IAOP Puts Big Focus on Cloud Computing

Cloud computing, or delivering hosted and scalable services over the Internet, is revolutionizing the way that outsourced services are sold, purchased and delivered, resulting in greater flexibility in the delivery of services.

The International Association of Outsourcing Professionals® (IAOP) is exploring the technological issues of migrating to cloud computing  through several initiatives.
The IAOP has added an educational track, “Outsourcing’s Next Frontier: Cloud Computing,” at its annual conference, The 2010 Outsourcing World Summit, Feb. 15-17, in Lake Buena Vista, Fl.
IAOP has also formed a topical chapter on cloud computing, co-chaired by technology companies Microsoft and BeyondCore, which will launch in November.
“Recent industry studies have identified cloud computing as today’s top disruptive technology with the very real potential to dramatically reshape the way companies acquire and manage their technology, and the way they run their businesses,” said IAOP Chairman Michael Corbett. “This is an important issue to our membership because outsourcing professionals are at the forefront of these changes.”
IAOP also has joined with Fortune magazine to co-create a new special advertising section on “The Present and Future of Cloud Computing,” that will run on Dec. 7 and reach nearly 4 million C-level business executives.
Topics to be addressed in the special report include which technologies and business processes are right for today’s cloud, how to decide what information should remain outside the cloud, ensuring data protection, and the advantages of persistent storage demand.