May 6, 2014
Redwood City
People ask me about the “vendor days” that I’ve been setting up. In the monthly Q&A I explained that large organizations usually have a set of vendors that are more strategically relevant in its long-term plans. It is good practice to do frequent information sharing and relationship building with those technology providers. In addition to helping us simplify our technology landscape, it helps Procurement do what they need to leverage the size and scale of UC to gain the best pricing and terms and conditions. Oracle Day was the latest event and was held in Redwood City, CA, which is their global headquarters. Over 30 people from UC participated, representing twelve locations. There was a great set of speakers and presenters, as you can see in the agenda. Oracle chairman, Jeff Henley, is a Santa Barbara and UCLA grad and kicked off the day with a stirring speech for higher education.