The Future of Cloud Computing
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ict/ssai/events-20100126-cloud-computing_en.html
26 January 2010
Brussels, Belgium

Cloud Computing & SOA Workshop
http://soaschool.com/workshops/charleston0210
February 8-10, 2010
Charleston, USA

2nd Powered by Cloud Conference
http://www.poweredbycloud.com/
10 February 2010
London

FOSE – Technology Solutions for the Business of Government
http://www.fose.com/Events/FOSE-2010/Home.aspx
March 23-25, 2010
Washington DC

5th International Cloud Computing Expo
http://cloudcomputingexpo.com/
April 19-21, 2010
New York City, NY

 (If your Cloud Computing event is not listed, please feel free to contact us and we will add your event)

Wow.  It’s not very often that I’m impressed with a new technology that gets released, but Google Wave (or what it promises to be) is truly a new evolutionary step in technology and collaboration.

Google Wave is basically a platform to build something or do something with other people in real-time.  I find this impressive because you can use this for so many different purposes from business to games to whatever.  So my first question was, why is this any different/better than a forum?  This gives a method to see the evolution of a collaborative effort.  What I mean by that is imagine if you had a video camera that was filming everything you did with everyone in a project every step of the way and could playback at any point during the entire process; that’s 1 potential for Google wave.

Here are some of the ideas they (Google) mentioned:

Meeting notes
Proposal or Specification building
Document history
Contribution by an author
Document a X point in time
Show/hide inline discussions
Real-time editing by multiple people
Implemented using Google Web Toolkit
Integrated Twitter Collaboration

Now I try not to drink the Google Kool-Aid too much, but this truly looks revolutionary (obviously we’ll see).  I may have jumped on board quickly here because Google said they’re making this Open Source to boot.  It’s still in beta right now (or maybe Alpha for that matter) and I’m waiting on my trial account; once it gets setup, we’ll post the review.

http://wave.google.com

FREE* Expo-only registration for Government Employees! - The leading program for green IT and virtualization for government!
http://1105govinfoevents.com/EventOverview.aspx?Event=JGCS09
Washington DC USA
October 6 – 7, 2009

Day of the Cloud Seminar - Join us for the day on Friday October 16, 2009 for a day-long discussion on the ‘Cloud’.
http://www.psclistens.com/enTouchCMS/app/viewDocument?docID=5500&parntCatgId=56
Chicago, IL USA
October 16, 2009

Cloud International Symposium – Featuring Leading Experts / Over 20 Expert Sessions / Workshops
http://www.cloudsymposium.com/
Rotterdam, The Netherlands
October 19-23, 2009

5th Annual IT Security Automation Conference - Provide a common understanding for using specific open standards and new security technologies across various domains of interest including Cloud Computing…
http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/confpage/091026.htm
Baltimore, MD USA
October 26 – 29, 2009

Cloud Computing Conference & Expo - The Conference theme is “”Bringing the Economics of the Web to Enterprise IT Through Cloud Computing.”
http://cloudcomputingexpo.com/
Santa Clara, CA USA
Nov 2-4, 2009

Cloud Computing Track Conference - If clouds aren’t part of your computing strategy, you may be missing the most significant shift in IT since
http://www.interop.com/newyork/conference/cloud-computing.php
New York, NY USA
Nov 16-20, 2009

Software Vendors SaaS Migration Conference ’09 – 2 Day Summit & Expo - Software vendors: Discover how to migrate your on-premise software to SaaS and start profiting now!
http://www.cloudfutures.com/usa/
San Jose, CA USA
December 7-8, 2009

Cloud Computing Conference & Expo - The [Obama] Administration is taking an increased interest in the federal government’s move to cloud computing as a potential solution to capacity
http://www.digitalgovernment.com/Events/Conferences/Cloud-Computing-Conference–Expo.shtml
Washington, DC USA
December 9, 2009

Sorry for the bad play on words, but it’s true. President Obama just announced through his CIO Vivek Kundra that all federal agencies will be shifting to Cloud-based computing. Wow, it’s impressive to see the government doing something that actually makes sense.

They created a video that seems to simplify the matter a great deal:

Cloud Computing Animation Demo Intro

They also made a new website called apps.gov that [appears to be] a portal for governmental entities to use the cloud. It’s quite ambiguous as to what the site is for, so perhaps they’ll update that in the near future. They do have 4 sections towards the bottom of the page that are basically listings of cloud-based applications (Cloud companies take note!).

http://www.apps.gov/

UPDATE: It’s definitely for governmental agencies. When you attempt to register for an account, the 3rd piece of information you provide is what governmental agency you belong to (DOD, DOE, etc.)

What’s most interesting about this site is the approved vendors; can you say Salesforce.com about a thousand times? Are these guys quick to the punch or are they lobbying Washington?

Img Credit: techpresident.com

Technology is evolving at a rapid pace, many products that were once large applications run from desktop PC’s or in  server rooms are now being migrated to Cloud Based Platforms.  A myriad of reasons lead up to this migration, but the factors generally boil down to reduced cost and increased availability.  Here are couple of products that are working their way into our lives:

1) Digital Asset Management (D.A.M.)

Digital Asset Management (DAM) refers to software systems that allow people to share files on the internet as if the files were stored locally.  A variety of DAM systems exist and the criteria to look for are:

• File Storage Cost – Costs range anywhere from $0.01 to $10 per gigabyte depending on the ancillary services offered.
• Setup Fees – Anywhere from 0-10,000.
• Ongoing maintenance fees – Should be zero.
• Flat Monthly Rate – Some DAM’s provide a flat monthly rate, but you should look for exclusions. (Think late 80′s cellphones and overage charges)

Why are DAMs helpful?

These types of systems provide several primary advantages over local or local network storage:

• Data Redundancy – Data redundancy means your files are backed up using multiple techniques.  This means you never lose your files because of a flood, earthquake, hardware failure, second coming, etc.
• Available Anywhere – Anywhere you have an internet connection, you have access to your files
• Simple to Setup – takes less than 10 minutes to setup
• Any industry that uses email and shares files needs a central repository
• Removes need for complicated VPNs (Virtual Private Networks)

2) Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Packages

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) packages allow a business to unify all pertinent information in a central location.  ERP packages typically exist in most if not all departments and while streamlining workflow also capture important metrics that are utilized by company management.  For example, the software can assist an accounting department with Accounts Payables (A/P) and Accounts Receivables (A/R) by streamlining workflow; later this same information will automatically be mined to provide the accounting manager or executive the average time to receipt of payment or total number of invoices submitted by a vendor.

Why are ERP’s helpful?  Not only are workflow processes streamlined, but management and executives are able to quickly and easily make strategy decisions based on captured departmental information.

Why is a Cloud-based ERP useful?:

• Rapid Setup – a new business can be setup in minutes and existing businesses can be migrated in only a few days/weeks.  This may seem like a long time, but consider the depth and brevity of your business; it is critical that all elements be transferred and no information is overlooked.  While keeping this migration strategy in mind, a business will be able to mine its existing infrastructure as if it had been on an ERP for years.
• Available Anywhere – Anywhere an internet connection exists, you can run your business.  For this reason and since this is a potential point of failure, multiple redundant internet connections are not only recommended, but should be required in any project.  Current routers (the device that connects you to the internet) have hybrid land-based and cellular based connection.  This means that even if your standard internet connection fails and you have a power outage then you still have internet to run your business.
• Security – By using a cloud-based ERP, organizations are required to adhere to current security practices and policies.  For example, an a former employee could potentially gain access to an out-of-date system via a corporate Intranet.  By using a decentralized cloud-based system, employees can be granted/denied access on a moments notice.  Further, cloud-based systems should always require users to frequently change passwords and keep browser technology current.  At the time of this writing (Sep 19 2009), 18% of Internet users are still using IE6 which has substantial security holes/breaches.  By using a cloud-based system, the ERP will not allow an employee to login if their software is not current.

3) Email

Email is a tool that’s been used in the mainstream since the mid 1990′s.  By reading this, there is a 99.999% you have an email account.  This example is mentioned to bring home the reality that cloud-based solutions have been around for years.  If you ever have had a Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail or other web-based email account, then you have already used a cloud-based technology.

Why is a Cloud-based email solution helpful?  Three (3) reasons:

• Simple to Setup – It takes less than 2 minutes to setup.  If you try to remember setting up Outlook, Lotus Notes or other installable software, you probably remember calling tech support, the IT department, or researching personally how to configure POP, SMTP, send and receive email settings.  By using a cloud-based email account, all you had to do was enter your name, email and password.
• Data Redundancy – Data redundancy means your files are backed up using multiple techniques.  This means you never lose your files because of a flood, earthquake, hardware failure, etc.
• Available Anywhere – Anywhere you have an internet connection, you have access to your email.

These cloud based solutions are just a few of the products that are already influencing how we interact with other people, computers and technology.  As cloud based architectures continue to be adopted by new sectors of the business/service world and the population that uses them, our usage of technology becomes more and more simple, like flying through a cloud!