Philippine Open Source Summit

Starting this June 2008, the CBM ICT events shall take on a new and vibrant meaning. Continuity with the past -- Cebu ICT 2005 to 2007; and, moving strategically towards the future, this annual gathering of ICT local and global stakeholders shall henceforth be guided by the Cebu Information & Communications Technology (ICT) Industry Development Blueprint laid down at the 2nd Cebu ICT Strategy Summit of 2006.

The 2nd Cebu ICT Strategy Summit held in May 2006 was an “internal strategic planning retreat” among the key stakeholders of Cebu’s ICT industry, with the primary objective of mapping out the roadmap of Cebu’s ICT Industry from 2006 to 2011. It took on the theme “Defining the Tasks Ahead for a UnITed Cebu” as a testament to the sincere hope in the unifying power of a shared vision for ICT. The strategy summit aimed to “take stock of things” in order for Cebu stakeholders --- from the industry, academe, government, and non-government sectors --- to even more cohesively “pull the cart” in the same direction.

The strategy summit brought together the ICT players to make certain that all the essential ingredients in transforming Cebu into an “Innovation Island” be genuinely present, or at least that the work towards making these key components available are being or will be seriously pursued, emulating the Silicon Valley (SV) Model, whose development pillars specifically revolved around four (4) major elements, namely: (1.) The creation of an Innovation Ecosystem; (2.) The promotion of a Culture of Technology Entrepreneurship; (3.) The provision of a Critical Mass of Quality Professionals and Practitioners; and, (4.) The availability of the Legal and Financial Framework.

Aligned to the roadmap indicated by the 2nd Cebu ICT Strategy Summit of 2006, and with the consensus and encouragement of its Local Implementing Partners – the foremost Manila-based ICT & ITES associations in the Philippines – expressed and unanimously resolved during the Summit’s Preparatory Workshop held in Makati City in April 2008, the CBM ICT Committee for 2008 is spearheading the Philippine Open Source Summit 2008 -- a special event that cuts across two key ingredients in the SV Model by advancing the development of an innovation ecosystem and the promotion of technology entrepreneurship.

And, thus, for the very first time -- the major stakeholders, gurus, user groups, advocates, and enthusiasts of Open Source Technology across the world will converge in Cebu City to discuss how the Open Source movement is changing the rules of the game for ICT.

Open Source systems and software, for instance, are increasingly sharing the spotlight -- if not slowly grabbing center stage --- with traditional solutions in the global marketplace. Admittedly, however, the true business value of Open Source is often obscured by the hype coming from both proponents and non-advocates alike. There is therefore a need for more concise and clearer information to firmly evaluate both the opportunities and the threats that Open Source affords the users and thereby optimize its potential advantages.

At this two-day international summit, industry analysts, luminaries and client practitioners will focus on the challenges that the Open Source model introduces into modern mainstream ICT corporations and business enterprises so as to effectively manage Open Source as an integral element in any long-term ICT strategy.

The Philippine Open Source Summit also seeks to further enhance the rapidly growing support for Open Source systems and software in Asia, which links the event to the thrusts of Cebu ICT 2005 and 2007. The Lead Organizers, the Local Implementing Partners, and, the Corporate Partners of the Philippine Open Source Summit shall strategically collaborate with their counterparts among the proponents of the Asia Open Source Conference & Showcase which is also scheduled to take place in Cebu in October 2008.

Through the synergy of cooperation – the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT), the Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA), the Philippine Society of IT Educators (PSITE), G2VC, Exist Global, IBM, and Touch Solutions -- hope to transform the Philippine Open Source Summit into a milestone event that will bring together technology entrepreneurs from the different regional growth areas of the country – Davao, General Santos, Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo, Bacolod, Bohol, Dumaguete, Iligan, Koronadal, Albay, Dagupan, Urdaneta, Laguna, Rizal, and, Cagayan – through the invaluable help of the ICT Councils along the Cyber Service Corridor, to converge in Cebu for the First National Meet-up of Open Source User Groups, Advocates, and Enthusiasts.

This First National Meet-up has a two-fold purpose.

First, and perhaps relatively still unknown to many -- budding technology entrepreneurs all over the Philippines are using Open Source to establish their start-up business. The Philippine Open Source Summit shall provide the venue and occasion for these technopreneurs to be introduced to some "best practices on creating a start-up company -- the Open Source Way".

Second, the First National Meet-up shall be a “convention” hopefully leading up to the formal establishment of the National Open Source Association which in turn will spearhead the launching of the Philippine Open Source Center in October 2008, together with over twenty (20) other Asian countries participating at the Asian Open Source Conference & Showcase.

“Understanding the Business Value of Open Source”

The Philippine Open Source Summit 2008 will be held on the 23-24 of June 2008 at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) in the City of Mandaue.

Among many other concerns, through both the plenary and breakout sessions, the participants will find answers to the following vital questions --

How can mainstream organizations best manage the selection, adoption, and management of Open Source software within their ICT strategies?
How can Open Source software be integrated into existing ICT strategies for maximum return on investment?
What are the business factors that are driving Open Source adoption across many markets and industries?
What inhibitors exist to potentially limit the value of Open Source in conventional ICT strategies? How can IT organizations navigate around these challenges?
What are the key selection criteria in evaluating Open Source software projects and vendors to maximize ROI and minimize risk? What markets will be most heavily impacted by Open Source software and when?
How will Open Source software change the way commercial software vendors develop and support products in the future?
Which Open Source products have the most significant impact today across markets and what trends can we expect within the next several years?

Top Executives - CEOs, COOs, CIOs, CFOs of ICT companies involved with Open Source decisions from all industries;
IT leaders and stakeholders from Government, Industry, Academe, and NGOs
Senior Executives - VPs, Marketing Directors, Customer Service Managers, R&D Heads, Product Sales Directors and Managers, HR Directors of ICT corporations;
Heads of applications and software infrastructure, integration and development managers, software project managers, technical architects, web technologists, application developers, database and data managers;
Trainers, instructors and IT practitioners; systems integrators and resellers; and team leaders of ICT and IT-Enabled services firms; and,
Independent software vendors and IT consultants