RightScale Compute Conference: Cloud Computing’s Present and Future

In a clear sign that cloud computing is now front and center on the channel’s agenda, there are dozens of conferences that now serve VARs, MSPs and cloud services providers. One of the biggest of this spring, RightScale Compute 2013, is approaching fast. Here’s what to expect — along with a discount code just for Talkin’ Cloud readers who might want to attend.

Scheduled for April 23-26 in San Francisco, RightScale Compute will combine technical presentations to promote a better understanding of some key cloud technologies with sessions and keynotes that focus on the bigger picture of where the cloud is going in the future and how it relates to the channel at large.

On the technical front, the conference will include sessions that address not only more basic (but vitally important) stuff — like “Delivering SaaS Using IaaS” and solutions for monitoring and automating the cloud — that will likely be familiar to channel veterans, but also some of the newest technological strategies for the cloud. For example, there will be sessions on configuration management using Puppet and “next-generation” computing via the Google Cloud Platform.

In addition, RightScale — which itself focuses on cloud manageement solutions — has lined up several notable names for the keynotes:

• James Staten, VP and Principal Analyst at Forrester Research, promises to separate the cloud hype from reality, explaining how fast the cloud market is actually moving.
• Richard Kaufmann, VP of Samsung SDS America, will speak about Samsung’s collaboration with RightScale around the hybrid cloud.
• Michael Crandell, RightScale CEO, is slated to discuss the “State of the Cloud” at present in terms of market developments, adoption trends and lessons from successul cloud deployments.

The full schedule is available online. While the conference-proper will not begin until April 25, the day of the keynotes, it will be preceded by two days of in-depth sessions and training workshops on cloud deployment, budgeting and ensuring high-availability and disaster-readiness.

And last but not least, the conference organizers — because they, and we, appreciate our readers so much — have provided a 25 percent discount for those interested in attending.  Use the code COMPUTE_TalkinCloud25 when registering.