The Open Data Center Alliance (ODCA) has announced additional panel participants and sponsors for Open Data Center Alliance Forecast 2012, an event designed for IT leaders to harness the latest developments on solution delivery for the expected 2012 ramp in cloud solution deployments. Held on June 12, in conjunction with the 10th International Cloud Expo in New York City, ODCA Forecast 2012 will bring together hundreds of members of the Alliance, industry experts and leading technology companies to showcase how ODCA usage model adoption can accelerate ROI for businesses deploying cloud solutions and services.

Leading managers from some of the largest global IT shops have formed the initial group of panelists for ODCA Forecast 2012. The event will feature multiple tracks with presentations and panels from ODCA members and industry experts focused on the latest best practices from leading providers and implementers of cloud solutions. The panelists will discuss cloud security, service provider needs, software innovation and industry standards, among other topics. The event will serve as an opportunity for Alliance members and attendees to discuss and engage across a broad range of cloud computing related topics including the recently announced ODCA usage models and customer requirements. Panelists announced today include:

• Michael Kolar, global cloud CTO, ATOS

• John Houle, lead technical architect, ATT

• Mario Muller, vice president IT Infrastructure, BMW

• Ian Lamont, IT security specialist, BMW

• Petteri Uljas, Capgemini IS SBU, head of infrastructure services, India, Eastern Europe and LatAm CapGemini

• Matt Estes, director, data architecture, Disney

• Barb Darrow, senior writer, GigaOm (moderator)

• Das Kamhout, IT cloud lead, Intel Corp

• Kurt Aubley, vice president and CTO Cyber Security & NexGen Innovation, Lockheed Martin

• Matt Lowth, principal security architect, National Australia Bank

• Chet Ensign, director of standards development and tc administration, OASIS

• Eric Kristoff, IT director, UBS

• Chris Swan, CTO Client experience, UBS

• Reuven Cohen, senior vice president, Virtustream

 The Alliance also announced the addition of new sponsors across multiple categories and levels including Gold Sponsors Dell and Hewlett Packard, Pavilion Sponsor McAfee and breakfast sponsor Champion Solutions Group. Additional new sponsors include the Cloud Security Alliance, Cloud Computing Magazine and InformationWeek. The new ODCA Forecast 2012 sponsors join Intel, Red Hat, Citrix, the Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF), the Open Compute Project, the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS), the Green Grid, Tabor Communications and CloudTimes.

All ODCA Forecast 2012 attendees will also receive a complimentary pass to International Cloud Expo as part of their event registration. Early bird registration discounts for ODCA Forecast 2012 have been extended to April 30 to accommodate for late-breaking schedule updates. For more information on the Alliance, and to register for ODCA Forecast 2012, visit www.opendatacenteralliance.org.