By Philbert Shih, theWHIR.com
November 9, 2005 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Independent research firm Tier 1 Research’s (tier1research.com) Hosting Transformation Summit 2005 (hsvsummit.com), the second conference this year to focus exclusively on the hosting industry, kicked off on Tuesday at Bally’s Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Andy Schroepfer, founder and president of Tier 1 Research, focused on the transformation theme in his opening remarks – identifying some of the key changes over the years and speculating about what trends may affect the future of the hosting industry. But it is clear, says Schroepfer, that whatever shape it takes, hosting is still a $10.6 billion a year industry that is well-positioned for substantial growth.
The first day’s keynote address was given by Pascal Martin, general manager of the Communications and Mobile Solutions Group at Microsoft. He echoed Schroepfer’s positive outlook and cited the software as a service strategy as the most important driving force for growth in the years to come. Microsoft’s role in this space, Martin says, will see it continue to focus on developing the software while relying on partners to do the hosting.
Utility computing and software as a service were recurrent themes in three of the day’s panel discussions. Companies like AT&T, Data Return, EDS, Rackspace Managed Hosting, SAVVIS, Egenera and Limelight Networks were represented. Providing a slight change of pace, an afternoon session featured a hosting customer discussing his experiences with looking for a hosting provider. And a final session delved into the colocation business, with the panelists touching on some of the reasons why colocation is making a comeback after a relative period of stagnation.
The event continues on Wednesday with a keynote address by EDS president of Data Center Services Larry Lozon and another full slate of panels looking at global perspectives on hosting and hosting technology, as well as investment and mergers and acquisitions opportunities.
