Cloud Connect Chicago Reveals Top Four Finalists for First-Time Innovation through Cloud in Enterprise Awards

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Cloud Connect Chicago, produced by UBM Tech, recognizes four finalists for the event's first-ever awards program, Innovation through Cloud in Enterprise (ICE) Awards. The winner will be announced from the keynote stage during the event. As the premier technology event for the cloud community, featuring the latest technologies, strategies and innovations, Cloud Connect will return to Chicago October 21—23 in a new downtown location, McCormick Place. For more information or to register visit: cloudconnectevent.com/chicago/.

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In partnership with Everest Group, an advisory and research firm on global services, Cloud Connect launches its first awards program to honor companies that have achieved innovation through the adoption of cloud solutions. Everest Group narrowed down nominations to name four pacesetting enterprises that, through cloud implementations, have transformed business processes, positively impacted stakeholders and significantly contributed to the bottom line. The four finalists for the inaugural ICE Awards are:

• Columbia Sportswear
• LanguageLine Solutions
• Revlon
• Schneider Electric

Jimit Arora, Everest Group Vice President, will announce the winner during the keynote program on Tuesday, October 22.

"Cloud solutions have drastically changed business operations for the better. When implemented correctly, cloud directly contributes to business agility, streamlined collaboration between employees and partners, and higher revenue," said Steve Wylie, Cloud Connect General Manager. "The four selected ICE Award finalists have made big strides with cloud implementation and we're pleased to recognize their efforts in Chicago at Cloud Connect."

In addition to the ICE Awards announcement, the keynote stage will feature presentations from top cloud solution providers, customers and expert consultants. Headliners will discuss the future of enterprise cloud and its ability to reinvent data analysis and differentiate businesses. The newly expanded keynote lineup includes:

• Narayan Desai, Principal Experimental Systems Engineer, Argonne National Laboratory
• Jim Reavis, Co-founder and Executive Director, Cloud Security Alliance
• Monty Taylor, Manager, Automation and Deployment, HP
• Ric Telford, VP, IBM Cloud Services
• Jean-Sebastien Bruneau, Cloud Architect, OVH.com
• Ted Rudman, Interim Vice President, Pricing, Marketing/Loyalty, Supply Chain & Corporate Systems, Sears Holdings Corporation
• Molly Rector, Chief Marketing Officer, EVP Product Management and WW Marketing, Spectra Logic
• Jason Witty, Senior Vice President & CISO, U.S. Bancorp
• Mathew Lodge, VP, Cloud Services, VMware

These keynoters will join the previously announced lineup, which includes executives from CloudOps Research, SoftLayer, The Weather Company and Zipcar/GoLoco.

Cloud Connect Chicago includes five tracks of conference content: Amazon Web Services & Eucalyptus, CloudStack, OpenStack, Platform-as-a-Service and Virtualization & Private Cloud. The event opens on Monday, October 21 with a full day of intensive cloud computing education through a series of Summits and Boot Camps that will outline standards and emerging trends around big data, security and risk, as well as management strategies in increasingly heterogeneous cloud environments. Cloud Connect Chicago will be co-located with The Big Data Conference, another UBM Tech event, and the events will share a keynote stage.  More information available at: cloudconnectevent.com/chicago.

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About Cloud Connect
Cloud Connect, produced by UBM Tech, is the defining event of the cloud computing industry and the only venue where attendees learn how to leverage the cloud ecosystem to develop new services, revenue streams and business models.As both a conference and an exhibition, Cloud Connect's goal is to chart the course of cloud computing's development by bringing together enterprise IT professionals, developers, infrastructure and service providers and cloud computing innovators. Cloud Connect offers three days of in-depth boot camps, panel discussions and access to a host of industry experts, all designed to help organizations weigh their cloud options and drive transformation.  For more information visit: www.cloudconnectevent.com.

About UBM Tech
UBM Tech is a global media business that brings together the world's technology industry through live events and online properties.  Its community-focused media and events provide expertly curated content along with user-generated content and peer-to-peer engagement opportunities through its proprietary, award-winning DeusM community platform. UBM Tech's brands include EE Times, Interop, Black Hat, InformationWeek, Game Developers Conference, CRN, and DesignCon. The company's products include research, education, training, and data services that accelerate decision making for technology buyers.  UBM Tech also offers a full range of marketing services based on its content and technology market expertise, including custom events, content marketing solutions, community development and demand generation programs. UBM Tech is a part of UBM (UBM.L), a global provider of media and information services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion.

SOURCE UBM Tech