Cloud computing has been hailed for its ability to shift expense from capital to operational budgets. Yet operational decisions can be complex; if not properly managed, cloud solutions could cost more in the long run.   Using IDC’s online Cloud Decision Framework, analysts will work, hands-on, with participants to evaluate the operational, organizational and financial  considerations of their hosting decisions by helping them quantify the true cost of their cloud initiatives.

Cisco Systems plays a critical role in providing the infrastructure for leading enterprises and services providers around the globe. In this one-on-one conversation, Manjula Talreja, vice president of Global Cloud Business Development at Cisco, talks about the company’s next-generation network platform that enables customers to realize the promise of private and public clouds by building out the management, orchestration, security, UC and collaboration components.  Manjula also provides insights into the global adoption of cloud based on Cisco’s work with leading cloud providers and  key partnerships that are  delivering an end-to-end cloud solution.

With a wide variety of cloud models, many business leaders are asking, “Which cloud is right for my business, workforce, and customers?” In reality, businesses will use many types of clouds to solve a myriad of organizational challenges. They can build their own private clouds, purchase services from public cloud providers or participate in interconnected communities of clouds. In this session we will outline how Cisco uniquely combines innovative cloud enablement services, unified data center, applications and an Intelligent Network into an integrated cloud architecture to help organizations improve business capabilities and deliver comprehensive solutions for an assured cloud experience. 

Cloud’s “game changing” attributes are revolutionizing industry value chains and enabling companies to embrace new business models. But how do you define where you want to go and how to get there? This session will outline a framework for senior executives to develop their individual transformation roadmaps and will cover lessons learned from customers who have begun their transformational journeys.  


 

Virtualization and cloud computing have changed the face of today’s data center, providing businesses with opportunity for rapid provisioning, agility and cost savings with the ability to expand their computing resource. Workforce practices are also evolving with the adoption of mobile and smart devices. These benefits also introduce new breach and security risks to data as businesses may not always know where their data is or who has access to it. Join Trend Micro as we discuss the realities of a business utilizing virtual and cloud resources for critical applications and how to best secure those systems and your data within today’s dynamic computing world.

As cloud computing continues to gain popularity, many enterprises are intrigued by the potential benefits it promises, but concerns remain about security, visibility, and control.  To achieve the benefits of cloud without sacrificing those key requirements, organizations must first address infrastructure challenges, specifically in the network, that could hamper their success. Join this session and hear how using strategic points of control to aggregate and dynamically provision IT resources enables enterprises to continuously deliver virtualized applications, retain internal control of their applications and improve operational functionality while reducing the cost of delivering Infrastructure as a Service.

Cloud security is either the biggest impediment to cloud or the biggest red herring delaying the inevitable embrace of this new model of computing. Is cloud more secure than you think or are there more risks that should be keeping you up at night? During this executive interview, CSO Editor in Chief Derek Slater talks with security expert John Howie about the current cloud security landscape and beyond, and the new solutions and threats you need to know about.

Companies are looking for ways to drive lasting marketplace advantage, with innovation becoming the key driver of business success. In this session we will explore how cloud and this new era of computing is fostering innovation and changing the structure of businesses and markets, and how the use of cloud technologies can enable IT to move out of the data center and into the fabric of the business.

Cloud providers are businesses too, and they rely on a mix of internal and external services to support operations. In this unique session, hear how Amazon.com has embraced the cloud and what it has learned from running Amazon Web Services. What do they know that you don’t?

Cloud computing continues to generate both promise and fear across numerous sectors. It has proven challenging for organizations to determine how to quickly benefit from cloud computing. The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory has made early and significant investments in cloud computing technology, partnerships, and usage over the last three years. Based on hands-on experience, this talk will uncover prevalent myths about cloud computing and objectively evaluate them MythBusters style. It will also recommend how enterprises can innovate effectively using cloud computing.

LSI President and CEO Abhi Talwalkar will discuss how a massive global data deluge is creating new challenges. This data deluge driven by key factors such as social media, video, the mobile Internet and the Internet of things is sweeping across the IT landscape and companies are increasingly turning to cloud architectures to help manage the rising costs and technical challenges. With both network traffic and data projected to grow faster than IT investments, datacenters and mobile networks will need to adopt new approaches to contend with the massive demand, driving the need for “intelligent silicon” that can analyze and prioritize data and help enable a smarter cloud.

Whether you are building storage solutions for public clouds, private clouds or traditional datacenters, adopting the right storage strategy can help you more efficiently handle ever-increasing amounts of data and performance requirements, while significantly lowering total cost of ownership (TCO) in terms of power consumption, cooling and storage density. Representing the preferred storage provider for today’s warehouse-scaled cloud datacenters, HGST’s Mike Alexenko will share how to customize your cloud strategy for specific applications and services; tier cloud storage by type of drive for greatest operational efficiencies and TCO; and more.

It’s not just about where you put your data. It’s how you access it. You've likely moved to the cloud to realize cost savings and drive efficiencies. Yet, the network you use can dramatically impact your experience. Consider that old networks originally built for voice conversations aren't well suited for transporting data to the cloud and back. Ed Barosky of  Comcast Business Services, will reveal how next-generation networks designed to accommodate today’s massive data requirements deliver the full flexibility and performance you expect from your cloud investments. Learn why risking your cloud connection to outdated technology could impact your cloud ROI, how advanced network technology can help your organization achieve notable cost savings, and the benefits of next-generation networks for security, regulatory compliance and more.

During this lightning presentation, we will delve into the importance of a sound cloud education strategy and the benefits of investing in your people to optimize cloud related investments. In addition, we will share the available cloud computing curriculum and highlight how one organization, ING Bank, leveraged a cloud computing education strategy to optimize the investments they made.

This rapid-fire session will show you how to intelligently transform, control and automate virtual and cloud infrastructure with predictive analytics that determine the optimal workload placements, resource allocations and capacity requirements to maximize VM density, reduce operational risk and prevent performance issues.

IT spent long years and billions of dollars creating a portfolio of integrated apps designed to drive the business. Now, your business is being powered by an increasingly diverse portfolio of on-premise applications, SaaS offerings - even apps on mobile devices – acquired by IT, business units and employees. How do you ensure a single view of the organization and customers? How do you avoid losing all the benefits of your hard-won systems integration? The answer: Great data management. Here’s what that entails and what leading organizations are doing to drive cohesion from the data up.

Cloud – along with trends like mobility and social network – promise to reshape your business and your career paths. But is your organization mired in the 20th century? With the advent of cloud, many job descriptions are likely to change, old silos need to be broken down and your team needs to be building new skills. How can you shepherd this growth and development and ensure relevancy in the coming months and years? Hear from those in the midst of this change to help manage cloud-driven change in your organization. See what your org chart should look like in the era of cloud.

As in any industry, change is constant. Over the past two decades, the services industry has witnessed the shift in the delivery of services from on-site to hosted and offshore. Each of these delivery options required customers to develop new sourcing strategies based different business models and very labor oriented processes. The move to cloud will require not just another change in sourcing strategies but a sourcing framework that can ensure a seamless move to cloud while optimizing the value of these much more highly automated services. This session will examine the impact of cloud services on customer sourcing strategies with particular attention to issues of changing governance requirements; organizational structures; financial needs and contractual factors. Further this session will provide insights into key factors that customers need to consider about their provider's ability to create a resilient business model that can meet their needs.

Don't miss this discussion with some of the Valley's best known venture capitalists as they discuss what's in the cloud pipeline and what that means for your enterprise strategy.

Over the last year and, in particular, the first months of 2012, new and alarming trends are arising in cloud contracting. Customers are being asked to assume an unprecedented level of risk. In this session, we will discuss real-world scenarios and approaches to identifying and mitigating risk. The risk starts with data access and privacy concerns and extends through service level agreements to company reputation and specific state and federal laws. What do you need to know – and stipulate in contract language -- to protect your organization in today’s shifting legal landscape? In this highly practical presentation, Michael Overly, an attorney specializing in IT contracts, will cover the latest legal considerations for cloud computing. He’ll send you home with actionable ideas and examples of the exact language that should be in all of your cloud contracts today.