Keynotes

David Axmark was involved with the MySQL database well before it had a name. David's primary focus now at MySQL is Open Source licensing and strategy, as well as community relations. He also actively promotes Open Source software and MySQL at conferences and other venues around the world. Interested in free software since the early '80s, David is committed to developing a successful business model through Open Source software.

Brian Behlendorf founded CollabNet, with O'Reilly & Associates, in July 1999. The company provides tools and services based on open source methods. Before launching CollabNet, Behlendorf was co-founder and CTO of Organic Online, a Web design and engineering consultancy located in San Francisco. During his five years at Organic, Behlendorf helped create Internet strategies for dozens of Fortune 500 companies. During that time, he co-founded and contributed heavily to the Apache Web Server Project, co-founded and supported the VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) effort, and assisted several IETF working groups, particularly the HTTP standardization effort. Before starting Organic, Behlendorf was the first Chief Engineer at Wired Magazine and later HotWired, one of the first large-scale publishing Web sites. Behlendorf is Director of the Apache Software Foundation.

Juergen Geck is responsible for aligning and communicating the company's technology strategy. Juergen joined SuSE in 1997, and served since early 2000 as Vice President Technology Partners. He built strong alliances with partners AMD, Fujitsu-Siemens-Computers, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Oracle and SAP. Geck built a framework for SUSE to cooperate with all major hardware vendors and CPU manufacturers.

In 2002, he introduced SuSE's Technology Partner Program to provide a scalable offering for all SuSE partners. Juergen also helped design SuSE's flagship product, SuSE LINUX Enterprise Server and its maintenance model, enabling the first enterprise Linux offering in the market. He holds a masters degree in production engineering from the University of Erlangen, Germany.

Shrikant Patil is Director of the Solutions Group, South Asia. The Solutions group is responsible for enabling applications and solutions on Intel platforms covering desktops, notebooks, server and handhelds. Shrikant has been with Intel since 1991 and worked in various capacities including software development, IC design of Microprocessors and Chipsets, Tools and Platform Marketing. He has extensive international experience with stints starting from U.S., Israel, India and Hong Kong. His interest includes usage models for technology consumption both on the business and consumer side. In his current role, primary focus is to drive the IT adoption leading to the modernization of industries in India, with special focus on Government, Telecom, FSI and Manufacturing. Shrikant holds a Bachelor in Computer Engineering and MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Colorado.

Dr. Deepak Phatak is Nilekani Chair Professor of the School of Information Technology at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. Dr. Phatak's vision is to see a resurgent India catching up with the world using Information Technology as the spring board. He hopes to make Linux and Open Source work for millions of Indians.

Dr. S. Sadagopan is Director of IIIT Bangalore. Dr. Sadagopan is one of India's foremost thinkers, and the founder and Director of the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore. Professor Sadagopan got his Bachelor's degree in Engineering from Madras University in 1973, and his Master's and Doctoral degree at Purdue University before returning to India to teach at IIT, Kanpur. He writes extensively on IT and its impact on society.

Matthew Szulik has been leading early-stage technology companies, such as Interleaf, MapInfo, and Red Hat, into global, publicly traded firms for more than 20 years. In 1998, Szulik and Red Hat founder Bob Young developed a shared vision that the collaborative approach of open source and a great brand could redistribute the economics of the technology industry from vendor to customer.

Matthew is passionate about improving the educational opportunities for students worldwide through open source, and he is a spokesperson to industry, government, and education leaders on open source computing.