Virtual software development and testing conferences to attend

Virtual software development and testing conferences in 2020

SmartBear Connect -- April 27-28. The vendor's software testing conference will take place online. This year's virtual edition will delve into tools on SmartBear's platform, such as TestComplete for test automation, Zephyr for test management, and SwaggerHub for API documentation. Sessions will also cover software quality topics, such as behavior-driven development, CI/CD and DevSecOps.

The event will include interactive chat functionality for attendees to interact with each other, speakers and SmartBear personnel. Registration for SmartBear Connect is free.

Some sessions to check out include:

• QADevSecOps - Leading a Quality-Driven DevOps Transformation (read more)
• The Future of Test Management (read more)
• Using API Tests to Reduce Feedback Time and Improve UI Test Stability (read more)

Red Hat Summit -- April 28-29. IBM Red Hat will hold its conference for all types of IT professionals virtually. Tracks include sessions for automation, cloud-native development, developers, future technologies and open digital transformation. Speakers from the IT industry include experts from Verizon, Ford and Credit Suisse.

The virtual Red Hat Summit is a free event. Red Hat also plans to set up virtual networking areas where attendees can connect.

The summit offers a mix of live and prerecorded sessions, including:

• Accelerating applications: Developing multi-microservices solutions (read more)
• Applying open culture practices across distributed teams (read more)
• Digital transformation in 2020 -- how modern teams can change the game the open source way

Tricentis Accelerate -- April 29. Hosted by software testing tools vendor Tricentis, Accelerate is a one-day event geared toward QA professionals. The digital software testing conference includes 12 items on its agenda, intended to demonstrate Tricentis' portfolio of tools, which includes qTest for test case management, LiveCompare for SAP analysis and NEO, its new AI engine.

Tricentis Accelerate, a free event, includes sessions like:

• Introducing NEO, Tricentis' AI Engine
• How Experian Modernized a Legacy Test Suite for Advanced Automation
• Testing, Deep and Shallow

Knowledge 2020 -- May 5. The ServiceNow Knowledge 2020 virtual conference will cover products as well as industry trends across areas such as DevOps, IT workflows and security. ServiceNow points attendees to its ongoing Knowledge Community, where users can post questions in forums, listen to podcasts, and access a library of videos and other resources.

Registration for Knowledge 2020 is free. There is currently no schedule for sessions.

STAREAST Virtual+ -- May 4-7. A virtual software testing conference hosted by TechWell, this event will include over 90 talks on software quality and testing subjects, including test automation and AI in software quality. TechWell offers a Slack workspace for attendees to connect and chat, as well as live virtual training and certification to complement the sessions.

STAREAST Virtual+ includes three levels of registration. A free option includes keynotes, industry technical presentations, the expo and on-demand access. The conference pass ($499) adds access to concurrent sessions and networking events. The all-access pass ($999) also includes tutorials and a pair of specialty summits.

Tracks range from Agile teams to AI, DevOps, test strategy and automation, with individual sessions such as:

• AI, ML, and QE: The Future of Testing (read more)
• Demystifying Open Source for Testers (read more)
• Empowering Manual Testers to Automate (read more)

IBM Think -- May 5-6. This virtual conference appeals to IT and business professionals in a variety of roles and industries. The technology curriculum includes sessions on automation, cloud, code and mobile. The virtual conference will feature keynotes, innovation talks and instructor-led labs.

IBM's virtual conference is a free event. The schedule of sessions and labs includes:

• A Deep-Dive on Node.js
• Cloud Native for Spring Developers
• A pragmatic approach to debugging OpenShift microservices applications

Appian World -- May 12-13. Appian, a low-code development platform provider, shifted to an online conference for 2020. The two-day conference will include platform-specific talks, as well as industry and business trends.

Register for Appian World and attend at no cost. These are 72 sessions on the agenda for the event, including these presentations by Appian customers, analysts and consultants:

• Effective process automation requires a toolkit beyond RPA (read more)
• Implications of COVID-19 on business organizations and future systems (read more)
• Leveraging low-code to address customer data privacy (read more)

SauceCon Online -- May 12 and 14. Sauce Labs, an automated web and mobile app testing platform vendor, will host its fourth-annual conference on two dates: the 12th for attendees in North and South America, and the 14th for Europe and the rest of the world. The event will include keynote addresses, breakout sessions and panels. Topics include automated testing, CI/CD, AI and analytics.

There is no charge to attend SauceCon Online. Sessions to watch include:

• The Future of Testing Is Intelligent (read more)
• Dynamic Test Environments for Continuous Testing (read more)
• Pinterest's Philosophy of UI Testing (read more)

CloudBees Connect -- May 19-20. The continuous delivery platform vendor will host its virtual summit for North America (May 19) and Europe, the Middle East and Africa (May 20). CloudBees Connect will include live Q&As, keynote addresses, panel discussions and workshops. The virtual event also provides a Slack channel for attendees to connect, and a digital expo hall with chat rooms and educational resources.

The CloudBees conference is free to attend. Heavy on product workshops, some items on the agenda include:

• Embrace Don't Replace: DevOps in the Enterprise
• CloudBees Workshop - Anxiety-Free Microservices Release
• Community Workshop - Top 5 Jenkins Issues, and How to Avoid Them

Micro Focus Universe 2020 -- May 19-21. Micro Focus designed its digital event for both product users in technical roles and business leaders. The Universe 2020 virtual conference includes content geared toward software delivery, application modernization, collaboration tools and security -- with a keynote address tailored for each track.

There is no charge to attend the event. Some interesting sessions on the agenda include:

• Reinventing Testing in the Age of Agile and DevOps
• Automation & Continuous Testing (multiple parts)
• Collaborative Editing in Filr and Teamworks

Microsoft Build -- May 19-21. The Microsoft Build conference attracts developers and architects from across the world. Topics at the virtual 2020 show include developer tools and programming languages, cloud development, DevOps automation and low-code tools.

Details about the Build conference, including the list of sessions, have not been announced.

DockerCon 2020 -- May 28. Container fanatics can still watch DockerCon 2020 from the comforts of their homes. The digital DockerCon 2020 conference will feature three streaming channels that include interviews with experts on industry trends, and recorded sessions alongside live chats with the speaker. Attendees can also participate in virtual Q&As with container experts. While not specific to the event, Docker's Slack workspace is a place where people can connect.

The DockerCon virtual event is free to attend.

PerfGuild -- June 1-2. The annual PerfGuild online-native conference will delve into software quality and performance engineering topics. Registered PerfGuild attendees can access recordings of sessions, communicate with other members on Slack (available year-round) and ask speakers questions.

Registration for PerfGuild costs $197, with group discounts available. Some sessions to watch include:

• Tools all performance engineers must know in a DevOps world;
• Shift right - digital experience analytics;
• Why good test scripts aren't enough -- Shifting Left and Automation as keys to the future of testing.

PegaWorld iNspire -- June 2. Pegasystems, a digital process automation and low-code platform provider, condensed its virtual PegaWorld iNspire conference into a half-day event. PegaWorld iNspire will feature a keynote address with a live Q&A, tech demos, customer success stories and a look at the company's roadmap.

The event is free to attend. PegaSystems-hosted sessions will cover topics like Agile, application development, and UX and design. Ones to watch include:

• Low-Code and RPA Are Not Low IT (read more)
• Defining Design Thinking's Business Impact (read more)

Quick Base Empower -- June 2-3. Quick Base, a low-code development platform provider, will hold its Empower virtual conference the first week of June. Empower will include a product-focused keynote, panels with Quick Base customers and experts, both live and prerecorded sessions, a virtual training course for beginners and networking sessions.

There is no cost to register for the Quick Base Empower digital conference.

Agile + DevOps Virtual -- June 8-11. Agile + DevOps Virtual replaces TechWell's Agile + DevOps West conference. Agile + DevOps Virtual will include more than 90 talks, including keynotes, breakout sessions and tutorials. The Agile + DevOps East conference is still scheduled for Orlando in November.

There are tiered registration options for the Agile + DevOps Virtual conference, including a free pass that grants access to keynotes and the expo. Some keynotes and sessions to bookmark include:

• The Open-Closed Principle Explained: How More Code Reduces Complexity (read more)
• Best Practices of the DevSecOps Elite (read more)
• What UX Designers Can Teach Us about Being Better DevOps Practitioners (read more)

DevOps Enterprise Summit London -- June 23-25. The UK-based equivalent of the popular DevOps conference run online. The agenda for the virtual DevOps Enterprise Summit London, still TBA, should be similar to past events. The event includes access to a Slack workspace where attendees can network. Speakers will include hosts Gene Kim and Jeff Gallimore, as well as DevOps experts from companies like Microsoft, Deloitte and T-Mobile.

Registration for DOES London costs $480, with discounts for early sign-ups. The event is limited to 3,000 attendees.

Design Thinking Digital Summit -- July 21. The Design Thinking Digital Summit is an event for software designers ranging from C-level executives to IT managers across all kinds of industries. The event will offer interactive workshops and networking opportunities. Sessions will be available on-demand after the virtual event.

Registration is free. The conference agenda is not yet available.

SpringOne -- Sept. 2-3. The SpringOne online conference is for cloud-native developers, engineers and tech leaders. Sessions at SpringOne will include a variety of technical and leadership topics, such as containers, serverless, app architecture and cloud-native transformation.

Registration is free. There is currently no public agenda for the event.

DevOps World -- September. The annual DevOps conference hosted by CloudBees will adjust to an online format. The multi-day event will include keynotes and sessions led by DevOps leaders and practitioners.

There is no charge to register for DevOps World. There is no agenda for the show right now.