Kim Austin

And we’re off! With 28,000 people attending in via three locations in Las Vegas and nearly 100,000 tuned to the online broadcast, Chuck Robbins had the attention of a lot of people today. No need for a gradual start — although Robbins did question the wisdom of morning keynotes (especially in…

If there’s one thing I can say about the Collaboration Technology Group (CTG), it’s that no one ever seems to sit still. There’s always something new coming along, in the works, and on the roadmap. And with multiple product areas coming together within CTG, it may sometimes feel like a blizzard. On…

Technology is changing the face of business as we know it. The old guard is on its way out. That’s not particularly shocking news. But over the next five years, digital disruption will displace 4 of the top 10 incumbent industry leaders for any given industry according to The Global Center for Digit…

Another day, another gathering focused on the evolution of technology at Code Conference. Big names, big ideas, and a lot to think about. Executives and activists. IBM, Google, Facebook, Gates Foundation, Twitter, Cisco, Musk… It’s too much for one post, but here are some highlights. Internet Trends…

It was a busy day to kick off this year’s Code Conference. A consistent energy of conversation and connection carried through the day. But that’s what happens when you bring together industry influencers to focus on digital technology, what it is today and how it will influence our future. Int…

Another busy day of Enterprise Connecting comes to a close in scenic Orlando. With Cisco’s announcements and Rowan’s keynote yesterday, my Wednesday was a bit quieter than Tuesday. (Not quiet, mind you — just quieter…) Collaboration Platforms with Jonathan Rosenberg My first session this…

Apparently Monday was just a warm-up. Tuesday started with several announcements before sunrise and just kept going past sundown with the Cisco Reception. The energy level throughout the day? A strong buzzing. And there was a lot to buzz about, starting with the morning press release kicking off the…

Enterprise Connect definitely got underway today in Orlando. The sessions grew more crowded throughout the day and the halls got busier. I heard a lot of talk about cloud, hybrid, UCaaS, and WebRTC just in passing conversations. (And I finally stopped looking for small dogs – the jingle of the badge…

I’m sitting across a table from a guy we’ll call Mike.* He’s trying to join an 8:00 a.m. conference call from one of those free services. It’s not working. First, the hold music is awful. I can hear it from here. I’m pretty convinced that it must be worth a few bucks a month to avoid just that…