In the roll-up to CES it is clear that “the cloud” has become a replacement marketing buzzword for “Internet-based” or “online.” Of the 40+ exhibitors on the CES site who use the keyword “cloud” in their business description, 21 of them are either actually making use of cloud technology or, more likely, are misusing the term but are still of potential interest to ETC member companies.  These exhibitors cluster in LVCC South Hall 2 and 4, the Venetian, and off-site hospitality suites.

One description of the cloud that is relevant to entertainment companies is a scalable online resource (scalable means that the resource size and billable charge grows and shrinks depending on demand for the resource) to which you can: 1) upload content or (meta)data; 2) securely and efficiently share, manipulate, and store the content and (meta)data among authorized users; and 3) distribute the content and (meta)data more efficiently than with non-cloud architectures.

Of particular interest in this sector is Symphony Teleca Corporation, a Palo Alto-based multinational that consults on cloud-based product and service development; Akamai Technologies, which helps enterprises provide secure, high-performing user experiences anywhere on any device; and Playcast Media Systems, which is developing cloud-based games.

Aside from these self-identified “cloud” exhibitors, we will be on the lookout for entertainment-related technology product and service vendors that have built secure, scalable cloud features into their offerings.

None of the cloud resource vendors who were invited to the ETC’s Production in the Cloud December 20th organizing meeting are listed as exhibitors at CES.  Neither is Amazon.  A Microsoft cloud researcher will be speaking on the definition and key economic considerations for content in the cloud at the DCIA Content in the Cloud Conference on January 9th at 1:30 pm.

Also worth noting: DCIA is presenting a half-day Content in the Cloud conference track (January 9, 1:30-6:00 pm, LVCC N262, separate registration fee). One panelist possibly worth meeting is Theo Lynn, Principal Investigator of IC4, on the 1:45 pm panel titled “The Impact on Consumers of Implementing Cloud Computing for Media Access and Storage.” The Irish Centre for Cloud Computing and Commerce (IC4) is a newly established Technology Centre funded by Enterprise Ireland and the IDA to develop new architectures, service models, security and business techniques that assist companies migrating and establishing their business on the cloud in a secure and compliant manner.