Grid and cloud computing software company Platform Computing ( www.platform.com ) will open a Cloud Innovation Centre (CIC) in Singapore in May to provide companies with access to free cloud software, technical consultants and training programmes. This was announced at GridAsia, the annual Grid Computing event which took place from 13-17 April 2009.

Dr Zhou: The CIC will deliver technology and technical expertise to organisations looking to adopt cloud computing.

A joint initiative between Platform and the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), the CIC aims to educate enterprises, government organisations, software vendors and start-ups about cloud technology and encourage the creation of new products and services based on this rapidly emerging computing paradigm.

Cloud computing entails a fundamental move away from PC-based applications to Web-based ones. It enables software and other IT resources to be delivered on an on-demand, pay-per-use basis, rather than having users procure their own applications. According to the Associated Press Technology Review, cloud computing is estimated to have accounted for about 13 per cent of global software sales in 2008.

Platform’s technology enables organisations to access IT resources and applications through the cloud, thus greatly reducing the costs of owning and operating these resources in-house. "As the evolution from grid to cloud begins to take place, the CIC will deliver best-in-class technology and technical expertise to organisations looking to adopt cloud computing," said its Chief Executive Officer Dr Songnian Zhou, who was delivering the keynote speech at GridAsia.

The CIC will be located at the Platform Computing’s Singapore facility at Fusionopolis, from where the company also conducts substantial research and development. Platform is a software vendor in the Alatum consortium – one of three National Grid Service Providers selected by IDA to provide compute, software and data storage on a pay-per-use basis in Singapore.

Mr Leong Keng Thai, IDA Deputy Chief Executive and Director-General (Telecoms and Post), said the CIC will help enterprises develop their private clouds. "While we have heard much about public clouds like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and SalesForce.com, private clouds are equally important and attractive to enterprises," he said. "In fact, private clouds will be critical in these early days, to promote adoption among businesses, who may hold back due to considerations and concerns about putting their operations up in the public clouds."

According to Mr Leong, private clouds will allow businesses to conduct their operations in a more secure manner. In addition, the CIC will assist independent software vendors and start-ups to acquire the know-how and technology to develop services for private clouds.

The CIC will be reaching out to over 600 IT managers, decision makers and engineers over the next three years to educate and train Singapore businesses on the use and benefits of cloud computing. It will provide a comprehensive and integrated programme which incorporates workshops, technical consulting and free access to computing resources and software for performing proof of concept and pilot trials. Qualified start-ups will also get access to Platform’s leading suite of grid and cloud software solutions.