THINKstrategies, the Cloud Computing Showplace and Rising Tide Media today announced that Amy Anderson of IBM’s Cloud Computing Independent Software Vendor (ISV) and Developer Relations Partner Program has joined the list of Cloud Channel Summit keynote speakers, which already includes executives from Google Enterprise, Salesforce.com and Dell Boomi. The conference will focus on the emerging channel opportunities in the Cloud Computing market and will take place on Monday, Nov. 7, at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif.

The Cloud Channel Summit will feature four keynote presentations – all focused on the evolving role of the channel in the Cloud as well as best practices for creating successful partnerships that lead to profitable business models for both Cloud vendors and their channel counterparts. Ms. Anderson’s presentation will focus on the opportunities for channel vendors to build their own Cloud solutions. The remaining three keynotes will include:

• Kick-off keynote, "Making Rain in the Channel: New Opportunities in Cloud Computing" presented by Stephen Cho, director of channels and business development at Google Enterprise
• “5 Steps to Building a Successful Channel Program in the Cloud” presented by Ron Huddleston, senior vice president of ISV alliances at Salesforce.com
• “The Cloud Era of Channel Success: Is Your Organization Partner-Ready?” presented by Rick Nucci, CTO, and Diane Ruth, executive director of business development, at Dell Boomi

In addition, executives from Amazon Web Services, Avnet Technology Solutions, OpSource and SugarCRM have joined the more than 25 Cloud and channel industry leaders – from across the globe and spanning the IaaS, PaaS and SaaS markets – who will provide their practical perspectives in a series of executive roundtable panel sessions, including:

• “Real-World Cloud Success Stories”
• “Building Effective Cloud Channels: What’s Working and What’s Not?”
• “Selling and Supporting Cloud Services Together”
• “Leveraging Cloud Alternatives to Meet Unique Customer Needs”
• “Using a Cloud Ecosystem to Create New Customer Value”
• “New Market Opportunities for Cloud Channels”

Additional panelists include senior executives from Agilis Solutions, AppDirect, AppFirst, Aryaka Networks, Bell Canada, Birst, CloudLock, CompTIA, Corent Technology, Geminare, GoodData, Informatica, Progress Software, Revevol, RightScale, rPath, SafeNet, Scribe Software, SoftServe and Stone Cobra.

Registered attendees include Cloud, business development and channel management executives from a wide array of companies including Adobe, AT&T, BMC Software, Cisco Systems, Comcast, Hitachi Global Technologies, Intel Corporation, McAfee, Oracle, Pitney Bowes, Savvis, Symantec, VMware and Zenith Infotech.

“The strong interest we’ve received in the summit by leading players in the Cloud and channel industries is a clear indication of the timeliness and importance of determining the emerging channel opportunities in the Cloud,” said Jeffrey M. Kaplan, founder and managing director of THINKstrategies. “Our goal is to create a forum where industry executives will be able to share their experiences building effective Cloud/channel partnerships and collaborate on best practices for success.”

The Cloud Channel Summit is also being supported by an ecosystem of leading industry organizations dedicated to building strong channels in the Cloud, including publications such as ChannelPro, Channel Tech Network, Cloudbook, SandHill.com, Datamation, E-Commerce Times, Alsbridge’s Cloud Sourcing 100 Index and Softletter (SaaS University); conference groups including Under the Radar, the World Research Group and Keynote World Media; industry associations such as CompTIA, the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) and the ASCII Group; and other organizations including DreamSimplicity, Technology Council of Southern California and Mikael Blaisdell & Associates, Inc. (MB&A).

For more information on the Cloud Channel Summit and to view the full conference agenda, please visit http://cloudchannelsummit.com/.