Hello world! My name is Whitney Watts and I am the Sales Marketing Specialist for UBM Tech Business Technology Events, including Cloud Connect. I manage exhibitor communications including outbound emails, event collateral, and internal resource collaboration. I liaison between our Content, Marketing, Sales, Operations, and Creative teams and ensure the success of all of our exhibitor internal and external communications.  I am currently working on updating pieces of collateral for the Sales team as well as promoting our Enterprise Cloud Adoption Survey results.

I enjoy working on Cloud Connect because cloud computing and security are such a hot topics and there is a natural fire and energy surrounding these issues. I like that our audience of exhibitors continue to be diverse — from startups to seasoned companies. We get to market to many cloud segments – it keeps us quite busy and engaged. I’m excited to see what 2013 brings for cloud computing in general.

In keeping with Kristi’s theme, here are a few fun facts about myself:

• My favorite hobby is music – playing guitar and singing, discovering new music (I love Spotify!), and attending small venue shows around SF.
• I love the holiday season because it’s a great excuse to “treat yourself” (baked goods and warm beverages!) as well as a lovely time to treat other (giving gifts and gratitude).
• Technology is #1! I love staying up-to-date on all things tech. You can find me on the interwebs retweeting funny Onion
  articles and more @whitwatts

And so the countdown begins! Cheers to 2013 – see you all in Silicon Valley!

Tags: cloud cloud adoption cloud computing cloud connect staff

This is my magnificent post about who I am and my role in the Cloud Connect family. My name is Kristi Ibello @klibello and I’m the Senior Marketing Manager for Cloud Connect… the person who sends you emails every week and helps to ensure you have the best experience online and on-site at our events! My reasons for joining the Cloud Connect team are pretty simple – I enjoy helping others leverage new tools and resources that will ultimately help them drive value and growth for themselves and their business. I get to work with cool people and being part of a live event team allows me to meet new and
interesting colleagues like you.

Here inside the UBM Tech office, we are cooking up some new programs and content to ensure that you get the latest cloud computing information and I cannot wait to announce our full conference program in a few weeks… I think it will be our most exciting Conference and Expo yet. A few fun facts about myself:

• I enjoy soccer, soccer and more soccer.
• My worst household chore is keeping the dishes clean.
• My favorite candy is Andy mints, send me some and I will be your friend for life.

I am the master of the Cloud Connect mobile app and welcome any challenges who dare take my place as top dog. I look forward to seeing everyone at Cloud Connect Silicon Valley 2013!

Kristi

Tags: CIO cloud cloud adoption cloud computing cloud connect social media TCO

So glad to see you here on the Cloud Connect blog. I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Ally Thorndike, and I am a Marketing Director a UBM Tech and part of the Cloud Connect events marketing team. I am excited about working on Cloud Connect because, as Mary Meeker defined her year-end Internet Trends report, the Cloud is playing such a huge part in the “re-imagination of everything” and a critical role in the “Asset-Light Generation.”

Today, we kicked off with a meeting to brainstorm ways to make the Cloud Connect customer journey really outstanding. We came up with some great ideas for making our customers feel welcome, comfortable, and cared for at our flagship event this April. If you have ideas for ways we could improve your experience at Cloud Connect, please share them with us here in the comments or connect with me on Twitter @allythorndike.

I look forward to meeting you in April at Cloud Connect Silicon Valley.

Ally

Tags: cloud cloud adoption cloud computing cloud connect PaaS SaaS social media staff

I am the Programs Specialist for Cloud Connect and work directly with our General Manager, Steve Wylie to manage the conference agenda and speaker recruitment. Many of you may recognize my name from our correspondence around the call for submissions; yes, I’m the one you’re trying to finagle that extension with. Continue Reading »

Tags: adoption amazon web services CIO cloud cloud adoption cloud computing cloud connect social media

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.

Cloud computing has changed the IT landscape over the past decade. This new technology came onto the technology scene at such a fast and furious pace that is seemed like it appeared out of….well from the clouds. However, behind the clouds, there are innovative people that made cloud computing happen.  Charles Babcock, Editor At Large, for InformationWeek, looked at the short history of cloud computing and identified 10 cloud computing pioneers that have paved the way for cloud knowledge and adoption. Continue Reading »

Tags: adoption amazon web services big data Cisco cloud cloud adoption cloud computing InformationWeek ROI Silicon Valley TCO utility computing

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!

A blog entry by Private & Hybrid Clouds Track Chair Barb Goldworm.

A lot of feedback from previous sessions at Cloud Connect, Enterprise Cloud Summit and Interop has been around the need for practical steps to take today. There are lots of discussions on cloud “vision”, and there has been lots of education and experiences with virtualization, but many are hungry to bridge the gap from where you are with your virtual infrastructure today, to truly running a private cloud. The conversation is no longer about “if” but is now about “how”.

In response to this feedback, we are focusing both our Private and Hybrid Cloud track, and our Private Cloud workshop on the “how”. My previous blog highlighted key speakers and sessions in the track, so what about the workshop? The Building Private Clouds: From “If” to “How” workshop offers a vendor-neutral perspective to help you understand the key components of a private cloud, the relationship between virtualization and cloud, what it means to have a well-managed virtual infrastructure, and what it takes to leverage that infrastructure and deliver a true private cloud.

We’ll start by mapping out the road to private cloud, the steps involved, the roadblocks along the way, and how to overcome them. We’ll discuss how automation, orchestration and self-service fit in. We’ll help you sift through today’s vast virtualization and cloud ecosystem to identify which functions are critical for you, and which solutions best match which requirements. We’ll look at how different vendors address virtualization and private cloud and how new cloud management tools integrate with and/or /utilize what organizations already have.

So join us on Monday afternoon for the workshop to start the practical journey on the road to cloud, and then continue on with the Private and Hybrid Cloud track on Tuesday for vendor visions, perspectives and additional comparisons and conversations. Go beyond the vision to get more practical, and map out your next steps on the road to cloud.

Tags: Chicago CIO cloud hybrid private clouds

A blog entry by Private & Hybrid Clouds Track Chair Barb Goldworm.

Hybrid clouds are getting a lot of attention these days and rightly so. Many believe that given time, everything will ultimately be a hybrid cloud of some type.  The question is not if, but rather what, where, when, who, and how.

• What type of cloud(s) should you be implementing– private, public, community…?
• Where should different workloads run (cloud or not and which type of cloud)?
• When should different workloads migrate?
• Who are the leaders, both as private cloud component players and as service providers?
• And of course, how do you get there, securely and efficiently?

These are the questions we will be focusing on at Cloud Connect in our Private and Hybrid Cloud track, and our Private Cloud workshop. We have a great line up of topics and speakers to help you navigate the road to cloud.  With leaders from OpenStack, Eucalytpus, CloudStack/Citrix, VMware, Cisco, BlueLock  and more we will be drilling down into how to go about building a private/hybrid cloud with today’s tools and services, what’s coming down the road, and how to start now, with an eye towards the future.

In the Building VMware-based Private Clouds session , Neela Jacques (one of our top rated VMware speakers) , will share VMware’s experiences to-date in building clouds, as well as how VMware’s new vision of software defined datacenters can fit into and shape your future plans.

Based on rave reviews from past sessions, we are doing an encore of a rapid fire comparison session, Comparing Cloud Orchestration Stacks, with leading cloud orchestration stack vendors answering ten key questions on their stacks, and then inviting you to dig deeper with them.

On the public vs. private debate/discussion, we have a panel of experts including a cloud stack vendor and service providers, looking at  Hybrid Clouds – Can you Get the Best of Both Cloud Worlds (Public and Private).

And continuing the discussion around orchestration and management, Scott Hammond, VP of strategy, Cloud & Systems Management  from Cisco will leverage his background in service management and discuss  Enabling IT as a Service – Cloud Management and Orchestration.

So join our conversation on what, where, when, who and how, and take home some practical answers on the next stops on your road to cloud.

Tags: Chicago Cisco cloud cloud adoption cloud connect Cloud Connect 2012 private clouds utility computing virtualization VMware

Why the rise of cloud computing is fundamentally changing collaboration.

Few technology shifts have taken off as quickly as cloud computing. The cloud is so pervasive today that many of us use it every day without thinking about it: downloading music, accessing e-mail on the go, logging into work environments from our mobile devices. Cloud is also becoming a tool for transformation in the business world as IT leaders look to cloud-based applications as an enabler of better workplace collaboration and productivity. Experts from IBM and IDC will discuss how businesses are using the cloud to:

• Become a catalyst for unlocking value.
• Speeding time to revenue and helping to eliminate organizational silos — leading to valuable business benefits.
• Access clients can reach across geographies, where they may not have an IT footprint.
• Connect people more seamlessly, eliminating barriers to collaboration.
• Free up IT to focus on other critical priorities, paving the way for better business outcomes.

Why Should You Attend?

• Gain insight into how companies are approaching social business.
• Learn how embracing the spirit of collaboration and community — internally and externally — can deliver unprecedented return for the time invested.
• Develop a roadmap for increasing collaboration in your organization.
• Submit questions directly to our panelists for a live Q&A session during the hour

Date: Thursday, August 16, 2012 Time: 11:00 am PT/2:00 pm ET Duration: 60 minutes Sponsored by IBM, presented by Cloud Connect

Panel Moderator: Ted Brufke, US SaaS Leader, IBM Collaboration Solutions

Ted Brufke is the NA SmartCloud Sales Leader for the ICS portfolio and has been leading this effort since the products we introduced in the market place in early 2009. Ted came to IBM in 2005 as part of the PureEdge Software acquisition where his responsibilities included the solution rollout in North and South America. He was also a key part of the launch of IBM Connections in 2007 and served as the IBM Collaboration leader for the Eastern US in 2008. Prior to joining IBM he worked at EDS, Software AG, Tandem Computers and Exodus Communications.

Ted is a graduate of Villanova University and the University of Pennsylvania.

Robert Mahowald, Research Vice President, IDC

Robert Mahowald is a Research Vice President at IDC and leads the SaaS & Cloud Services practice as well as co-leads IDC’s Cloud Services: Global Overview program. Mr. Mahowald is well-known as a subject matter expert in the areas of SaaS, IT Cloud services and collaboration, and his research and commentary has appeared in trade journals and publications including The Wall Street Journal, USAToday, The New York Times, and Investor’s Business Daily.

A 12-year industry veteran, Mr. Mahowald previously led research for IDC’s Collaborative Computing practice, in areas such as Unified Communications, Web conferencing and team collaboration. Before joining IDC, Mr. Mahowald was an officer in the US Army, earning the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in his 26 year career of active and reserve service. Mr. Mahowald earned his B.A. from the University of Iowa, in Iowa City, IA., and his M.A. from Wesleyan University, in Middletown, CT.

Matt Engstrom, Sales Leader – SmartCloud for Social Business, Messaging & Collaboration Software, IBM

Matt has been working with Lotus Software since 1997. He worked as a billable consultant in the IBM Business Partner community, doing Domino infrastructure and architecture work, and mail migrations. He moved to IBM/Lotus in 1999 and work in technical sales in the midwest region through 2011. In 2012, Matt moved to Sales Leadership role, and now covers SmartCloud for Social Business sales in the western USA and Canada.
Bryan Hendricks, Director – Enterprise Architecture, VWR International

Host:

Steve Wylie, General Manager, Cloud Connect

Conference industry veteran Steve Wylie has been involved with some of the World’s leading business technology conferences for the past 15 years. As the General Manager for UBM TechWeb’s Cloud Connect brand, Steve is the driving force behind the defining cloud event for IT professionals, developers, and leading cloud providers. Steve is a regular columnist on InformationWeek.com and serves on the Social Networking advisory board at HR.com. Steve formerly chaired the Enterprise 2.0 Conferences and co-chaired the annual Interop conferences in Las Vegas and New York. Prior to running conferences, Steve managed Interop’s renowned InteropNet, including a multi-vendor test lab geared to evaluate, improve and showcase early implementations of open-standard IT infrastructure technologies. Steve can be found on twitter @swylie650

Tags: cloud cloud computing collaboration IBM