Government agencies and their trusted partners across the globe face a common challenge today and into the future:  how to exchange services and information more rapidly, securely, and effectively across organizational boundaries - and even across industry boundaries.  Information Exchange is now at the heart of transformational improvements in high consequence environments - where lives, fortunes, and freedom itself are at stake:  Health Information Exchange (HIE) is transforming high consequence environments in the healthcare industry, Net-Centric Information Exchange is transforming high consequence environments in Defense, and the Intelligence community is making progress in sharing information since the tragic events of 9/11, but clearly challenges still exist.

While SOA and Cloud Computing provide a framework for sharing services and information, they must work in concert with other  technologies to enable Next Generation Information Exchange in High Consequence Environments.   Our speakers and panels of government and industry technical experts from defense, homeland security, healthcare, energy, and other industries will discuss how these technologies will work together to enable Next Generation Information Exchange, using case-studies and scenarios based on their experiences and perspectives.

The conference program includes leading experts in SOA, Cloud Computing, Business Process Management, Web 2.0 Collaboration, Data and Information Management, High Performance Infrastructure, and Cybersecurity technologies.

While technology is important, technology alone cannot enable Next Generation Information Exchange in High Consequence Environments.  Sharing information and services across Federal, state, and local government agencies, and with industry and international partners, depends on new and innovative approaches to policy, governance, and acquisition practices.

Our speakers and panels of government and industry innovators in policy, governance, and acquisition practices from various industries will discuss their experiences in making Information Exchange work, the challenges they face, and what government and industry must do together to enable Next Generation Information Exchange.

We will highlight one Federal project as a case-study throughout the day: the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen).  This  is not just the next air traffic control system, but rather a multi agency initiative, to transform our nation’s air transportation system.   The massive and complex effort involves the Departments of Transportation, Commerce (NOAA), Defense (USAF), Homeland Security (TSA), the FAA, NASA, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and other partners in industry, as well as complementary initiatives with our allies abroad. While the rapid sharing of digital information is well understood, or at least under development, in other areas of government and industry, in many respects it is relatively new to the aviation community.  The importance of this project is underscored by the fact that aviation accounts for over 5% of our nation’s gross domestic product and is responsible for the employment of 11 million Americans.  It’s a dynamic economic engine that cannot fail us, and yet to take the system to the next level, a dynamic partnership must exist across a range of government agencies and private industries.

The February 10th AFCEA DC "Beyond SOA & Cloud" Conference builds upon the success of our 2009 Cybersecurity Conference, and the success of our sister AFCEA Chapter’s in the region, who have been holding similar regional conferences for the last decade, highlighting the needs of the Army, Navy/Marines, Air Force, Law Enforcement and Health IT Communities.  Based on those successful events, we expect attendance at the "Beyond SOA & Cloud" Conference to be a full-house of 600+ attendees.  Come join your colleagues who are working hard to meet the information exchange, security, collaboration, and mission needs of the agencies highlighted and the government overall.