New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) and Institute and Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly), along with Injazat, opened a two-day international data center and cloud computing technology conference today.

The event which is being held at Injazat headquarters, and is open to the public, brings together research and industry experts to discuss state-of-the-art technologies, exchange ideas, and foster strategic views in this area.

Data centers and cloud computing form the basis for most large-scale internet applications, including search engines and social network sites.

Technological advancements in this field have a significant impact on the information and communications technology industry, and on the interconnected global community, said a statement.

Workshop participants will discuss topics involving data center networks, cloud computing architecture, security, resilience, monitoring, performance analysis, cloud applications, and future perspectives for the field.

Participants include experts from IBM, New Jersey Institute of Technology, CloudPhysics, Bell Laboratories, Juniper Networks, Huawei Technologies, Injazat, NYU-Poly, and NYUAD, the statement said.

Jonathan Chao, department head, electrical and computer engineering, NYU-Poly; and research professor, NYUAD; said: “This conference was designed to promote collaboration between research institutions, academia, and service providers as an important step in ensuring that advancements in research are being implemented in the design and development of commercial applications and services.”

“Our institutions share a strong enthusiasm for discussing and promoting agents of innovation in data centers and cloud computing, both of which are revolutionizing computing and networking,” said Ibrahim Lari, CEO, Injazat Data Systems. “We believe in the importance of consolidating the ideas, expertise, and experiences of academia and industry to deliver more effective models and practices for these critical technologies.”

Data centers and cloud computing are gaining traction in the Middle East with approximately 70 per cent of the region’s organisations either adopting or considering virtualization, according to a survey by global IT market intelligence firm, International Data Corporation (IDC).

Middle East markets are also embracing cloud computing as a viable IT model for cost savings and enhanced scalability.

NYUAD and NYU-Poly announced in 2011 the establishment of a research and innovation lab in data center and cloud computing in Abu Dhabi. The lab will serve as a hub to support both information exchange and applied research.

It will host workshops, conferences, professional courses, and training, while experts develop new prototypes, conduct experiments, contribute to academic research, and investigate opportunities to create research-based commercial applications. – TradeArabia News Service