February 5, 2009
8:30am – 10:30am
To critics, cloud computing is just a fancy name for distributed or net-centric computing. For proponents, it is a concept that will usher in a new era of high value computing innovations at low cost. Cloud computing is typically associated with delivering services through the Internet and is integrated with the concept of software as a service (SaaS). Google Apps and application service providers (ASPs) such as salesforce.com are often quoted as examples. Cloud computing will likely leverage massive data and storage centers, provide services on a subscription basis, apply virtualization, and provide instant access worldwide through the “cloud.” Is cloud computing in general and software as a service specifically, the answer to the economic uncertainties of today? Will firms large and small really be able to reduce their reliance on internal server farms and utilize Amazon’s web services? Will we see new applications that for example leverage the Facebook API to deliver entirely new kinds of capabilities? Can cloud computing overcome security and integration challenges and help firms save money and deliver new capabilities?
Panelists
- Lauren C. States, Vice President, IBM Software Group
- Jazz Tobaccowalla, Vice President, Wyeth
- Ed Sullivan, CEO and Founder, Aria Systems, Inc.
- Yair Greenbaum, Executive Vice President, ekkoTV, Inc.
- Charles D. Wallace, Chief Technology Architect, Rohm and Haas Company
Moderator
- Munir Mandviwalla, Temple University
