Whether your company's data center is a couple of servers stashed in a closet or a gleaming, state-of-the-art climate-controlled facility, you're still facing the same set of challenges: how to keep the IT lights on while controlling costs, take advantage of new technologies to stay competitive, and position your company for an economic recovery in the midst of the toughest times for IT that many of us can remember.

On Wednesday, October 21, 2009, help is on the way.That's the date bMighty and InformationWeek SMB present the latest in our ongoing series of Virtual Events: Data Centers For Growing Companies -- dedicated to helping small and midsize companies deal with data centers in tough times. The event presents an essential program for small to midsize companies struggling to deal with their data center issues.

Data center veteran Steven Hill and I have worked to put together a uniquely informative event featuring multiple sessions with a wide range of experts eager to share their knowledge -- from keynote speakers Jeff Rudin and Phil Isaak (of data-center design consultants Reliable Resources) to Steven Schuchart Jr. and Brad Shimmin (a former TechWeb editor!) from Current Analysis and storage expert Howard Marks, plus Citrix's Simon Crosby, Oracle's Monica Kumar and Mark Johnson among others.

So, what will attendees of this virtual event actually learn?

1. We'll help you identify the physical challenges of building and maintaining a data center that grow and adapt to changes in your company.

2. We'll share tips on how to "green up" your power and cooling environment, no matter how big -- or small -- your data center is.

3. We'll cover how to choose storage systems that can scale along with your company, without breaking the bank just to get started.

4. We'll assess how server virtualization can save money and time for companies of virtually any size.

5. And we'll address the best ways to create the business applications that run in your data center.

Of course, the sessions are only the beginning. During the event, you can visit vendor booths to interact with company representatives and download materials or network and trade tips with presenters and fellow attendees in the Lounge. In fact, we're scheduling a couple of special meet-and-greet sessions in the Lounge, where you can chat with presenters and moderators about the data center issues most relevant to your company.

Data Centers For Growing Companies will deliver a unique mix of battle-tested best practices, experience-earned tips from the trenches, and new ideas and innovations to help you get the most from your data center investments.

Best of all, the entire event is free and available right from your desktop. I'm looking forward to meeting you there!

Don't Miss: bMighty/InformationWeek SMB Virtual Event: Dealing With Data Centers In Tough Times

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