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Executive summary

The Finance Track holds an important position in WCIT 2010 in many respects and was specially added to the program fairly recently.

The Finance Special will show how new client needs and the dynamics of business and technology are eminent in this sector. It will demonstrate how technology can really be a differentiator when implementing business innovations. In the coming years, globalization, regulatory changes and social networks will lead to new market entrants, new business models and new methods of customer interaction.

The most important challenge for the financial sector in 2010 is to regain the trust of its customers. For clients, it should be obvious that they can rely on to-the-point, transparent products/services, that they will be offered professional and concerned advice and that complaints will be handled adequately. Customers should be confident that their money is safely placed and that capital growth is assured. These targets should be central in customer management and product development. The governance, ethics and reward mechanisms of financial institutions should be re-evaluated in that context.

All these developments have consequences for the agenda of the CIO. Change seems to be the only constant factor for the CIO, especially in the finance sector.  In the spring of 2010, KPMG conducted worldwide research into the agenda of CIOs.  The results show th

Executive Summary

Water stress is a global issue
• Climate change is forcing drought mitigation measures and flood management strategies.
• In many countries infrastructure is aging and failing.
• Agriculture, domestic and industrial sectors are impacted by increasing demand and limited supply.
• Water management domains are often fragmented with conflicting interests of stakeholders.
• Worldwide energy needs drive water needs and vice versa.
• Regulatory frameworks force decisions.
• (Initiatives for) change in the water sector increasingly come from outside the sector, through ‘outside the waterbox thinking’.
• ‘Outside the waterbox thinking’ is needed to improve the process of change. ICT plays a dominant role in this process!

Water is quickly rising on the agendas of leaders worldwide in various sectors: government, cities, the oil & gas industry, energy and water utilities, transport, insurance, and consumer goods. Integration & harmonization of existing and new IT infrastructures, applications, models, sensors and data is needed to help address the challenges facing us. ‘One barrier to better management of water resources is simply lack of data — where the water is, where it's going, how much is being used and for what purposes, how much

Executive Summary
In a world where climate change and CO2 reduction are of a growing importance, it is the innovative capability of IT that can help to solve these problems. Through smart use, IT can help to increase energy efficiency and enable other sectors to reduce their energy consumption. At the same time, because of its intensive energy consumption, the IT sector has to play its part in becoming a green and sustainable sector.

WCIT 2010 will serve as a global platform from which to create awareness and to share knowledge and best practices on the relationship between energy consumption and IT. During a three-day programme, participants will be inspired by looking into the future of energy consumption and the role that IT can play in this. IT-enabled innovations will be shown, including smart grids, electric cars and green datacenters. WCIT will also present examples of transition to a sustainable environment that have been made in business and government.
Besides, WCIT will be the platform where the new European IT policy will be presented to the world.

An Introduction to IT & Energy
Climate change, CO2 emissions, the environment, finite fossil fuels – all of these issues are in the news every day. The use of IT and its role in everyday life and w