LAS VEGAS -- Interop -- The IT industry may be undergoing a period of uncertainty, but the organizers of this years Interop event here are hoping their annual networking jamboree will buck the trend.
The conference circuit has taken something of a battering recently. Last year the plug was pulled on falls Comdex and CeBIT America events, and Sun Microsystems Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW) canceled its popular SunNetwork event (see No Tears for Comdex and Sun Shelves Network Conference).
In stark contrast, Interop is growing, according to the events vice president and general manager, Lenny Heymann. Last year we had 16,000 attendees, and were expecting 10 percent growth over that number, he says. The number of vendors exhibiting is also on the rise, up to 375 from around 340 last year.
Things are really picking up. Were seeing lots of growth in voice-over-IP, collaboration, mobility, and security, Heymann adds.
The conference is also going back to its roots this year, reverting to its original name, Interop, for the first time since 1994 (see Networld+Interop Becomes Interop). Heymann says the name change underlines the events renewed emphasis on interoperability.
