By: Hailey Temple
Cloud computing has expanded into a useful resource for businesses to collaborate, store information, and create programs to improve their organizations. At the School of Information Studies (iSchool), students, faculty members and entrepreneurs work closely together to both understand these technologies and apply them to business ventures.
Sophomore Ross Lazerowitz is exploring the possibilities of cloud computing at Dreamforce 2012, as he was awarded the Cloud University Dreamforce Scholarship to attend the conference September 18 through 21 in San Francisco. Dreamforce is the annual conference of Salesforce.com, a leading customer relationship management software company.
The scholarship is offered to students studying in technology-related fields, and provides college students the opportunity to explore the technology behind cloud computing at one of technology’s largest conferences. Approximately twenty students, including Lazerowitz, will attend the conference for free to work hands-on with the technology, gain real-world experience, and network with tech industry CEOs from organizations across the country.
“I hope to gain a deeper and better understanding about how the cloud computing industry works and how it will be used in the future,” says Lazerowitz. “Everything in technology is moving toward cloud computing, so it is essential to focus on how it is progressing and being used and how to move forward with the technology.”
Lazerowitz actively uses cloud computing as a part of his advertising agency Blu Arc Media, which he co-founded with Whitman School of Management student Scott Friedberg out of the Syracuse Student Sandbox. While Blu Arc Media already caters to several local businesses, he hopes the technology and speakers he encounters at Dreamforce 2012 will help with his entrepreneurial aspirations.
“With everything moving towards cloud computing, understanding how to use it most effectively for running signage, managing software systems, and even writing programs will become especially important in the business world,” says Lazerowitz.
Dreamforce 2012, is an internationally recognized convention where aspiring entrepreneurs learn about the power of cloud computing industry by attending information sessions, testing products, and listening to CEOs of major corporations. Some of the organizations attending include Ford, General Electric Capital, and Virgin Group.