A conference on cloud technology is coming to Honolulu later this month.
TRUE, or Technology Readiness User Evaluation, and Transform Hawaii Government have teamed up to host the first-ever Hawaii Cloud Innovation Summit from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 28 at the Hawaii Convention Center.
Featuring keynote speeches and panel discussions, the event will highlight how the cloud can help businesses increase productivity and efficiency, and make data-driven decisions.
“Cloud technology is transformative. It inspires organizations to think differently and approach work in new ways,” said Leilani Farinas, the executive director of TRUE, which is an initiative by the Hawaii Executive Collaborative that aims to tech-enable Hawaii organizations. “We want to demystify what the cloud is by showing attendees how the technology is practical and relevant to them, and just how accessible it can be given the range of options and choices available today.
“The world is moving toward cloud technology, and we wanted to offer Hawaii businesses an educational opportunity to hear about best practices in cloud innovation, which they could introduce to their own organizations,” Farinas added.
Cloud technology allows businesses to store and access information online instead of a hard drive.
“This allows employees to access information anytime, anywhere, in a secure environment,” explained Christine Sakuda, executive director of Transform Hawaii Government, a nonprofit that advocates for tech adoption in government. “This reduces silos within organizations as information becomes more accessible. This helps modernize workflow, speed decision-making and makes everyone more productive.”
Eddie Ontai, president of IT consulting firm DataHouse, which is sponsoring the event in partnership with cloud services company Amazon Web Services and the Hawaii Tourism Authority, noted that “innovation has become essential in the workplace.”
“In the private sector, innovation allows companies to be more nimble and agile and remain competitive,” Ontai said.
Similarly, Sakuda said, for the public sector, “government modernization has become key to reducing costs, eliminating redundancy, and streamlining processes.”
“That translates into saving time and making better use of tax revenue,” she said.
The conference will feature panels and sessions on topic areas including business operations, technical applications and workforce development opportunities. Keynote speakers include top executives at Amazon Web Services as well as the lieutenant governor of American Samoa, who will speak about digital transformation and lessons learned during the pandemic.
“DataHouse’s close affiliation with Amazon Web Services allows us to bring global thought leaders and valuable use cases on cloud technology to this summit,” Ontai noted. “It is a privilege to offer an event of this caliber to Hawaii’s professionals at no charge.”
While admission to the Hawaii Cloud Innovation Summit is free, registration is required by July 25. Organizers said tickets are going quickly and encourage people to sign up as soon as possible. For more information and to register, click here.
