In 2008, Vogels was also crowned "CIO/CTO of the Year" by InformationWeek magazine in recognition of his educational and promotional role in cloud computing. Dr. Vogels is widely regarded as the "Father of the Cloud" and is one of the leading figures behind his company’s Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud computing drive. On Wednesday 7 March, he will hold a keynote address and chair a panel discussion on "Flying the Cloud: Managing Big Data and Trust". Deutsche Messe has also succeeded in attracting Dr. Jeff Jaffe, who is CEO of the W3C, the committee responsible for the standardization of web technologies, as a keynote speaker for 6 March.

Cloud computing - from vision to reality

Back in the 80s, Sun Microsystems had already coined the much cited phrase "The Network is the Computer". This statement is an apt summary of the idea of cloud computing. These days it's no longer necessary to own expensive hardware and software to perform a given data processing task. Anyone can access any software application and any data storage and processing capacities they might need at any time via the Cloud.

Cloud computing has left the realm of hyped ideas and become a reality that is set to have a profound and lasting impact on the IT landscape. And it’s not only private individuals who stand to benefit from transferring their data and software to the Cloud. For companies in particular, cloud computing opens up exciting possibilities in that it provides them with a means of using and paying for the IT they need on an on-demand basis.

The commercial benefits of the Cloud

Cloud computing has three defining characteristics:

• 1. On-demand billing (you only pay for resources you actually use)
• 2. Multi-client capability (all users share the same Cloud infrastructure, but services are provided and charged on a client-specific and confidential basis)
• 3. Service-oriented architecture

The business model that results from a combination of these features offers clients significant commercial benefits. Generally, cloud computing comprises three distinct service areas: SaaS (Software as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service) and IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service). Companies that are fully committed to a cloud computing approach no longer need to worry about building and operating their own IT infrastructure. They also benefit from reduced expenditure on hardware, software and licenses.

Detailed information concerning the panal discussion "Flying the Cloud: Managing Big Data and Trust"