When Gestalt IT was created, back in 2008, we recognized the fundamental interconnectedness of modern IT systems. “Gestalt” refers to the idea that systems should be viewed as a whole, not as a simple collection of components. That same approach led us to creating Tech Field Day in 2009 and bringing in a range of IT experts and companies from networking, servers, storage, and applications.
The Gestalt Field Day
Tech Field Day was a massive success right from the start. Before the end of the first day of the original Tech Field Day event in 2009, we had commitments for Tech Field Day 2 and Tech Field Day 3 the next year. And we just kept growing after that!
All of our original Tech Field Day events were “gestalt” in that they were about IT infrastructure as a whole. But a funny thing happened next: Companies and delegates began asking for more-focused events. These started with Networking Field Day 1 that September, with Wireless Field Day 1 scheduled the next year and Virtualization Field Day and Storage Field Day series beginning soon after.
Virtualization Field Day and Tech Field Day
In many ways, Virtualization Field Day took over where Tech Field Day had started. VMware was the undisputed heart of the data center and the term, “Virtualization” clearly meant what the original “Tech” name never expressed: This was an event for the whole converged IT stack, with a focus on how everything served the compute cluster at the heart.
But IT has changed. Hyperscale, cloud, and container infrastructure is just as important as server virtualization today. We got to a point in 2015 where companies were reluctant to sign up for Virtualization Field Day because they worried it was all about VMware! How times have changed…
The Return of Tech Field Day
For 2016 we have decided to go back to our roots. We are re-launching the “gestalt” Tech Field Day event series in 2016!
Although there is no event called Virtualization Field Day in 2016, the meaning remains the same: Our Tech Field Day events examine the ways in which IT infrastructure components come together to support applications. We expect to see server, storage, compute, management, and many more topics besides.
Storage, Networking, and More!
Although we will likely focus an event on containers, the “new stack”, the cloud, and other emerging alternatives, we have decided to stick with Networking Field Day, Storage Field Day, and Wireless Field Day as well. These verticals deserve focus and they’re going to get it! And we’re even adding a Unified Communications Field Day event!
Check out the complete list of upcoming Tech Field Day events on our web site! We’re always happy to welcome new delegates and presenting companies, so let us know if you’re interested in joining the Tech Field Day family. After three years off, Tech Field Day has returned!