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

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

Here are a few reasons why to register before you get on site at Cloud Connect Chicago:

• Prices are set to increase onsite in Chicago. By registering today, you will receive a $200 discount on conference passes or get a free expo pass by clicking on this link!
• Registering allows you access to the Cloud Connect Mobile App. Get event information at your fingertips including exhibitors, sessions, events, news, exhibition floor plan, new products and show specials. Plus, receive suggestions based on your interests, create short lists, plan your agenda, take notes, get directions, and more!
• Once you arrive at Cloud Connect, you can quickly print your badge off of one of the computers provided and get
  right on the show floor! Otherwise you will need to spend time registering yourself and your team onsite.
• Tell all of your friends and colleagues that you are attending Cloud Connect conference and workshop sessions. It will ensure your organization is equipped to leverage new cloud and big data technology solutions in order to increase efficiency and improve your business agility. They will be super jealous!

Looking forward to seeing you in Chicago!

Feel free to follow me on Twitter for inside Cloud Connect updates.

Cheers,

Jason

Tags: adoption Architecture Chicago CIO cloud cloud adoption cloud computing cloud connect Cloud Connect 2012 PaaS private clouds SaaS social media

A blog entry from Scott Bils, the Organizational Readiness & Business Cases Track Chair.

GE’s Jack Welch once stated, “Change before you have to.” While it’s certainly sage advice, with virtually everything in the cloud computing world evolving so rapidly – the offerings, the providers, the implementation strategies, and the buyers, who these days are most typically business users rather than IT – it’s dauntingly difficult to decide what, how, when and with whom to change.

Yet, following in the footsteps of the highly successful, inaugural Organizational Readiness track at the Cloud Connect conference in February 2012, the sessions at the September 11-12 event in Chicago are all designed to cut through the clutter, and provide deep insights on the organizational issues that are threatening to thwart cloud-oriented next generation IT success.

In “New World Order: Your Dev Team Just Became the CIO” session, industry analyst Vanessa Alvarez and Cisco’s Laura Cooney will discuss the emergence of developers as decision makers, what organizations are doing to adjust to this revolution, the technologies to look at, and pitfalls to avoid.

With budgets increasingly migrating to “shadow” IT driven by business users, it is more critical than ever for CIOs to understand how to serve and enable this new buyer group in a next generation IT environment. During the “Tough Questions You Need to Ask” session, business users who have driven major cloud initiatives will provide answers to questions CIOs may be afraid to ask.

The panel session “Hard Choices in Enterprise Cloud Adoption” will feature three 15-minute drill-down presentations that provide insight into the major choices and decisions organizations face around:

• Open versus Closed Cloud Infrastructures, and the pros and cons of each
• Forklift versus Greenfield, and how to determine if you should first focus on moving existing applications to a virtualized environment, or deploy a new infrastructure for greenfield applications
• Now versus Later, to help CIOs evaluate whether they should accelerate or put a hold on their
  enterprises’ move to the cloud

“Current Thinking in Addressing Persistent Cloud Challenges” will examine Security and Compliance, Performance, Vendor Management and Lock-In issues, and provide practical, real-world examples of how panelists’ and other organizations are creatively addressing them.

If you haven’t yet registered for Cloud Connect, I hope you’ll visit the conference registration page and sign up today. Use code TFPQCH02 to receive 25% off conference passes or claim a free expo pass. You’ll unquestionably gain strategic, tactical and actionable insights on how to shine much needed light into all things cloud. As Chair of the Organizational Readiness track, I look forward to seeing you in Chicago in September!

Tags: adoption Chicago CIO Cisco cloud cloud adoption cloud computing cloud connect Cloud Connect 2012 design PaaS

Here are five ways that you can accelerate your cloud computing strategy at Cloud Connect Chicago:

1. Attend 30+ sessions across 8 conference tracks including big data, cloud infrastructure, application design and architecture.
2. Hear from keynotes and top industry leaders as they discuss hot topics including private and hybrid clouds, mobile clouds, and cloud performance.
3. See all the latest cloud solutions from 50+leading companies.
4. Enjoy vendor-hosted beverages while you check out the latest products and network during the Cocktail Reception on the Expo floor.
5. Hear about new cloud solutions hosted in the new Cloud Solutions Theater.

Cloud Connect Chicago will provide four days of inspiring cloud dialogue and get you up to speed on how to leverage new cloud technology solutions to increase efficiency and improve your business agility. Register by August 10 with priority code RFPQCH04 to save $400 on Platinum or Conference passes. Don’t forget to tell your friends as well!

Feel free to follow me on Twitter for inside Cloud Connect updates.

Cheers,

Jason

Tags: adoption applications Architecture Chicago CIO cloud cloud adoption cloud computing cloud connect Cloud Connect 2012 infrastructure networking PaaS Performance and Availability private clouds ROI SaaS WAN

A blog entry from ROI, TCO, and Cloud Economics Track Chair Joe Weinman.

IT, in terms of both applications and the infrastructure to run them, is becoming increasingly pervasive in our society, with the cloud playing a larger and larger role.  CIOs and business executives understandably need to consider how best to leverage this technology.  Is IT just plumbing, as relevant to the strategic needs of the business as, say, parking lot design or lighting fixture selection?  Or is it a strategic weapon that when wielded properly can win battles, or even wars, in today’s hyper-competitive global marketplace? Continue Reading »

Tags: Chicago CIO cloud cloud adoption cloud computing cloud connect Cloud Connect 2012 Economics Google PaaS ROI TCO

I recently had the opportunity to speak to Jocelyn DeGance Graham, founder of CloudNOW, a nonprofit executive consortium of the leading women in cloud computing. CloudNOW is hosting their “Legacy Award” program at Cloud Connect Chicago and hosted their first annual “Top 10 Women in Cloud” awards program at Cloud Connect Santa Clara.  Below is a recap of our conversation.

Cloud Connect: When was CloudNow founded?

Jocelyn: We founded CloudNow almost a year ago – August 15 of last year. Continue Reading »

Tags: Architecture Chicago CIO Cisco cloud cloud adoption cloud computing cloud connect Cloud Connect Santa Clara 2012 CloudNow diversity F5 Forrester Research HP IBM Silicon Valley Terremark