UBM TechWeb's Cloud Connect Tackles Five Key IT Issues

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- By now, everyone knows cloud computing is real. What's less clear is how to put on-demand computing to work. Everyone, from developers to CIOs to startups, needs to know where clouds are headed and how they'll shape IT strategy in the coming decade.

This year's event signals a change in tone for the industry. It's time to get beyond the speculation and wishful thinking, and to deal with nuts-and-bolts issues such as security, performance, security, storage and economics. Cloud Connect 2011, which happens March 7-10, 2011 at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA, reflects this maturity.  

"In the last year, there's been a dramatic shift in the questions CIOs are asking," said Alistair Croll, content chair for the event and a partner at Bitcurrent. "We've moved beyond 'what are clouds?' and now we're figuring out how to put them to work for us."

The event's content has adapted to this in a number of ways:

• The first ever Cloud Performance Summit, looks at the challenges of running fast, reliable applications on on-demand infrastructure. Performance in the cloud is a different game entirely, rewriting much of what we know about the speed and cost of IT systems. The Conference also features a Performance and Monitoring track led by Hooman Beheshti, VP of Products at Strangeloop Networks, which addresses issues around capacity, availability, new problems like application sprawl and server hoarding.
• A new focus on cloud security with both the workshop How to Operate Securely Using Cloud Computing taught by Christopher Hoff, Director of Cloud & Virtualization Solutions at Cisco and creator of the popular Rational Survivability blog, and the CloudSec track led by Steve Orrin, Director of Security Solutions at Intel.  Both dive deep into the new security models, risk profiles, and vulnerabilities of clouds.
• The Cloud Crash Course, brings IT professionals, analysts, and journalists up to speed on the state of cloud computing, preparing them for the rest of the conference. This fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek look at clouds sprinkles a healthy dose of irreverence atop a solid foundation of virtualization, automation, economics, and types of clouds. 
• Data and Storage gets the attention it is due with the workshop Data and Storage and the Cloud and a Conference track led by Jeremy Edberg, Operations Manager at Reddit.  In many ways, clouds run on the back of new storage technologies, and they make the real-time analysis of massive data sets possible. Jeremy's speakers will look at real-world examples, post-SQL technologies like Cassandra, and the impact of utility computing on disaster recovery. 
• An interactive Platforms and Ecosystems program run my Shlomo Swidler, Founder of Orchestratus, will bring analysts, vendors, and end users together to debate standardization, portability, and the risk of cloud lock-in -- major issues for anyone considering moving to a cloud. Run in an unconference format that encourages heated debate and shuffles participants, it promises to be a lightning rod for controversy and opinion. Shlomo is also the track chair of the Design Patterns track which offers insight on how to tailor cloud architectures to specific workloads. 

Last year's inaugural Cloud Connect conference set the bar for rich content, controversial debate, and expert opinion. But no industry stays still, and these changes reflect the changing landscape of cloud computing.

Cloud Connect will also feature more than 60 companies and is the premier event for cloud computing hardware, software and service providers to come together in one location. The growing list of sponsors and exhibitors currently includes: Diamond Sponsors Cisco Systems, Inc., IBM Corporation, Intel SOA Products Group, Microsoft and VMware; Platinum Sponsors Rackspace Hosting, SunGard Availability Services, and Terremark Worldwide; Gold Sponsors Abiquo, Inc., AT&T, GoGrid, HP and SOASTA; Silver Sponsors Apica, Ariba Inc., Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., CloudOptix, Cloudsoft, Keynote Systems, MeghaWare, OnApp, Riverbed and Savvis.net.

About Cloud Connect

Cloud Connect, produced by UBM TechWeb, is the defining event of the cloud computing industry. As both a conference and an exhibition, Cloud Connect's goal is to chart the course of cloud computing's development by bringing together enterprise IT professionals, developers, infrastructure providers and cloud computing innovators. UBM TechWeb has produced cloud events that define and frame cloud computing discussions since June 2008, including Cloud Summit Executive and Enterprise Cloud Summit at Interop. Cloud Connect is a one-of-a-kind event that encompasses the entire cloud computing ecosystem featuring a Launch Pad program, IT & Developer workshops and a full conference program. Cloud Connect will take place March 7-10, 2011 at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. For more information visit: www.cloudconnectevent.com. 

About UBM TechWeb

UBM TechWeb, the global leader in technology media and professional information, enables people and organizations to harness the transformative power of technology. Through its three core businesses – media solutions, marketing services and paid content – UBM TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed brands and media applications in the technology market. More than 14.5 million business and technology professionals (CIOs and IT managers, Web & Digital professionals, Software Developers, Government decision makers, and Telecom providers) actively engage in UBM TechWeb's communities and information resources monthly. UBM TechWeb brands includes: global face-to-face events such as Interop, Web 2.0, Black Hat and Enterprise Connect; award-winning online resources such as InformationWeek, Light Reading, and Network Computing; and market-leading magazines InformationWeek, Wall Street & Technology, and Advanced Trading. UBM TechWeb is a UBM company, a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion.

SOURCE UBM TechWeb