Eurocloud open day to show potential of cloud computing

The Eurocloud Open Day, to be held on the new Google campus on Silicon Roundabout, will be part of a European-wide initiative to show the potential of cloud.

Eurocloud is a pan-European organisation, aimed at promoting the use of cloud throughout the EU. The UK event will be one of a number of similar events, held across Europe on the same day, to demonstrate the pan-European potential of cloud computing.

According to Phil Wainewright, chairman for Eurocloud UK, there will be a unique element to the day. "We're planning to webcast sessions from other European events to all events – as far as we know, this is the first time this has been attempted."

One of the key speakers at the event will be European commissioner for the digital agenda, Neelie Kroes. She will be providing further details on her European cloud partnership, her initiative to stimulate the public sector through the medium of cloud.

Wainewright said the event would highlight cloud as a growth driver for the economy. "We're looking to include speakers from some of the cloud startups, people such as Alistair Mitchell, CEO of Huddle and Tien Tzuo of Zuora."

The day will also see the formal launch of the Eurocloud UK awards. These will be part of a pan-European initiative to find the continent's most outstanding cloud products and initiatives.

There are five award categories:

• Best Cloud Offering
• Best Cloud Startup
• Best Case Study - Commercial sector
• Best Case Study - Public administration
• Best Business Impact

Providers are invited to enter for the first four awards, while the final category is open exclusively to end user organisations. Entries will close on 6 June, with the winners announced the following month. The best of the bunch will be able to compete in the best of Europe award to be held later in the year.