With the CDN World Forum Asia (co-located with the Cloud Computing World Forum Asia, 1st December 2011, Hong Kong) just over a week away, we thought it was worth writing a blog post on the importance of Content Delivery Networks (CDNs),  the link between CDNs and cloud computing, and the reasons we’re devoting so much attention to the future of the CDN industry at our up-coming Asia show.

Content Delivery Networks have been consuming our event research and planning for a number of years now, with the CDN World Forum Europe proving an overwhelming success earlier this year, and paving the way for our decision to run a similar event alongside the Cloud Computing World Forum Asia later this month and the 2nd CDN World Forum Europe next June at Earls Court, London.

However, just like with the cloud computing industry, it feels like it’s only now, in 2011, that we can see the industry taking off in the way we had previously imagined.

OK, CDN providers such as Akamai and Edgecast have been at the cutting edge of internet traffic provision for quite some time and CDNs are by no means a new entity; but, in recent months much more has been made about who CDNs are actually available to, and why they are so important – triggering a number of companies and telecoms providers to assess the viability of moving into the CDN industry themselves.

Let’s break this down  – CDNs redirect internet traffic based on where an end-user is positioned globally, helping to ease data overloading and speeding up how quickly we can all access web pages and content at peak times. In previous years it was only the most frequently accessed global websites that deemed CDNs an option for their business – partly due to the high costs of operation, and partly because they were the only ones that felt them necessary.

However, as our reliance on the internet, big data, and bandwidth-sapping content such as video streaming and software as a service (SaaS) increases, so does the need to balance the distribution of this data, and for CDNs.

With so many telcos, ISPs, IT companies and traditional broadcasters across the globe interested in creating new models for video delivery via the internet, CDNs become a big cog in the internet machine – and have led to many big companies such as Alcatel-Lucent, Google, IBM (the list goes on…) question whether they can build their own CDNs, and if so, how they can make content delivery networks cheaper to operate.

The new telco entrants to the market are making for an intriguing development in an industry previously dominated by just a handful of companies, but also leading to more, smaller entrants to the market developing ideas for ‘CDN Federations‘, or interconnecting CDNs across multiple suppliers to share the potential profits made from having CDN as part of their hosting capabilities.

One such company now operating “CDN for the masses” is OnApp. A UK-based global cloud hosting provider, their CEO, Ditlev Bredahl, has been in high-demand since the company announced they were planning to provide their own CDN:  “[At present] prices are outrageous at the high end of the [CDN] market, because providers have to recoup the cost of running a network of global data centres.

“With the OnApp CDN that’s no longer the case; hosts can bring CDN services to market at a much lower cost than other CDN vendors.  We’re making high-end CDN functionality affordable for hosts and their customers, for the first time.”

And this is a trend that looks set to continue among both IT companies, to deal with the bandwidth pressures of cloud computing and SaaS, and content providers, as video streaming over the internet and via mobile grows in demand.

Which leads us conveniently to the CDN World Forum Asia. With China unsurprisingly the world’s largest internet users and the biggest streamers of internet-based video, it makes sense that some of the future issues associated with content delivery are addressed. Passes for the show, held at The Mira in Hong Kong, on 1st December 2011, are still available.

With speakers from organisations such as Pacnet, Government of Hong Kong, ChinaCache and Telekom Indonesia all explaining the importance of CDNs in their future business operations, the event should provide some vital insight into the evolution of the industry.

Yesterday, Intel released the results of their latest survey, the Intel Business Index. As an independent study of 3,000 IT decision-makers and IT users in the UK, the survey provides a pretty fair reflection of the SMB market’s current uptake of new technology. Unfortunately on this occasion, the statistics didn’t read too well.

According to the Intel research, not only are small businesses struggling to get to grips with cloud computing and integrating mobile devices into workplace activity, they’re also having an issue with the very existence of new technology in the office.

Insufficient financial and human resources prevents almost half (46.3%) of IT decision makers from adopting new technologies. Over a third (36.4%) of SMEs don’t plan to buy new laptops, desktop PCs, tablets or smartphones in the next 12 months. Furthermore, 78% say that the lack of government funding prevents them from training staff in new technologies.

And as if that wasn’t damning enough, the survey also claimed fax machines were still being used daily by 37% of IT decision-makers and 40% of IT users.

Confusion still reigns over cloud computing too – so much so, that only 13.8% of IT decision makers said they had bought into ‘cloud services’, yet nearly half (48%) of those survey were using Google Docs.

So does all this mean? Should we be reading into this report?

“The index highlights that cloud awareness and adoption is lagging behind the hype,” said Graham Palmer, Managing Director of Intel UK.

“It’s important that cloud companies educate SMEs about the implications of these technologies, including secure access to the cloud and the physical location of the data, because regulatory compliance may dictate how the cloud can be used.

“Cloud computing can be a very cost-effective option for many SMEs, but nobody should take the plunge without considering the impact on their business.”

The SME market is often cited as key to the development of cloud services in the UK, and despite the occasionally ropey nature of some survey results about cloud computing, the Intel Business Index will no doubt be of interest. Are we really in hype mode still when it comes to cloud? It’ll be a subject that will provide plenty of reason for debate in the build-up to our Cloud Computing World Forum in London next June.

On the 30th November and 1st December 2011, we’ll be heading to Hong Kong, for the 2nd annual Cloud Computing World Forum Asia. The event, co-located with the CDN World Forum, will tackle some of the issues surrounding the cloud and IT industry in South-East Asia, with China a key focus.

So in preparation for the event, we wanted to ask – what’s in the Chinese cloud? We enlisted Actel Consulting’s Shervin Bakhtiari to give us a run-down of the country’s current cloud positioning.

Development Plan

As detailed in Shervin’s guest post for Business Cloud News earlier this month, China is currently going through some pretty big changes when it comes to its IT strategy.

In late 2010, the Chinese government announced their 12th Five Year Development Plan outlining their plans for social and economic development for 2011 – 2015, and designated cloud as one of seven “Strategic Emerging Industries”.

Since then, five research centers in Beijing, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Wuxi have been designated to launch the initial development and innovation for cloud computing, showing the importance the Chinese government places on cloud infrastructure in the future.

Huge potential

Despite many concerns, the figures speak for themselves, and this is likely to drive the country towards using cloud services. The Asia Cloud Computing Association reports that investment in Cloud computing projects in China is expected to reach US$154 billion over the coming few years. According to KPMG, China Mobile on its own has planned investments of $52 billion over the next three years to expand its cloud offering nationwide. Cloud is going to be big, big business in China.

In terms of cloud’s biggest players in China, Chinese network vendors such as Huawei and ZTE have built up their cloud computing product portfolio and system integration services. Both are also marketing their cloud products to international markets, with initial success in Asia-Pacific and Latin American markets, but both are eying European and North American markets also. Huawei has already established a cloud computing research center in Silicon Valley.

As with other key industries, such as telecommunications, the Chinese government is focused on accelerating the local R&D and innovation and therefore may endorse and adopt a specific set of standards, policies, or procurement strategies which would be more beneficial for local players.

China’s cloud players

Therefore, it may limit or delay the number and scope of international cloud computing service and application providers in China in the short term; however given the enormous market potential in the long term, many international service providers are looking at entry via joint ventures with governments or local partners.

To give some examples, Microsoft has announced partnership with China Mobile on Cloud solutions and SAP has announced partnerships with China Telecom to provide cloud applications in China. Pacnet is partnering with the Chongqing government and will build and provide cloud computing as well as fiber connectivity at the new cloud computing zone. Some of the world’s biggest companies such as Cisco, IBM and Oracle are all expected to make similar moves in the near future, to try and build a footprint in the Chinese cloud market.

Chinese private and public (non-state owned) companies have also been launching and expanding their cloud computing services ranging from IaaS to SaaS.   Large internet and software companies such as Alibaba, Sina, Baidu, Kingdee are providing cloud based and SaaS solutions. Last month at the ICT Application conference in Shanghai, Shanda, one of the largest online gaming companies in China, promoted their recently launched ShandDaYu (Great Cloud), modeled after Amazon AWS, and indicated that it’s going to be the “AWS of China”.

The concerns

There is of course, the issue of the Wall. The “Great Firewall of China” is one of the most sophisticated internet filtering systems, blocking many social networking, blog, and news web sites, but sometimes also blocking, completely or intermittently, certain cloud services such as Google docs, and Dropbox, making it difficult to use such services reliably. The filtering also causes significant connectivity speed and capacity reduction when connecting services outside of China.

The Chongqing Cloud zone has tried to address this issue by proposing unfiltered connectivity at their sites, but have limited such service only to international companies, causing local companies to complain about double standards. Because of this issue, it remains to be seen if this policy will actually be implemented.   Another issue facing the cloud providers and users in China is data privacy and protection issues as the regulation around such issues are vague and at the mercy of government interpretation.

Despite these issues the outlook is still positive -  given the government and private focus and investment in the space and eventual market acceptance of cloud services in world’s largest internet, computer, and mobile market, cloud is destined to be a key growth area in the country for the coming decade and won’t be overlooked. With a population of 1.3bn, the potential profits are huge – and the Cloud Computing World Forum Asia promises to showcase just how advanced the Chinese, and Asian industries are.

To read the full post by Shervin Bakhtiari, “Cloud Computing in China” click here

To register for the Cloud Computing World Forum Asia 2011 click here

This week we were able to confirm Amazon’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Werner Vogels, as a keynote speaker for our Cloud Computing World Forum in London, next June.

It’s an exciting prospect – Dr. Vogels is often regarded as one of the IT industry’s most influencial figures, having overseen Amazon’s evolution from “hugely successful online bookstore” to technology platform giant, through the company’s global infrastructure, Amazon Web Services (AWS).

He’s also been instrumental in Amazon’s shift towards cloud computing delivery, which has spread itself across both the global enterprise (millions of businesses rely on their infrastructure) and consumer arena, thanks to the development of the Amazon Cloud Player and its newest tablet, Kindle Fire, which, once released later this year, will rely extensively on the global AWS cloud to operate.

It’s difficult not to heap praise on Vogels – he’s won countless awards since stepping up as CTO for the company in 2005, including being named Chief of the Year by Information Week in 2008 and ReadWriteWeb’s Most Influencial Cloud Computing Executive in 2010.

A keen advocate for the development of cloud computing within IT, Werner has previously been described as someone who can both “explain the vision” of cloud computing and dive into the “technical minutia” with consummate ease.

As one of only two Amazon executives who speak publicly on behalf of the company (the other being CEO, Jeff Bezos), we can’t wait to hear his thoughts on how he sees the cloud computing industry developing beyond 2012, and how he’s helped Amazon reach the all-encompassing heights it currently locates.

It may be over 36 weeks (who’s counting?!) until the Cloud Computing World Forum 2012 kicks off at Earls Court, but people are already registering for the event, which is expected to be attended by over 4,500 delegates. With Werner Vogels and many other great speakers due to be announced in coming months, there’s no better time than now to register for free.

To check out some of the other speakers already confirmed, visit www.cloudwf.com

Back in December 2010, IDC published a report declaring that the Indian cloud computing market was set to rocket in annual growth – 40% by 2014 from its (then) estimated value of US$66.7 million.

With a population of over 1bn people, there was always going to be the potential for cloud to take off in India, but in what form and how quickly is something still up for discussion.

Luckily, we’ll soon be leading that discussion – on Wednesday (12th October), when we host our first Cloud Computing World Forum in Mumbai. The conference will aim to tackle issues surrounding adoption of the new technology and what the future holds for the use of cloud in some of the country’s 12m+ micro, small and medium-sized businesses.

Under the microscope will also be the development of the mobile cloud in India, and how it is likely to improve business opportunities in the coming 12 months.

India’s number of mobile internet users has increased dramatically in recent years, and high-speed broadband access is slowly improving in many cities across the country. Some analysts have suggested mobile devices hold the key to the technology sector’s expansion in India, with cloud computing at the centre of this argument due to its ability to alleviate the necessity for hardware and mass software purchases.

With this in mind, we’ll be hosting two sessions titled ‘Implementing an Enterprise 2.0 strategy’ and ‘The Challenges of the Mobile Cloud’ to try and cover all aspects of the mobile enterprise market and establish best practice for Indian businesses looking to benefit from mobile.

The hype for cloud is definitely apparent on the sub-continent – we’ve had over 1,000 people register for the event already and there’s still time for more people to participate for free.

With a great list of speakers, including the recently named ‘Most Respected CIO in India’ (World CIO Council), Shoppers Stop’s Arun Gupta, it promises to be a great event. Sponsors include Cisco, SAP, NetApp and Huawei.

Shopper Stop’s Arun Gupta

Last week we hosted the Cloud Computing World Forum in Sao Paulo, Brazil, with over 300 delegates streaming through the doors and providing a great turnout for what was our first show in Latin America.

With a packed keynote theatre there was even an issue finding enough extra chairs to fit everyone in at one point, but luckily we managed to pull a few strings…

Among those presenting were Bruno Arrial dos Anjos, a Consultant for global analysis leaders, Frost & Sullivan; Aldo Navarro Zuquini, CIO for Brazilian transport stalwarts, Grupo Aguia Branca; and Izabelle Dantas Macedo, Marketing Manager for the LatAm division of Google.

Frost & Sullivan’s dos Anjos kick-started the conference with an overview of the current marketplace, declaring Brazil’s potential as a centre for cloud computing adoption, and citing the country’s growing number of SMEs as a fundamental driver of the industry’s potential growth.

Grupo Aguia Branca’s Zuquini was also able to shed some light on how private clouds were currently being used in big business within various industries across the LatAm region, and how new customers might benefit from their development, while Google’s Mededo explained the importance of linking cloud computing with the current global shift from PCs to tablets and smartphones.

Mededo’s comments were all the more relevant considering it was only recently confirmed that Apple would begin production of the iPad in Brazil, however there are still barriers to entry (cost) and will be interesting to come back next year for the 2^nd CCWF Latin America, and find out just how much impact the tablet market has had in the region.

Fittingly, this year’s forum was brought to a close with a number of Latin America’s top industry experts joining together on a panel to discuss the likely trends for cloud computing in Brazil over the next 12 months. Among those present were Leandro Lessis, Manager for Financial Planning at Telefonica Brasil, and Fabian Rossi, IT Program Manager for NEC Latin America.

Interestingly both argued that it was not just the rise of the SME that was vital to cloud’s development in the region, but also the further development of high-speed broadband networks outside major cities. We’ll certainly be keeping an eye on how this problem is addressed going into 2012.

Next stop for the World Series is Mumbai for the Cloud Computing World Forum India on 12^th October. If you’re looking to attend the event or sponsor, visit www.cloudcomputinglive.com/india

For presentation slides from the Cloud Computing World Forum Latin America, click here

This Wednesday we’ll be holding our very first World Series event in Brazil, at the Braston Hotel in Sao Paulo. With Latin America considered one of the cloud computing industry’s biggest emerging global markets, the conference will provide a great opportunity for us to discover how cloud has evolved in this part of the world, since the hype around the technology exploded last year.

Among those exhibiting at the show will be communications giants and cloud platform providers, NEC, as well as Brazil-based (as well as global) infrastructure delivers, Tecla Internet, Chinese market-leaders Huawei and upcoming cloud and CDN hosts, OnApp.  Each sponsor will be on hand to discuss cloud computing with the attending delegates and IT decision-makers, and we’re hoping some deals can be done during the show to help further push cloud into Latin American businesses.

The theatre agenda will also be jam-packed with speakers from the local IT industry, including Bruno Arrial, Frost & Sullivan consultant for Brazil, who will be discussing current adoption trends in the region, and Andre De Souza Doro, Electrolux’s Head of IT and a man responsible for introducing cloud computing applications into the company’s IT infrastructure.

With the discussions being translated in both Portuguese and English there should be something for everyone, and we’re expecting plenty of people through the doors.

If you’re in the Sao Paulo region and have an interest in developing cloud computing for your business you can register for the event for free online here: http://bit.ly/ogcKwt

And if you’re still sceptical about cloud computing’s impact on business in Brazil in coming years, consider this quote from AngloGold Ashanti’s Head of IT, Pedro Augusto M de Oliveira (also speaking at the event):

“It is very possible that within ten years data centres will not be part of the assets of a company, as probably, everybody will be based in the Public Cloud.”

So clearly cloud computing is being taken seriously in the region. Hopefully Wednesday will determine how seriously.

Cloud Computing, of course! It may be over nine months away, but  the Cloud Computing World Forum Europe, to be held at Earls Court, London on 12th and 13th June 2012, has already confirmed some renowned keynote speakers for its two day cloud exhibition.

Among those scheduled to present are David Cullinane, eBay’s CISO and a man responsible for the global fraud, risk and security strategy programs currently protecting the online auctioning giants. He’ll be discussing one of cloud’s biggest topics, security, at length; and will no doubt provide an insightful keynote regardless of how the industry evolves in the coming months (although we’re pretty confident security will still be a major talking point for cloud, come next June!).

2012’s London show will also see a number of the world’s most recognisable charitable organisations take to the stage to discuss how cloud computing is helping them operate during the current period of austerity.

As we’re sure you’ll all agree, managing costs in this economic climate is tough, but vital for many businesses in their bid to stay afloat. So, with cloud computing said to play a part in cutting down many IT overheads, we’re looking forward to hearing Oxfam’s CIO, Peter Ransom and Greenpeace’s Head of IS, Andrew Hatton, discuss cloud’s role in their respective organisations and the challenges they face in coming years. If there’s anyone best suited to discussing how to manage costs in IT, it’s got to be these guys.

Other speakers we’ve confirmed for London in the last couple of weeks include Julian Burnett, CTO for supermarket leaders Sainsburys, Bill Limond, CIO for City of London and Can Ersoz, IS Manager for Japanese drinks company, Yakult.

We’ll keep you posted as more big names are confirmed in the coming months, but if you want to stay informed with the current list of speakers for London (or indeed any of our shows), visit www.cloudwf.com or www.cloudcomputinglive.com. You can register for London now via http://www.cloudwf.com/register.html. With around 4,500 delegates expected, it already promises to be a great show.

With a busy few months ahead of us (the World Series will be stopping in Brazil, India and Hong Kong before the 2011 is out), we’re delighted to see interest in our events increasing rapidly.

One of our newest events, to be held in Mumbai, India on 12th October (check out the website here), recently confirmed its 1,000th registered delegate, and we’ve had a number of new sponsors and speakers confirmed for the event in the past week, including the likes of Huawei, SAP and Cisco (Diamond Sponsors for the show).

The adoption rate for cloud computing in India may not be as high as other developed nations such as the US and the UK, but interest in the technology is building. Many of IT’s major players are focusing on the Indian market, and with around 2m small-to-medium size businesses in the country all keen for cheaper, more flexible IT alternatives, it makes sense that interest in the Cloud Computing World Forum should be increasing.

Global analysis group, Frost & Sullivan, recently published a post detailing the importance of this emerging market, and a representative will be speaking at the event about the development of the Indian cloud, alongside many other industry experts from organisations such as McDonald’s, Canon and the Indian Government.

It promises to be an insightful show. If you want to register to attend, simply click here

Last week we discovered Software-as-a-service (SaaS) and cloud computing providers could be missing out on tax breaks designed to encourage research and development (R&D) in the UK.

The news, first released by a British accountancy firm, Grant Thornton, comes at a time when many businesses find themselves strapped by global economic uncertainty. Placed under the ‘Corporate Tax’ moniker by HMRC, the relief option has been designed with the key objective of helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to prosper through the assistance of their R&D activity.

“We’re surprised by the lack of awareness and consequential take up of this relief,” said Grant Thornton’s Ian Rowland.

“[Software companies] across the UK can save up to an additional 26% in tax for every £1 spent on R&D. From April next year this benefit will rise to up to 31.25%. It is very common for software claims we’ve handled to result in a cash benefit in excess of £50,000 claimed back from HMRC.”

There are some 8,350 firms across all sectors claiming the relief, however the lion’s share is currently consumed by larger firms which can claim approximately 8% tax benefit for every £1 spent on R&D. SMEs currently make up only 25% of those claiming.