Sponsors Line Up for Napa 2011 Open Source Think Tank

PALO ALTO, Calif., March 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Olliance Group and DLA Piper today announced SugarCRM, Red Hat, Inc. (NYSE: RHT) and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) headline the list of respected industry sponsors of the 6th Annual Open Source Think Tank, joining Qualcomm, Accenture and Fusesource as early supporters of the exclusive semiannual conference. The Open Source Think Tank is held each spring near Napa, California and every fall in Paris, France.

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(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110308/NE61086LOGO-b )

This year's Spring Open Source Think Tank will be held April 7-9, 2011 at The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa in Sonoma, CA. Co-hosted by Olliance Group and DLA Piper, the Open Source Think Tank is an invitation-only conference for CEOs, CIOs, CTOs, legal experts, investors and senior executives whose organizations are involved in the commercial application of open source and cloud computing technologies.

The Open Source Think Tank is a working conference comprised of group sessions, brainstorming and real-world case studies in which participants actively contribute. The interactive format allows participants from the open source and cloud ecosystems to openly share concerns, issues, experiences, and common problems while collaboratively developing solutions. Led by co-hosts Andrew Aitken, founder and GM, Olliance Group and Mark Radcliffe, Partner, DLA Piper, the Napa Think Tank offers an unrivaled opportunity for participants to share insights while building substantive relationships.

"SugarCRM is proud to be sponsoring the Think Tank for the fifth year in a row," said Nick Halsey, Chief Marketing Officer at SugarCRM. "Each year the content has evolved to address the most important emerging technology trends, encompassing open source, cloud and beyond, while the attendees represent a compelling cross-section of executives in business and technology and from across the globe."

"We're very excited to have such well respected industry leaders support the Open Source Think Tank. Their participation demonstrates their commitment to the event and the industry as a whole," said Andrew Aitken, GM Olliance Group, a Black Duck Software company. "Open source has made the transition from bleeding edge to mainstream technology in enterprises worldwide, but challenges remain. The collegial atmosphere of Think Tank encourages healthy debate and creates a culture of collaboration that benefits all participants."

For more information about the Napa 2011 Open Source Think Tank please visit http://thinktank.olliancegroup.com.

About the Open Source Think Tank

The Open Source Think Tank is the only by-invitation gathering where leading global experts will come together to collaborate on the issues facing commercial open source and the evolution of cloud computing. The unique format uses real-world business cases to engage the audience in brainstorming solutions to the adoption and maturation of open source and cloud computing. The structured working sessions and social activities are designed to connect the participants and facilitate the building of strong business relationships across the entire ecosystem.

For more information about the Paris Think Tank or to apply for an invitation please visit https://thinktankeu.olliancegroup.com.

About Olliance Group, a Black Duck Software Company

Olliance Group is the leading open source business and strategy consulting firm. Our mission is to help clients capitalize on the strategic, technological, and financial benefits of open source software. Clients include Fortune 500 enterprises, Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), start-up firms, venture capital groups and government entities.  

About DLA Piper

DLA Piper a leading global legal services practice providing services to the open source industry. The firm provides advice in corporate, tax, licensing, trademark and licensing to both large and small companies. With 3,500 lawyers in 29 countries and 67 cities, DLA Piper can assist companies virtually anywhere in the world, from the US to the People's Republic of China to Dubai.  For more information, please visit http://www.dlapiper.com.

SOURCE Olliance Group