Cloud computing is changing the ground rules for startup companies – both in their infrastructure choices and in the bar for technology development prior to funding.

In a breakout session at SYS-CON's Cloud Computing Expo, Lars Leckie - a Principal at Hummer Winblad Venture Partners - will walk through the venture capital perspective of the cloud computing market covering both consumer and enterprise usage. Leckie's session will cover the tools for cloud computing as well as the leverage that portfolio companies are achieving with cloud computing.

In the spirit of the event, Leckie notes that he will be presenting from slides served from Amazon Web Services.

SYS-CON's Cloud Computing Expo (November 19-21, 2008) is a high-octane adjunct to the 4th International Virtualization Conference & Expo being held at The Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, CA.

Leckie is a Principal at Hummer Winblad Venture Partners and has played a key role in the firm’s investments in Aria Systems (SaaS billing and customer management) and VKernel (Virtualization Infrastructure). While he spends less time programming now, he started his technical career coding and hacking computer games. He is the holder of several US patents.

He joins a star-studded lineup of speakers covering the hottest IT topic for years, with Amazon, IBM, Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, Intel, HP and a host of others all offering, using or developing high-end computing services typically described as “cloud computing” - through which massively scalable IT-related capabilities are provided as a service using Internet technologies.

Forrester Research analyst James Staten calls cloud computing "classic disruptive innovation - where the mainstream dismisses the product and small companies have time to create a real differentiated value." But there are so many offerings just now that what infrastructure architects are looking for above all is a set of organizing principles they can use to guide them in choosing between them all.

Such principles. and a host of associated Cloud topics, will be addressed in San Jose by:

• Dr Werner Vogels - VP & CTO, Amazon.com (Keynote)
• Reuven Cohen - Founder & Chief Technologist, Enomaly
• Mike Eaton - CEO, Cloudworks
• Peter Nickolov - Co-Founder & CTO, 3Tera
• Jonathan Bryce - Founder at Mosso (Rackspace)
• Nati Shalom - CTO, GigaSpaces
• Don MacAskill - CEO & Chief Geek, SmugMug
• Mike Feinberg - Senior Vice President, Cloud Infrastructure Group, EMC
• Billy Marshall - Founder & CEO, rPath
• Dr Thorsten von Eicken - CTO & Founder, RightScale
• Songnian Zhou - Co-Founder & CEO, Platform Computing
• Patrick Harr, CEO - Nirvanix
• David Young - Co-Founder & CEO, Joyent
• Dave Durkee - CEO, ENKI
• John Janakiraman - CTO, Skytap
• Stuart Charlton - Chief Software Architect, Elastra
• Lars Leckie, Principal, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners
• Dr Rich Wolski - Professor, U.C. Santa Barbara
• Javier Soltero - Co-Founder & CEO of Hyperic
• Omer Trajman - Director of Field Engineering, Vertica Systems
• Alan Williamson, Founder at Blog-City.com, Creator of BlueDragon
• Rachel Chalmers - Senior Analyst, Enterprise Software, The 451 Group

The sessions are all listed here.

Cloud Computing Technology Providers and Contributors in 2008-2009
The following companies are among the providers and contributors of Cloud Computing technology: 10Gen, 3Leaf, 3Tera, Absolute Performance, Accenture, Akamai, Amazon.com, Appirio, Appistry, Areti Internet, Boomi, Box.net, Canaan Partners, Cloud9 Analytics, CloudWorks, CNI Systems, CohesiveFT, CSRware, DataDirect, Dell, DNAmail, eBay, Elastra, EMC, EngineYard, Enki Consulting, Enomaly, Excelian, Flexiscale, Fortress ITX, Forum, GigaSpaces, GoGrid, Google, HP, IBM, IBRIX, Joyent, JumpBox, Layered Technologies, Level 3 Communications, Linxter, LongJump, MDV, Microsoft, Moka5 (MokaFive), Mosso, NewServers, Nirvanix, Ocarina Networks, OpSource, Panorama Software, Peer1 Networks, Pervasive Software, Platform Computing, PLX Technology, Qlayer, Rackspace, RampRate, Red Hat, RightScale, rPath, Salesforce.com, Saugatuck Technology, ServePath, Skills Matter, Skytap, SnapLogic, SOASTA, Sun Microsystems, Symphoniq, Symphony Services, Tap In Systems, Teneros, Terremark, Transitive Corporation, Univa UD, Verizon Business, Vertica, VMware, XCalibre, Zabovo.com, ZOHO and Zuora.

Virtualization Technology Providers and Contributors in 2008
The following companies are among the providers and contributors of Virtualization technology: 3Leaf Systems, 3PAR, 3Tera, Acronis, Actional, Active Endpoints, ActiveGrid, activePDF, ActiveServers, ActiveState, Actuate, Agile Software, Agilent, AGiLiENCE, Agilysys, Akamai, Akorri, AlachiSoft, Altova, AMD, AMDAHL, Amentra, Amyuni, anacubis, Apani, APC, Appcelerator, Appistry, AppStream, Ascential, Astaro, Attune Systems, Autodesk, AutoVirt, Availl, Azul Systems, BEA Systems, B-Hive, Black Duck Software, Black Hat, Blackbaud, Blue Lane Technologies, BlueArc, BlueNote, BluePhoenix Solutions, BMC Software, Borland, Bristol Technology, Brix Networks, BroadVision, Brocade, Burton Group, Business Objects, CA, CalAmp, Cassatt, Cast Iron, Catbird, Cayenne Technologies, Ceedo Technologies, Cenzic, Certeon, CiRBA, Cisco Systems, Citrix Systems, ClearApp, ClearCube Technology, Compass America, Composite Software, Compuware, Configuresoft, Continuity Software, Coraid, Courion, Coyote Point Systems, DataDirect, DataSynapse, Dell, Double-Take Software, Ecora Software, EDS, Egenera, Elastra Corporation, Embarcadero, EMC Corporation, Enomaly Open Source, Enterprise Management Associates, Entuity, EqualLogic, ESRI, F5 Networks, Fortisphere, Forum Systems, Fujitsu, GemStone, Getronics, GigaSpaces, Green Hills Software, Grid Dynamics, GridGain Systems, GT Software, Hitachi Data Systems, HP, Hyperic, IBM, ICEsoft, Illumita, ILOG, IMEX Research, Information Builders, InstallFree, Intel, International Computerware, iTKO LISA, JBoss, Juniper, Kidaro, LynuxWorks, ManageIQ, Managed Methods, Marathon Technologies, Mellanox, Microsoft, Mindreef, MKS, Moka5 (MokaFive), Motorola, MQSoftware, NASTEL, Ncomputing, NEC, NetApp, Netegrity, Neverfail, Nexaweb, NextAxiom, Nimbus, Novell, OpenSpan, OPNET Technologies, OpTier, Oracle, Panacea Software, Parasoft, Parallels, Pillar Data Systems, PlateSpin, PLX Technologies, Progress Software, Prolifics, Prosync Technology, Provision Networks, QLogic, Quest Software, Racemi, Raxco Software, Red Hat, Reflex Security, Resolutions Enterprises, Riverbed Technology, Rogue Wave, rPath, RSA Security, SanDisk, SAP, Saugatuck Technology, ScaleMP, Scalent Systems, Secure Command, ShavLik, ServInt Internet Services, Silpion IT Solutions, Skytap, Software AG, Splunk, StackSafe, Stoneware, StoreVault, StrikeIron, STT, WebOS, Sun Microsystems, Surgient, Sybase, Symantec, Tenfold, TheInfoPro, Thinstall, Third Brigade, TIBCO Software, Tideway Systems, TRANGO Virtual Processors, Transitive, Trend Micro, Trigence, Unisys, Verio, VeriSign, Virtual Iron, VirtualLogix, Vizioncore, VKernel, VMLogix, vmSight, VMware, Web Age Solutions, WSO2, XDS, Xiotech, xkoto, and Xsigo Systems.