Cloudy Visions: 20 Scenes From Cloud Expo New York
Cloud Expo Takes Over NYC
The fifth Cloud Computing Conference and Expo took over the Jacob K. Javits Conference Center from April 19 to April 21, bringing together hundreds of cloud-hungry attendees looking to devour anything and everything related to cloud computing. The keynote stage to the bustling show floor, there was plenty to see over a jam-packed three days.
Here are some of the sights from Cloud Expo.
Step Right Up
With just an hour to spare before the opening keynote, late arrivals eagerly register for the show.
Oracle Loves Iron Man
Oracle has proven its true superhero allegiance, siding with Iron Man as its knight in shining armor. Throughout the Javits Center Robert Downey Jr.'s masked mug could be seen peering out from various pieces of Oracle marketing materials, be it giveaway posters, magazines or this advertisement that greeted people as they entered the conference.
Mr. Ellison, Your Car Is Ready
No, we don't really think Larry Ellison was in attendance at Cloud Expo, but Oracle's presence could not be ignored, as evidenced by this fleet of Oracle-emblazoned Nissans lining the curb in front of the Javits Center.
Even More Oracle
Ok, this is getting ridiculous. Not only did Oracle have the largest presence at Cloud Expo, but fittingly it kicked off the event with the opening keynote. Here Oracle senior vice president Richard Sarwal outlines some of Oracle's plans for the cloud.
Not A Seat To Be Had
During the opening keynotes, some Cloud Expo attendees had to resort to standing in the back, as every seat was taken -- an illustration that enterprises large and small are hungry for cloud computing.
Surprise! It's Abiquo!
Abiquo will go down as Cloud Expo's worst kept secret. The cloud management vendor was planning to use Cloud Expo as its coming out party, coming out of stealth mode on the keynote stage. But word traveled and Abiquo lifted the curtain early. Here, Abiquo CEO Pete Malcolm details Abiquo's vision of "virtualization 2.0" to a packed room.
But Do You Know It From Your Elbow?
SaaS integration platform Hubspan took the opportunity to be a little tongue-in-cheek at Cloud Expo, handing out these nifty little seat cushions to conference attendees. They came in handy, too, as most visitors worked their "aaS" off during the three-day event.
Avatar, What Have You Done?
It seems since Avatar became the biggest movie of all time everyone has jumped on the 3D bandwagon. Cloud security vendor Symplified was no exception; passing out 3D glasses and using 3D posters.
Symplified was also giving away an Apple iPad, another widely employed tactic to bring attendees to Cloud Expo booths.
I'd Rather A Cigar
Virtual Private SaaS vendor Navajo Systems employed the help of this native American statue to capture mindshare and promote its USB giveaway.
Where's The Kitchen Sink?
Leave it to Microsoft to build a state of the art data center in the middle of the Cloud Expo show floor.
A Closer Look
A Cloud Expo attendee steps inside Microsoft's data center for an up-close view.
It's All In The Design
Adaptivity CEO Tony Bishop took to the keynote stage to hammer home the importance of cloud design and blueprints. It just so happens that Adaptivity offers a design suite to make that happen.
Stay Free!
One of the fears keeping some from making the leap to cloud computing is vendor lock-in. Along with offering cloud management solutions that avoid being locked to a specific cloud vendor, Abiquo passed out these buttons as a reminder. Perhaps through osmosis other vendors will get the picture.
A Cloudy Treat
Cotton candy looks like a cloud right? A pink, fluffy, delicious cloud? Data center services provider Switch and Data thought so, serving up this sweet treat to folks who wanted to focus on a different kind of cloud for a few minutes.
The Cloud Isn't Black And White
But Zebras are. Data center management vendor Zenoss made a splash with these miniature versions of its Zebra mascot Zenny.
Last year, when Zenoss' IT operations management solution hit its one millionth download, Zenoss adopted 20 zebras on behalf of its community members via the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Keepin' It Classy (And SaaSy)
Cloud infrastructure player OpSource passed out these buttons. Say it fast, we dare you!
The Cloud Is Sweet
Cloud computing services provider CSC played to the sweet tooth with its "Trusted Cloud Crunch" bar. The nutritional facts include 100 percent of each of the following: Digital Trust, Assessment Planning, CloudMail and Collaboration, test and development in the cloud, SaaS enablement, and cloud integration services. And for the ingredients: "On-Demand Self-Service, Accessed via Internet, Always Available, Rapid Elasticity, Paid by Use and Measured By Service." While that sounds delicious, we were kind of thankful to find a traditional Nestle Crunch bar inside the wrapper.
Wha'cha Waitin' For?
Is a keynote or presentation from a high level cloud executive about to start? No? Oh, wait, that's the lunch line. Our mistake.
Hip To The Hype
You can't argue that there isn't a great deal of hype surrounding cloud computing right now. Cloud computing management platform RightScale cut right to the chase at Cloud Expo with these buttons that show its solutions are more than just vapor and lip service. No hype here.
You Could Hear A Pin Drop
The Cloud Expo show floor is a ghost town on one morning as guests attend myriad sessions to learn how best to do business in the cloud and how to leverage cloud computing. It's the most quiet the floor would be throughout the entire show, which several vendors said had been their most successful cloud show so far for booth traffic.