AI is changing the rules of enterprise technology. As organisations embrace distributed AI workloads, digital sovereignty requirements, increasing cyber threats and growing operational complexity, many CIOs are discovering that yesterday's network architectures were not designed for tomorrow's business demands.

In this session, Colin Bannon, CTO of BT, will challenge conventional thinking about enterprise networking and explore why the network is re-emerging as a strategic business asset. Drawing on BT's experience supporting some of the world's largest multinational organisations, Colin will examine how leading enterprises are balancing private and public infrastructure, strengthening resilience, simplifying operations and preparing for a future in which AI, automation and real-time decision making depend on trusted, high-performance connectivity.

The discussion will explore a critical question facing CIOs today: how can organisations move beyond managing network availability to delivering measurable business outcomes?

From AI-ready infrastructure and digital sovereignty to operational resilience, intelligent network observability and the evolving role of communications platforms, Colin will outline the architectural principles that enable enterprises to reduce complexity while increasing agility.

Attendees will leave with a practical framework for thinking about the enterprise network not as a cost centre, but as the foundation for innovation, resilience and competitive differentiation in an increasingly AI-driven world.