Top 5 Things I Learnt at the IEEE Women in Computing Summit
A few weeks ago, I was invited to give a talk on my work at the IEEE Women in Computing summit hosted by Ericsson. It was a splendid opportunity for me to showcase my work as well as learn and network with fellow researchers, developers and leaders. This conference left me brimming with many ideas, inspirations from some incredible female minds and of course, networking.
Here are the Top 5 thoughts that I learnt and wanted to share with you.
1. We are in the midst of a Digital Transformation
Meenakshi Kaul-Basu from Ericsson Cloud Data Storage spoke about the transformation and trends in areas such as Cloud and Edge computing. With new types of innovation and creativity in Cloud Data Management, we are observing a changing landscape in the ecosystem of the Cloud.
IOT and Edge devices are becoming powerful and it has become important to extract relevant information from these devices and taking appropriate decision per the model.
2. The Zero Touch Network
Kamala Subramanium from Google introduced the audience to Google’s experience of SDN in a fast-evolving and challenging environment, focusing on the flexibility and innovation allowed by the use of this technology.
One key takeaway from her talk was to not treat a change in the networks as an exceptional event. But the infrastructure around the network should be built as such that it is safe to evolve the network daily.
3. Challenges in deploying Deep Learning
In the words of Andrew Ng, one of the most prominent names in Deep Learning:
“I believe Deep Learning is our best shot at progress towards real AI”
Anima Anandkumar from Amazon introduced us to deep learning in areas such as Computer Vision, Natural Language Processing, etc. and the challenges it faces so that the machine delivers desired results.
Ensuring portability by efficient use of memory and efficiency in training and inference of data were some of her key points that are being addressed by researchers today.
4. Be in Control of Your Data
Namratha Manjunath from NetApp spoke about a key topic of how SaaS providers need to protect against Data Loss.
Outlining some Data Loss scenarios like rogue admins, insider threats, and ransomware attacks which we have been observing on the rise lately, it is important to take strong steps against the threats of Data Loss in the Cloud.
5. Threat Management Trends
Rinki Sethi from Palo Alto Networks talked about latest trends in cybersecurity and how the challenging problems of security require creative minds to solve them.
The ancient decision-making strategy of “first principles” thinking together with the prevention mindset holds the key in solving cybersecurity problems.
Breaking down the problem into basic fundamentals and using first principles can drive the innovation and held counterattack threats to software.
Lastly, I got a chance to speak to Martina Sourada from Nvidia who is an inspiring female leader. One key advice she gave was that our best work happens when we push ourselves outside our boundaries. It is important to know how to solve the problem and work smart.
