Mission critical events

It never fails … every time I attend a mission critical industry event, I’m amazed at the new level of innovation. Over the past few years that I’ve been part of the Mission Critical team, I’ve adopted a couple staple events, so to speak. You’ll see me at both 7x24 Exchange Intl. conferences every year. And, I always seem to find my way onto the Data Center World show floor. But, there are so many more events, I don’t really know how to choose which ones to go to.

Thanks to an invite from Eaton, I recently attended Data Center Vision 2023 for the first time. To sum it up in one word: wow! Things I didn’t even know could happen are happening. For example, did you know your fiber panel systems can come with a built in robot that can automate physical changes? Because, I didn’t until a couple of weeks ago.

The big topic of conversation there, and at Data Center World the week after, was AI. Talks of ChatGPT and exponential increase in power consumption that results from it were overheard in nearly every corner. Some people compared it to other fads that seemingly come in hot and fizzle out, like the metaverse, cryptocurrency, etc.

What’s more is that electric vehicle charging infrastructure appears to be coupled with data centers now.

I left both events wondering one thing: What doesn’t the mission critical industry do? I still don’t know the answer. But, I do know this: The industry puts on a lot of shows.

So, my question to is, which conferences/industry events are your must-attend events and why? Share your answers with me and the rest of readers on LinkedIn, and maybe we’ll see you at the next event.

Amy Al-Katib

Amy Al-Katib, CDCDP, is editor-in-chief of Mission Critical magazine. She is a member of 7x24 Exchange Intl., ASIS Intl., BICSI, iMasons, the International Society of Philosophical Enquiry, and Mensa. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Michigan State University and a certificate in STEM/computer science from New York University. She is currently enrolled in the Master's of Science Cybersecurity program at NYU. Reach her at al-katiba@bnpmedia.com.