Cloud Computing and Virtualization 2011

Most IT professionals agree there is no “silver bullet” when it comes to balancing the demands for shrinking budgets with rapidly growing requirements for more bandwidth, storage, and new applications.  Many have promoted cloud computing as one way to stretch financial resources while facilitating collaboration, information sharing, and rapid deployment of new services.  But recent research shows that nearly half of those ultimately responsible Federal information assets remain stoic on the real cost savings potential for cloud-based solutions.  Can the migration to cloud really offset the costs associated with changing long-standing operational norms, contracts, and staff skill sets?   Bring your perspectives and questions to this dialogue about how agencies are selecting systems to implement in the cloud and the financial and technology factors that have influenced their decisions.

Attendees will learn how:

• To evaluate cost and other decision factors before migrating legacy applications to the clouds.
• Agencies are choosing systems for multi-tenant hosted environments.
• Well understood Service Level Agreements are essential to ensure cloud satisfaction.
• To address organizational resistance to new computing models that, if left unaddressed, have the potential to eradicate intended cost savings.