Scott Lowe, Tate Cantrell and Lance Friend Among Newest Speakers for ODCA's Forecast 2014

PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Open Data Center Alliance (ODCA), the global organization where members work together to advance the deployment of enterprise cloud solutions and services that are interoperable, secure and free of vendor lock-in, today announced Hot Topic speakers and panels for its third-annual Forecast 2014 conference. The panelists represent some of the biggest thinkers and most innovative companies in the industry. Emphasizing cloud computing adoption, Forecast will take place September 22-24 at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco.

Hot Topic panels are focused on the key opportunities and challenges facing enterprises as they innovate with cloud computing. These panels facilitate real dialogue and debate among the speakers and incorporate audience participation to drive collective thought forward on industry issues. Panelists and topics include:

• To SaaS or Not to SaaS: Application of SaaS solutions in the enterprise
  Panelists: Ben Kepes, Diversity Limited; Cathy Spence, Intel Corporation
• DevOps as Cloud Adoption Accelerant
  Panelists: Dana Gardner, Interarbor Solutions; Winston Bumpus, DMTF
• Software Defined Networks in the Enterprise
  Panelists: Scott Lowe, VMware; Jens Fuchs, SAP
• Build vs. Buy
  Panelists: David Linthicum, Cloud Technology Partners; Tate Cantrell, Verne Global
• Service Orchestration for the Enterprise
  Panelists: Das Kamhout, Intel Corporation; Mike Turnlund, TM Forum; Lance Friend, Capgemini; Ray Solnik, Appnomic

Forecast kicks off with a full day of workshops on a range of cloud computing and data center topics delivered by ODCA technical workgroup members. The agenda also includes proof of concept sessions, which are technical examinations of solutions delivered to align with ODCA usage model requirements. And ODCA U sessions will provide a deeper dive into the ODCA usage model requirements.

Enterprise data center and cloud services executives will take the stage to share their insights in building enterprise-class cloud environments, including ODCA board members Reyk Bederke of T-Systems, Hiroshi Honjo of NTT Data, and Correy Voo of UBS. Keynote speakers are Snehal Desai, director of information technology for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts; David Linthicum, senior vice president of Cloud Technology Partners and cloud computing analyst with Gigaom Research; and Shannon Poulin, data center vice president at Intel Corporation.

See the complete Forecast 2014 agenda and register for the conference here.

Forecast is the must-attend event where hundreds of global IT executives gather to share best practices and examine emerging challenges in enterprise cloud adoption. Attendees have access to the industry's brightest minds, a wealth of new content, and unparalleled networking opportunities under one roof.

Leading names in cloud computing have already shown their support for Forecast 2014, including the newest premium sponsors AT&T, EMC, Infosys, Microsoft, T-Systems and Virtustream. They join existing premium sponsors Appnomic, Capgemini, Citrix, Dell, Emerson Network Power, Hitachi, HP, Intel, SAP, Verne Global and VMware. The newest media sponsors are Cloud Mafia, Data Week + API World, and Gigaom. For more information about sponsorship, contact Julia Torresan at [email protected].

About The Open Data Center Alliance
The Open Data Center Alliance^SM is an independent IT consortium comprised of global IT leaders who have come together to provide a unified customer vision for long-term data center requirements. The organization is led by a 14-member steering group, which includes representatives from BMW, Capgemini, China Unicom, Infosys, Lockheed Martin, Marriott International, Inc., National Australia Bank (NAB), NTT Data, SAP, T-Systems, UBS, Verizon Terremark and The Walt Disney Company. Intel serves as technical advisor to the alliance. ODCA hosts a Flash Webinar Series every other Tuesday at 8:00am US PT. These public events are one of the best ways to get to know ODCA usage models from the ODCA members who worked on creating the documents. View the calendar and register to attend the webinars on the ODCA Flash Webinar page. More information about ODCA publications and membership can be found at the organization's website: www.opendatacenteralliance.org, and on Facebook, LinkedIn, Slideshare, Twitter, and YouTube.

CONTACT: Allison Parker, 1-206-5793767, [email protected]

SOURCE Open Data Center Alliance (ODCA)