Hannover, Germany. CeBIT Global Conferences (CGC), the world's leading IT congress, will feature more than 30 high-level speakers from the world's best-known and most innovative companies.  Now in its third year, CGC presents speakers who have helped shape the digital landscape, including CEOs, CIOs and CTOs from leading international conglomerates as well as energetic start-ups.  

Current trends signal a momentous paradigm shift from the traditional desktop computing model to one where software and services are delivered via the cloud to a wide variety of devices. Accordingly, the overarching theme of CGC 2010 is "Challenges of a Changing World - ICT for Better Lives and Better Business".

Each day of the CGC program will address a unique aspect of this paradigm shift and, for the first time since its inception, CGC will remain open on Saturday when it hosts the special event "@ music: About Artists, Consumers and Pirates".

CeBIT Global Conferences runs concurrently with CeBIT, the world's largest IT and communications trade fair, which will take place March 2-6, 2010, at the Hannover Fairgrounds in Hannover, Germany.

Following is a selection of CGC speakers and their topics. Visit www.cebit.de/cgc for complete program information.

Tuesday, March 2 - Challenges as Opportunities: How ICT Faces the World of Tomorrow

Dr. Werner Vogels, Vice President Worldwide Architecture and CTO of amazon.com, will kick off CGC with "Successful Strategies in the Cloud: Perspectives from Amazon Web Services", which will explain how companies are moving to the Cloud and why they are doing so faster than ever.  Capgemini Global CTO Andy Mulholland will talk about "A Changing Focus for Business and IT", which looks at the results of the latest German IT Trend survey. 

Google's Nelson Mattos, Vice President of Product Management & Engineering, EMEA, will present "Evolution of the Web: Open, Social, Mobile and Transparent - Today's Innovation for an Internet to Meet Future Challenges", advocating an open web that gives users control over the technology and the information they use.  

Other speakers include Telefonica CEO and Executive Chairman Cesar Alierta Izuel, SAP Member of the Executive Board and CTO Vishal Sikka and Australian Senator Kate Lundy.

Wednesday, March 3 - Smart business 2020: ICT for Empowered Business in Dynamic Times

Jon Iwata, IBM Senior Vice President of Marketing Communications, will begin the day with "New Skills and Collaboration for a Smarter Planet".  According to Iwata, "Our ability to interconnect the world's infrastructure can make the planet smarter. Our challenge won't be the technology; it will be whether we can change the way we work together."  

Stephen J. Felice, Dell's President of Small & Medium Business, with his presentation "Beating the Competition: How Efficient and Accessible Technology is Driving Today's Growing Businesses", will explain how businesses can use such breakthrough technologies as cloud computing and virtualization to become more competitive, more profitable and more dynamic.

INTEL Vice President & CIO Diane Bryant, will discuss "Tomorrow's Potential, Shaped by Information Technology Today", addressing such challenges as accelerating user requirements, globalization, and security. She will also emphasize that value creation relies on continuous investment, innovation, and foresight.

Adobe Systems Senior Vice President Rob Tarkoff will talk about "The Customer-Driven Enterprise: Changing Enterprise Software, One User at a Time". What does a Customer-Driven Enterprise mean when change happens rapidly, experiences span devices and platforms, and social interaction moves to the forefront? Tarkoff will underscore the role software plays in transforming customer experiences.

Dr. Steve Garnett, Chairman and President of Salesforce.com Europe, is sure to attract attention with "The Decade When Enterprise Software Died", which will explain that employees raised on the consumer web have different expectations about how business applications are delivered. According to Dr. Garnett, software is part of the problem, not part of the solution.

Thursday, March 4 - Consumer Electronics & Mobile Solutions: The Next Generation

Microsoft COO B. Kevin Turner will begin the day with "Connecting the Digital Lifestyle & Digital Work Style", looking at how consumers bridge their work and home experiences, the subsequent demands placed on employers, and how software will offer solutions through new user interfaces and cloud computing.   

Creativity International President Dr. Robert Epstein's talk, "Spurring Creativity and Innovation During Tough Times - and Good Times, Too", will describe ten strategies for accelerating innovation during difficult times and, more important, for embedding systems that drive creativity and innovation year round. "We are going through tough times economically. The only cure," Dr. Epstein says, "is new ideas."

Ghost Inc. founder and CEO Dr. Zvi Schreiber, while discussing "Cloud Computing for the End User", will compare virtualized, web-based computing approaches to more traditional virtual desktop approaches while analyzing cost, performance and security.

Friday, March 5 - Connected Worlds: Surfing the Wave of Change Together

Change is constant, but in the decade since the dot.com frenzy there has been a real and profound species-level change. Such change can be hard to see through the blur of day to day news.  Flickr co-founder Stewart Butterfield will speak about "The Biggest Thing Since the Domestication of Animals", taking a step back for a broader perspective on how human life is changing.

Linden Lab CEO Mark Kingdon, whose topic is "The Ultimate Immersive Experience - Using Virtual Worlds to Connect, Communicate and  Collaborate", will demonstrate how individuals and organizations are using virtual worlds such as Second Life to collaborate, create new products, and launch businesses.

Ustream founder and CEO John Ham will talk about "The Power of Live: Real-Time Community and Connections", focusing on the growing demand for real-time Internet and how, due to innovation in the mobile and social spaces, live events are bringing people back online to experience rich communities.

Saturday, March 6 - @music: About Artists, Consumers and Pirates

Everyone agrees that music piracy must be stopped, and that artists and music companies deserve compensation. But which approaches are credible and which business models applicable? What are the obstacles and opportunities? Who is still willing to pay for creativity, and how can authors and creators exercise their rights? These are among the questions that "@music: About Artists, Consumers and Pirates" will tackle.   

Speakers and panellists include Mark Chung, Chairman of the Board of VUT (German Association of Independent Music Companies) and former bass player in rock band Einstürzende Neubauten; Sevenload founder Ibrahim Evsan, Joachim Franz, Vice President of Musicload at Deutsche Telekom; Proud Music managing director Stefan Peter Roos; and Dr. Urban Pappi, Director of Broadcasting and Online, GEMA.

Andrew Douglass, Chief Executive of innovision, will give the keynote address and, in a special talk, Germany's best-known music producer, Mousse T., will give his views on how musicians and pop stars can make a living in the future and the new business models that will shape tomorrow's music industry.

About CeBIT Global Conferences

CeBIT Global Conferences, which take place in the Convention Center at the Hannover Fairgrounds, are co-organized by BITKOM and Deutsche Messe AG. Keynotes and panel discussions address the topics of most interest to IT decision-makers, both vendors and buyers, as well as technology end-users and enthusiasts. Conference language is English and admission is free to all holders of CeBIT 2010 entrance tickets.

About CeBIT

CeBIT is the world's most important trade fair for the digital industry. Combining under one roof exhibits, conferences, keynotes, and corporate events, CeBIT hosts IT decision-makers from around the world. As a communication platform, it generates international media coverage while promoting business, political and scientific cooperation. CeBIT 2010 (March 2-6) highlights include Connected Worlds, CeBIT Sounds!, Business IT, Green IT, Internet & Mobile Solutions, Webciety, Destination ITS, TeleHealth, Security, Banking and Finance, Communications, ICT Infrastructure, Music, and Planet Reseller. Partner Country at CeBIT 2010 is Spain. Visit www.cebit.de for more information.