Each year Cloud Connect Silicon Valley hosts the Cloud Executive Summit (CES), an exclusive program which takes place in advance of the main Cloud Connect Conference and Expo. The speakers and audience for CES include an interesting blend of industry executives, investors and entrepreneurs, and ample opportunity for discussion and networking. The program is fast-paced, thought provoking and focuses on a variety of interesting topics.  But the underlying theme at CES is very much focused on one thing… finding the next business opportunity in the cloud.

Here’s an overview of what we have planned this year and the excellent speakers we have lined up.  I hope to see you there!

Opportunities in the Mobile Cloud

• Presented by Avery Lyford, VP of Business Development, LEAP Commerce

What’s the Big Data Deal: Market Insights and Opportunities

• Presented by Seth Robinson, Director, Technology Analysis, CompTIA

How Software Defined Networks Change Everything

• Presented by Andre Kindness, Principal Analyst, Forrester Research

How to Get Your Cloud Startup Funded

• Presented by Glenn Solomon, partner, GGV Capital

Understanding Enterprise Requirements for the Cloud – A CIO Interview

• Presented by John O’Farrell, General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz
• Presented by Mark Settle, CIO, BMC Software

Are you Being a Good Cloud Broker for your Business?

• Presented by Ray Richardson, Master Cloud Strategist, Hewlett-Packard
• Presented by Christian Teeft, Vice President Engineering, Latisys

Finding the Next Cloud Opportunity – VC Panel

• Moderator: Ben Kepes, Blogger, Diversity Limited
• Ryan Floyd, Founding General Partner, Storm Ventures
• John O’Farrell, General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz
• Salil Deshpande, Managing Director, Bain Capital Ventures
• Reuven Cohen, Techstars Mentor, Contributing Author at Forbes Magazine and SVP at Virtustream

Have Business Buyers Driven us to the Tipping Point for Cloud Adoption?

• Presented by Scott Bils, Partner, Everest Group

We look forward to seeing you at Cloud Connect next week.

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cloud computing cloud connect Cloud Executive Summit CompTIA Forrester Research HP

Our editors at Network Computing recently published an interesting Comparison of Infrastructure-as-a-Service Providers. This extremely helpful buyer’s guide includes information on 17 of the top IaaS vendors in the market and includes a features matrix of more than 60 decision points to help you make the right decision for your business.

Our own Cloud Connect and Everest Group Research shows that companies are increasingly looking at public IaaS options with 31% of our survey respondents indicating they already use public IaaS and an additional 49% indicating near and long-term plans for adoption.  So what’s driving the move to public IaaS?

Network Computing writes:

The IaaS product category has taken off because moving computing capacity to the cloud allows companies to focus on their core competencies rather than worry about buying, deploying and maintaining hardware. IaaS is why Instagram sold at a $1 billion valuation with only 13 employees, and why Pinterest served nearly 12 million monthly unique visitors with only 16 employees. For many companies, IaaS — and public cloud services overall — can yield significant benefits, but with an ever-growing number of providers, it can be difficult to know which will be the best choice. This comparison will help IT professionals make a more informed decision about which IaaS vendor to select. –Joe Masters Emison

This is also a topic we’ll explore in-depth at the upcoming Cloud Connect Conference in Silicon Valley including this newly added workshop on Amazon Web Services:

Amazon Web Services Training: Jumpstart Your Cloud Computing Knowledge Base

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the pioneer of cloud computing and its unstoppable growth dominates the industry. If you want – or are under pressure — to begin using AWS, this workshop is for you. Both fundamental and advanced AWS services are discussed during the workshop, ensuring that you gain a complete overview of the AWS service. The instructor will provide a live demonstration of the AWS system and management console during the workshop to allow you to see the power of AWS. The workshop is presented in a highly interactive fashion to address any questions you have about AWS.

Be sure to download the guide and we’ll see you at Cloud Connect Silicon Valley!

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Buyer's Guide cloud cloud computing IaaS Network Computing

Cloud Connect Silicon Valley is coming up fast and includes two new Private Cloud Workshops for attendees to choose from:

The Foundation for Private Cloud – Virtualization Management

Advanced Private Cloud – Automation, Self-Service and Cloud Management

Both of these courses will be taught by Barb Goldworm, President and Chief Analyst at FOCUS.  Barb is a phenomenal instructor and has published and spoken extensively on Private Clouds and Virtualization.  If you are planning or already implementing a private cloud, these are two must attend courses.

Here are Barb’s top 10 reasons to attend:

By Barb Goldworm, Cloud Connect Track Chair, Private and Hybrid Clouds

10. Get the BIG PICTURE view of the road from virtualization to cloud including recent trends

9. Assess where you are on this continuum and what steps you still have to take to successfully build your private cloud

8. Talk with others at the same stage, and those ahead of you, about how to solve the challenges you face now and in your next steps

7. Learn how to leverage all the work you’ve done in virtualization so far, to help you get to cloud

6. Learn where hypervisors should fit, and whether/how to live in a multi-hypervisor world

5. Learn where the potholes are on the road to cloud, and how to navigate around them

4. Hear a rapid fire perspective comparing the major cloud stacks to help figure out what’s right for you

3.  Cut through the hype of hundreds of virtualization and cloud management tools to see what’s real and what’s not

2. Learn about the relationship between cloud stacks, self-service portals, and cloud management tools

1. Learn what you need to take home a plan to get from the virtual infrastructure you have TODAY to the private cloud you want to have THIS YEAR!

Cloud Connect Silicon Valley is just a few weeks away and I’m happy to write that most of our agenda now in place!  We have a lot of new programs lined up this year which I’ll highlight in the coming weeks.

In depth workshops form the backbone of any quality conference program, so here’s an update on some of the new workshops we have lined up for this year’s conference.  Our workshop programs are designed to provide practical guidance and training to prepare businesses to take full advantage of cloud computing.  Our agenda reflects the key trends, best practices and offers deep-dive instructional sessions.

In the area of Private Clouds we’ve gone deep.  Our own Enterprise Cloud Adoption Survey showed that for enterprise cloud buyers, 89% of respondents had either current or future plans for Private Cloud deployments in their business.  With this in mind we’ve introduced two new Private Cloud workshops in addition to our Private & Hybrid Clouds Track.

The Foundation for Private Cloud – Virtualization Management

Geared towards IT managers and staff who are looking to fulfill the full promise of virtualization and cloud and transform their environments into a private cloud, this workshop covers the challenges that come with the move to private cloud computing, and how to prioritize, evaluate and implement the necessary solutions for virtualization.  And building on the Foundations for Private Cloud course, advanced practitioners can continue with a course on Automation, Self Service and Management for Private Clouds.

Advanced Private Cloud – Automation, Self-Service and Cloud Management

This workshop is ideal for IT managers and staff who are looking to transform their environments into a private cloud, especially around improving operational efficiencies, optimization, automation, and IT agility – delivering IT as a service through private cloud, while reducing costs. This workshop covers the challenges that come with the move to private cloud computing, and how to prioritize, evaluate and implement the necessary solutions for virtualization and cloud management, optimization, automation and delivery as a private cloud.

Our research suggests that while Enterprises are planning for Private Clouds, Public Clouds are also being widely adopted.  This mix of new Private and Public Cloud uses, combined with existing systems and applications infrastructure creates new management challenges for IT to deal with.  We have introduced a new workshop to go deep on the challenge of managing these increasingly heterogeneous environments:

New Tools and Techniques for Managing Hybrid Cloud Environments

Attendees of this workshop will leave with a solid understanding of the new tools and techniques that are available to manage a hybrid Cloud environment, and how these technologies and ideas can be applied to enable you to gain control over your operations. The workshop will address these key topics:

•How Cloud management differs from traditional data center management
•What are the real costs of unplanned Cloud service adoption?
•Where to find new tools and techniques to address your hybrid Cloud requirements
•How to measure your success in a hybrid Cloud environment

The industry has now broadly accepted that utility-based, on demand computing makes sense. But for as far as we have come, it is not surprising that security continues to rank highest in barriers to cloud adoption.  With this in mind, we are introducing a new workshop to help cloud practitioners make informed decisions on how to move applications to the cloud without sacrificing security:

Identifying, Navigating, and Managing the Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Risks Associated with Cloud Computing

This workshop will introduce the concept of threat and vulnerability management and how it can be applied to cloud solutions.  Topics will include a discussion of threat and vulnerability analysis, applying threat and vulnerability analysis to cloud environments and solutions, vulnerability management for the cloud, and approaches to working with cloud providers to ensure risk and security requirements and expectations are properly met.

Many businesses are preparing for cloud-based development environments or Platform as a Service (PaaS).  Our own research suggests that 38% of enterprises already have PaaS plans underway while another 52% have near or long term plans.  These numbers are very strong and represent a profound shift in our thinking around how applications will be built and deployed in the future.  But as companies set their PaaS strategy, they need deep analysis and guidance to set their business on the right path for success.

Cloud Application Development Strategies

As cloud computing continues to pervade all aspects of information technology, from the data center through application offerings, the function and capabilities of various cloud offerings begin to blur. Eventually, all clouds will house applications or data, which means that IaaS is merely a stepping stone to the ultimate goal of simplifying the operations and management of the application platform or Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS). Like the transition from virtualization to IaaS, the transition from IaaS to PaaS can be equally challenging. One of the more difficult aspects of choosing PaaS is the approach and architecture.

These are just a few of the new programs we have in store for Cloud Connect Silicon Valley.  Be sure to check out the full program and sign up to attend!

Hello friends of Cloud Connect!  As 2012 comes to a close I’ve been reflecting on what a great year it has been for Cloud Connect, and that’s thanks to all the great support from this community! In addition to hosting our 4th Cloud Connect Silicon Valley, we launched two important new events this year with Cloud Connect Chicago and Cloud Connect India and conducted our first Enterprise Cloud Adoption Survey in partnership with the excellent team at Everest Group.  Here’s the survey write-up in Forbes or you can contact me if you’d like a copy of the research.

Our Chicago event was a great success and included some of the best use cases of cloud technology from Chicago-based companies like Tribune Company and Orbitz Worldwide. Chicago is home to many important industries and a growing start-up community.  We were welcomed to Chicago by local chapters of  some key technology associations including the Cloud Security Alliance and the IEEE and by the vibrant cloud Meetup Groups that have quickly taken root in the area. Our first year in Chicago was a great experience and I’m happy to say that next year’s Cloud Connect Chicago will take place October 21-14, in our new downtown location at the Hyatt McCormick Place!

Cloud Connect India was also an excellent event thanks to our colleagues at UBM India and InformationWeek who organized the event and assembled a first-class conference program. Bangalore is an amazing place and considered “the Silicon Valley of India.”  It was great to host our first Cloud Connect right in the heart of India’s technology region. It was also a great experience for me personally as it was my first time in India.  The food was amazing and I had the honor of participating in Cloud Connect’s opening ceremony!  Look for Cloud Connect to return to Bangalore, India May 23rd & 24th, 2013!

Okay, enough of 2012, it’s time to look forward to 2013!  We’re already gearing up for our flagship Cloud Connect Silicon Valley event which takes place April 2-5, 2013. We have been busy sifting through the Call for Speaker submissions and the strong response has ensured we have many great sessions to pick from.  We’re also getting tremendous support from the vendor community and are proud to welcome Oracle as a first-time Cloud Connect exhibitor!  We’ll have many more exciting developments in the coming weeks so stay tuned!

As we gear up for 2013 I’d also like to introduce you to the Cloud Connect team.  Over the coming weeks you’ll hear from all of us through a series of blog introductions.  I encourage you to connect with us for feedback on the event, program ideas or information and I look forward to seeing you at Cloud Connect Silicon Valley 2013.

We teamed up with Everest Group to conduct a first of its kind research project around the enterprise adoption of cloud computing.  The survey looked at how businesses currently use cloud computing as well as their plans for future adoption.  How is adoption trending across the major service platforms; Infrastructure-as-a-Service, Platform-as-a-Service and Software-as-a-Service? What are the adoption patterns across public, private and hybrid cloud hosting options?

The results are in and well-timed with the kickoff of Cloud Connect Chicago in just a few days.  There is a real need for independent market data on cloud adoption as we shift from an era of defining and envisioning the cloud to where we are today – putting cloud into practice to drive real business value.  But our research went one step further in comparing and contrasting the viewpoints of cloud buyers with those of cloud sellers.  The results suggest a changing buyer mindset that will challenge our current assumptions and serve as a reality check for cloud suppliers.

The full results of the survey will be disclosed and discussed during a keynote address from Everest Group Partner, Scott Bils, but the following infographic highlights some of the key takeaways from the research:

It’s an exciting time in enterprise technology as we usher in a new era of innovation built on Cloud Computing.  Please join Scott and I at Cloud Connect Chicago to get the real story on Enterprise Cloud Adoption, network with your peers and get up to speed on the latest technology solutions.  See you there!

It’s time to take the wraps off our agenda for the inaugural Cloud Connect Chicago event.  We’ve been hosting Cloud Connect in the Silicon Valley for several years now and could not be more excited to expand Cloud Connect into the important Midwest region.  Why Chicago?  Chicago is the epicenter of the industry-rich Midwest and home to both established and emerging industries including financial services, manufacturing, biotech, health care/services, transportation and distribution. Chicago ranks in the top five out of the 374 metro areas in the United States and boasts numerous Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies in the region.  As businesses across all industries begin to leverage cloud computing for competitive advantage, Cloud Connect Chicago will be the region’s trusted and independent conference for reliable information, networking opportunities and access to the leading solution providers.

Cloud Connect Chicago is the culmination of a lot of hard work over several months so I want to first acknowledge the efforts of our track chairs in assembling such a comprehensive conference program. The agenda includes 9 tracks of cloud content spanning 3 days and is geared to bring IT Professionals, Developers and Business Leaders up to speed on the latest developments and best practices in Cloud Computing.   The track structure covers all of the important components necessary to establish and operationalize your cloud computing strategy including:

• Cloud Security & Risk
• Private & Hybrid Clouds
• Infrastructure
• Organizational Readiness & Business Cases
• Application Design & Architecture
• Big Data
• Mobile Cloud
• ROI, TCO, and Cloud Economics
• WAN and Cloud Networking

In addition to the 3-day Conference, we have a full Pre-Conference day of in depth workshops for you to choose from. The Cloud Connect workshops are immersive, half-day programs that go deep into some of the most pressing topics in cloud computing. The workshops are designed to give you practical and actionable information in an instructive format led by leading cloud computing experts.  The Pre-Conference Workshops include:

• Amazon Web Services: Fundamentals & Best Practices
  
• Instructor – Bernard Golden, CEO, HyperStratus

• Big Data: Fundamentals to Best Practices
  
• Instructor – Jeremy Edberg, Lead Cloud Reliability Engineer, Netflix

• Cloud Crash Course: Foundations for On-Demand Computing
• Instructor – Alistair Croll, Founder, Bitcurrent

• Cloud Security: Best Practices for Risk Management
• Instructor – Steve Orrin, Director of Security Solutions, Intel Corporation

• Building Private Clouds: What Works & What Doesn’t
• Instructor – Barb Goldworm, President and Chief Analyst, FOCUS

• Cloud Advanced Course: Building Reliable & Scalable Public Cloud Applications
• Instructor – Daniel Koffler, Owner, RSM Experts

• Cloud Performance: Guide to Tackling Cloud Latency
• Chair – Alistair Croll, Founder, Bitcurrent
• Chair – Hooman Beheshti, VP Technology, Strangeloop Networks

• Navigating PaaS: Your Road Map for Application Development
• Instructor – JP Morgenthal, EMC Consulting, Cloud Ranger

This is an important time in cloud computing as we finally move past the era of defining the cloud and focus instead on putting it into practice.  Cloud computing represents a profound shift in how we deploy and manage applications and will offer companies new efficiencies and agility and an unprecedented opportunity for innovation.  Now is the time to set your business on a cloud computing strategy and Cloud Connect is the right place to start.  I look forward to seeing you in Chicago!

This week Cloud Connect and Everest Group are launching an important survey on the adoption of cloud computing technologies across key vertical industries. There’s a real need for first-hand data on how businesses currently use cloud computing and their plans for future adoption, especially as it pertains to specific industry use cases.  How is adoption trending across the major service platforms; Infrastructure-as-a-Service, Platform-as-a-Service and Software-as-a-Service? What are the adoption patterns across public, private and hybrid cloud hosting options? To what extent do industry specific solutions come into play and what are the industry specific obstacles that need to be addressed?

We are at a pivotal time in cloud computing as we finally move past the era of defining the cloud and focus instead on how it impacts business, offers new efficiencies and agility and an unprecedented opportunity for innovation. That’s exciting news for anyone involved with cloud computing, but also requires a deeper understanding of the nuances of how cloud maps to specific opportunities and challenges in one’s own industry. Cloud computing provides a unique competitive advantage to technology leaders who understand and seize the opportunity. Are you a cloud leader in your industry, just keeping pace or perhaps falling behind your competitors? That’s the focus of our research and I can’t wait to see and share the results.

We will repeat this research on a yearly basis to identify important trending across key industries and technology platforms. Results from this first survey will be announced at Cloud Connect Chicago taking place September 10-13, 2012. The survey is short and to the point and should only take a few minutes to complete. In addition to gaining access to the survey results, participants will be entered for a chance to win complimentary access to Cloud Connect Chicago.

We’re pleased conduct this research with Everest Group, the highly respected research and consulting firm. Everest Group Partner Scott Bils also chairs the Organizational Readiness Track at Cloud Connect, which provides us with an excellent opportunity to put the findings from this research into practice in the development of our program content.

If you are interested in taking the survey, click here. Thank you for your participation and we hope to see you in Chicago!

Today we open the doors on Cloud Connect 2011,  an event 3 years in the making and one that has seen explosive growth in that very short time.  The original Cloud Connect was hosted just a few miles from here at the Computer History Museum – a notable launch venue as we fully expected cloud computing to be prominently featured there someday for its profound and long-lasting impact on business and technology.   That seems even more true today as we reconvene here at the Santa Clara Convention Center for a much larger Cloud Connect event with 70+ exhibitors, more than 2500 expected attendees and over 100 registered media from all over the world. 

As I explore the agenda for the week and map out my time, I’m most impressed with the richness of the program and speaker line up.   Our conference chair, Alistair Croll has worked tirelessly over the last few months with a fantastic team of track chairs, and it shows in the quality and depth of the conference. The keynote and general session agenda includes not only a “who’s who” of the cloud industry but also an incredible line-up of enterprise customers that are here to share their case studies and experiences – companies like Netflix, Dreamworks Animation and eBay.  I’m also drawn to the Cloud Industry Summit, the conference within Cloud Connect hosted by MR Rangaswami from Sand Hill Group. MR’s program caters to the industry executives who are dreaming up new products and companies, people investing in cloud start-ups and people defining new challenges and opportunities as businesses move to the cloud.  Whether you’re building your business in the cloud, moving your enterprise to the cloud, or developing cloud-based applications, Cloud Connect offers something for everyone, including an abundance of quality free programs and evening programs and parties to choose from. 

On behalf of our event sponsors, our speakers and all of us  at UBM TechWeb, thanks for joining us at Cloud Connect this week.  Enjoy the show.

Steve Wylie, General Manager, Cloud Connect