Free Workshop: Building a Cloud Business – Birmingham, 12th Dec

A heads-up that ThinkGrid will be hosting a free half-day afternoon workshop this Monday 12th December in Birmingham on “Cloud Computing: Building a Cloud Business”.

The event, sponsored by Ingram Micro, is aimed at IT Solution Providers and Managed Service Providers and aims to provide education and provide the steps required in becoming a Cloud Services provider.

Like it or loathe it (and I recently wrote an article entitled “Should IT Companies Fear The Cloud?” on this very topic) – there’s no denying that the Cloud is here to stay. Increasingly the conversations I’ve had with MSP’s this year is not whether or not they embrace cloud, but how they do so – whether they build their own Cloud platform, or buy in services from the likes of Microsoft, Google and ThinkGrid.

ThinkGrid have put on an interesting line-up that will be useful to any MSP who is still considering their options.

14:00
How Cloud is impacting the channel and the end-users that it serves

Speaker: Rob Lovell, CEO of ThinkGrid

14:45
Coffee/Tea Break

15:00
Platform Selection: Build or Buy

Workshop

15:15
How your business will change

Workshop

15:30
What services to implement and how to productise

Workshop

15:45
Delivery and Support Implications

Workshop

16:00
Marketing and selling Cloud Services

Speaker: Scott Holmes, Director of Sales EMEA, ThinkGrid

16:45
Coffee/Tea Break

16:30
Linking Services with Products and centralising your “cloud” supply chain

Speaker: Jason Beal, Sr. Director of Ingram Micro

17:15
Drinks Reception

There is still time to register for the event, which takes place at The Studio in Cannon Street in Birmingham City Centre (a 2 minute walk from New Street Train Station and with plenty of parking nearby).

I’ll be joining the panel discussion at 3pm on “Platform Selection: Build or Buy” – so if you’re attending, do make sure to say hello in person!