long‑term strategy.
The format is interactive and collaborative. Sessions encourage participants to share real‑world challenges, while facilitators guide discussions toward concrete solutions. Rather than passive lectures, the tour adopts a problem‑solving approach: participants bring a current project or pain point, and the panelists help map it onto the broader technology trends. The result is a highly personalized learning experience that can be directly applied to a company’s roadmap.
Network World’s decision to add IT Roadmap: 2005 to its Technology Tour roster reflects a broader trend in the industry: the need for continuous learning and agile planning. In 2004, the company already hosted four‑city tours on topics like Network Management, Wireless LANs, WAN, Data Centers, Remote Office Networking, and Security. Two additional tours in September covered VoIP and Spam, while a November tour focused on Security. IT Roadmap: 2005 serves as the capstone of that year’s tour series, wrapping up the year with a forward‑looking perspective that positions executives to start 2005 on the right foot.
By offering a concise yet comprehensive overview of the most impactful developments, IT Roadmap: 2005 helps IT leaders avoid costly missteps. It also accelerates the decision‑making process by providing a ready‑made framework for evaluating new technologies. In a landscape where the margin between leading and lagging can be a matter of weeks, the event’s focus on rapid, deep insights is a valuable commodity for any enterprise that wants to stay competitive.
How IT Roadmap Fits into Network World’s Technology Tour Ecosystem
Network World has built a reputation for delivering timely, relevant content through its Technology Tour series. Each tour is a multi‑city, multi‑day event that dives into a specific technology area, often tied to the most pressing issues of the moment. The series started with foundational topics such as Network Management and Wireless LANs, then expanded to cover WAN, Data Centers, Remote Office Networking, and Security. By 2004, the tours had grown to include emerging subjects like VoIP, Spam, and advanced Security measures. IT Roadmap: 2005 represents the culmination of this evolution - a survey of the past year’s highlights and a springboard for the next.
The tour’s design reflects Network World’s understanding that IT executives need more than static information. They require context, comparison, and a clear path forward. To that end, each tour features a mix of keynote presentations, panel discussions, and hands‑on demonstrations. The event schedule allows participants to absorb new concepts and immediately apply them to their own environments. This iterative learning model is a direct response to the rapid pace of technology change, ensuring that executives are not only informed but also equipped to act.
One of the strengths of the Technology Tour format is its geographic breadth. By visiting multiple cities, the tours reach a wide range of professionals - from large enterprise IT managers in metropolitan hubs to niche specialists in smaller markets. IT Roadmap: 2005 maintains this approach, visiting Boston, San Francisco, Dallas, and Chicago in December. Each city provides a unique audience, enabling the event to address region‑specific concerns while maintaining a consistent core message about national and global tech trends.
Beyond the cities, the tours offer networking opportunities that are crucial for sharing best practices. Attendees can connect with peers facing similar challenges, forming informal collaborations that extend beyond the conference floor. This community aspect amplifies the value of the event; knowledge gained at a session can be shared across organizations, driving industry‑wide improvements in technology adoption.
From a logistical standpoint, the Technology Tour series is engineered for maximum impact. Sessions are kept concise - usually no longer than two hours - to respect the busy schedules of executives. Yet the depth of content remains high, because the focus is on the most consequential developments rather than exhaustive coverage of every new product. IT Roadmap: 2005 follows this model closely: each session targets a single trend, provides a clear explanation of its business implications, and offers actionable next steps.
The event’s place within the broader tour ecosystem also underscores Network World’s commitment to covering the full spectrum of IT concerns. While past tours have tackled infrastructure and security, IT Roadmap: 2005 looks forward, connecting infrastructure, security, application development, and emerging services. This holistic view is essential for executives who must balance technology choices across multiple layers of their organization.
In short, IT Roadmap: 2005 is more than a single event; it is the latest chapter in a proven series that adapts to the changing needs of IT professionals. By providing a focused, forward‑looking perspective, the tour helps executives plan more effectively for the next fiscal year and beyond.
Event Details, Schedule, and How to Register
IT Roadmap: 2005 is scheduled for December 2004, featuring four major stops across the United States. The tour kicks off in Boston on the 30th, moves to San Francisco on the 2nd, Dallas on the 14th, and concludes in Chicago on the 16th. Each venue offers a combination of keynote rooms, breakout areas, and networking lounges, designed to facilitate both formal learning and informal discussion.
Boston, MA – Sheraton Framingham (December 30) is the launchpad for the tour. Participants will be greeted with a welcome reception followed by the opening keynote, which will outline the overarching themes of the event. Following the keynote, the day will feature two breakout sessions focused on virtualization and broadband infrastructure, two of the most influential trends from 2004.
San Francisco, CA – Crowne Plaza San Francisco Airport, Burlingame (December 2) offers a more tech‑centric environment, reflecting the city’s reputation as an innovation hub. The schedule here emphasizes mobile computing and cloud service emergence. A panel discussion will feature industry experts discussing the impact of cloud platforms on enterprise security models.
Dallas, TX – Renaissance Dallas-Richardson Hotel (December 14) will concentrate on data center optimization and the integration of security practices into infrastructure design. Attendees can expect hands‑on demonstrations of emerging virtualization tools and a workshop on building secure, scalable data centers.
Chicago, IL – Hyatt Woodfield, Schaumburg (December 16) serves as the final stop, offering a closing session that ties together the insights gathered from the previous three cities. The keynote will revisit the key takeaways and provide a concise roadmap for 2005. Closing remarks will emphasize actionable strategies and next steps, ensuring that executives leave equipped to implement new initiatives immediately.
John Gallant and Johna Till Johnson will co‑host each session, drawing on their combined expertise to provide balanced, data‑driven perspectives. Gallant brings deep knowledge of industry trends, while Johnson adds a research‑based analysis that supports decision making with hard facts. Together, they create a dialogue that encourages attendees to question assumptions and consider new possibilities.
Registration for IT Roadmap: 2005 opens at the end of November. Early‑bird pricing is available for those who secure their spots before the first session in Boston. The event fee covers all four cities, access to all sessions, and a comprehensive materials package that includes slide decks, reference guides, and a subscription to Network World’s online archive for a year.
Interested executives can register directly through Network World’s website. The registration page offers a straightforward form where participants can select the cities they plan to attend, specify their organization size, and indicate key topics of interest. After submission, attendees receive a confirmation email with detailed instructions on travel, lodging, and session registration.
Network World’s IT Roadmap: 2005 is positioned to become a pivotal event for IT leaders preparing for the next year. With its concise, trend‑focused sessions, high‑profile hosts, and strategic schedule, the tour delivers actionable insights that can be translated into tangible business outcomes. For executives looking to stay ahead of the curve, this event offers a unique blend of knowledge, networking, and strategic guidance - exactly what’s needed in a world where technology evolves at a breakneck pace.
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