Software, Expertise, Ecosystem

Creativity is more than just creating; it is about turning what you create into a successful and sustainable business model. In a world that is changing at a fast and furious pace, traditional knowledge is fast losing its value. Yet you can use your creativity to turn your ideas into a global success story! As our world stands on the brink of an ideas explosion, it is our ability to absorb new knowledge and come up with new ideas (and to make them come true) which is increasingly important. Fredrik Härén spent 3 years interviewing more than 200 people in 20 countries around the world in order to answer some key questions; What will this rapid change lead to? What problems do today’s organizations face when it comes to adapting to the speed of change? What can we learn from the people who are best at adapting to change? What are the advantages of living in a Developing Country when it comes to adapting to this change, and what can the Developed World learn?

This IDC session will take you through the transforming partner ecosystem of harnessing cloud as a delivery model into the mainstream market. Not all users are embracing cloud or at least in the same fashion and pace. The benefits of cloud as a delivery model are not uniformly enjoyed by users and businesses today. However, more users and CIOs believe that cloud will no doubt be the next-generation IT delivery platform in the years to come. In this presentation, IDC will share the low-hanging fruits as well as the upcoming differentiated opportunities in the cloud services marketplace and how through leveraging the evolving partner value chain, service providers, hosters and IT channels can create 1+1>2 financial outcomes in the Asia/Pacific region.

George Karidis joined SoftLayer in January, 2008, and is responsible for the company's strategic growth and marketing activities. Prior to joining SoftLayer, Mr. Karidis spent seven years with Devonshire Investors, the private equity arm of Fidelity Investments. There he drove the strategic planning efforts of portfolio companies focused on the telecom, hosting, and software markets, taking active roles in each company from inception through domestic growth and international expansions. Previously, Mr. Karidis led business development for a startup serving the SME market, and spent more than 6 years with the Yankee Group as an industry analyst covering the telecom and IT sectors. He holds an Honors Bachelor of Commerce Degree from McMaster University with majors in finance, accounting, and economics, and an MBA from the University of Ottawa.

As more "non-traditional" hosters (telco's, cable companies & VARs) enter the cloud services market finding the right partner is a must. The opportunity is huge but this isn't a situation where a rising tide will float all boats. George Karidis, Chief Strategy Officer of SoftLayer will explain how, in order to be successful, you'll need to understand the following: 1) think global platform first, 2) build for "Internet Scale", and 3) how to automate. The session will include discussion of how SoftLayer leverages partners to drive business growth.