Editor’s note: The announcement below was issued by GCDCS20 organizers InsightaaS and McMaster University Computing Infrastructure Research Centre on March 17, 2020 at 4:30 p.m.
The GCDCS20 organizers want to thank our sponsors, speakers, partners and early registrants for their overwhelming support. We have heard repeatedly from participants that this is a unique and valuable event that offers data centre thought leaders an exceptional opportunity to connect, share, and grow. Today, more than ever, there is need for us all to pull together, and GCDCS20 is determined to continue to provide leadership for our community.
We have been monitoring the advice of Ontario public health authorities and listening to concerns regarding Covid-19 and attendance at large public gatherings. To ensure we’re doing our part to adhere to best healthcare practices for viral containment, while maintaining our commitment to delivering a best in class data centre show, we’ve formalized Plan A, Plan B and Plan C for GCDCS20.
Plan A: Full Steam Ahead! GCDCS20 is scheduled for late June (June 22-24). If the medical response to Covid-19 is successful and Canada is ‘open for business’ by June, we will be pleased to host GCDCS20 as planned, late in the month. Due to its limited size and focus on local industry participation, GDCDS20 circumvents many of the factors that create the most pernicious virus risks to global events.
- A decision on June will be made roughly 30 days in advance and in accordance with the best interests of our community, as determined by the proactive monitoring and leadership shown by McMaster University through its dedicated website: https://covid19.mcmaster.ca/.
Plan B: GCDCS20 – Winter Knowledge Exchange! If there is no ‘all clear’ on June, we have arranged to reschedule the event for December 8-9 at McMaster Innovation Park. We have been in touch with sponsors, speakers and partners – and again, we are truly thankful for the support that they have shown us for the alternative arrangement. (If we reschedule, we will have to cancel the “GCDCS Invitational” golf tournament – but everyone who’s been in Canada in December already knew that!)
Plan C: Room limits and catering. Regardless of whether we run in June or December, we expect to establish a strict daily attendee limit. Registrants will be asked to prioritize between “Day 1: Facility Matters,” which includes our All-Star Plenary Panel and main stage sessions focused on power, cooling and density, sustainability and connectivity, and “Day 2: Facility as a Service,” which includes additional plenary discussions and main stage sessions on cloud, colo and hybrid, SDx and edge computing. We will try to accommodate guests for both days, but ask that everyone associated with GCDCS20 appreciate our desire to manage risk factors.
Whatever the date, we will take all possible precautionary measures in food service and seating.
Questions? If you have questions regarding GCDCS20 – or wish to show your support for the event by sponsoring, registering or becoming a community partner – please reach out to us! We can be contacted at info@gcdcs20.ca; I can be reached personally at 416-694-9900 if you prefer to talk.
We wish all of you good health through the volatile times to come – and look forward to seeing you, June or December, as we restart the community supporting our data-dependent world.
-The GCDCS20 team
