2014 is a big year for the hosting industry. New products are being launched, buyouts are being announced, and cloud hosting is reaching a new era.

There are several key events held throughout the year. For sake of simplicity, we have listed the top 5 hosting conferences of 2014. The hosting industry is all about making connections, so take advantage of the unique networking opportunities present at each event.

Here are five conferences to check out:

Cloud Expo

New York City is playing host to the Cloud Expo at the Javits Center this coming summer. It will be discussing the two hottest topics in the tech industry: big data and cloud computing. Issues like privacy, IT trends, and the adaption of such technology in business will be among the many subjects of discussion. Among the brands that will be speaking are representatives from Microsoft, IBM, Shi, Cisco and many more. Tickets are currently on sale, but please note this is an annual event that sells out fast. Right now you can save $500 on a golden pass, so hurry before slots run out.

When and Where: June 10 – 12, 2014; New York City, NY.

Hosting Con

Have an excuse to go to Miami Beach with this two day event that will discuss the biggest changes in the world of cloud and web hosting. While there will be speakers, this is mostly an expo. You are going to check out the exhibitors and to network directly with representatives of major brands. It will be a fantastic place to make connections and possibly broker some deals. There will be over 150 exhibitors, and hundreds of C-Level executives in attendance. They are selling tickets now so be sure to check out the travel and hotel section.

When and Where: June 16 – 18, 2014; Miami, Florida. If you need an excuse for a trip to Miami Beach, just go and search there; for hotel options use Miamihotels.org.

Hosting + Cloud

At the gorgeous Landmark Hotel in London, executives from the hosting, cloud computing, data center and internet infrastructure sectors will be gathering for what is described as the premier European summit in the industry. They will have keynotes, lectures, panels, and plenty of networking opportunities. Speakers this year include William Fellows, Michelle Bailey and Andy Lawrence.

When and Where: April 1 – 2, 2014; London, United Kingdom.

Parallels Summit

Get together with thousands of tech industry leaders of every niche to enjoy a rounded conference experience. Held in New Orleans, Parallels Summit gets a lot of buzz. It is also just two months away, so you will want to get your ticket as soon as possible. There will be pre-conference training workshops, networking events, keynotes by speakers like Blake Irving and Nicholas Carr, a first look at new products from multiple brands, and much more.

When and Where: February 24 – 26, 2014; New Orleans, Louisiana. The venue is already announced here.

Cloud Connect

This is actually a pre-conference program that is a part of a larger event, Interlop Las Vegas. Of particular interest is the program centered on “10 Critical Cloud Decisions”. It will include in-depth discussions, analysis and training that is more hands on than many workshops. Of course, you still have the conference and expo to look at, so you don’t just have to stick with this singular program.

When and Where: March 31 – April 1, 2014; Las Vegas, Nevada.

Do you know of any other hosting conferences in 2014 worth mentioning? Let us know in the comment section below.

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Let’s face it: service level agreements aren’t constructed by talented fiction writers and they aren’t meant to keep you intrigued and attentive. If surveying fine print isn’t one of your favorite things to do, consider these points when looking over the service level agreement between you and your next colocation provider to help make the process an easier one.

Service Description

The introduction of the service level agreement will usually offer a brief outline of the type and level of technical service and support that you’ll receive while also making demands of you, the customer, as far as up-to-date payments and contact information are concerned. At its root, this initial section should promise you the level of support that you expect given your purchase.

Hardware and Software

This part of the service level agreement will make firm promises in terms of the hardware that will host your data and the software that will control it. Whether you’ll be having equipment installed on-site or the provider will be maintaining the hardware on their premises for you, the conditions and specifics of the resources you’ll be utilizing and the software that you’ll be entitled to run will be found here.

Service Availability and Requests

Only slightly less important than the hardware itself is the support that you can expect that hardware to receive. Your host’s service level agreement will include a section covering service availability and service requests, making firm statements such as uptime guarantees, measured in percentage points. Available methods of technical service and support will also be laid out here, helping you to plan for the amount of contacts you expect to make each month while working to adapt your terms with your host to get the most bang for your buck.

Author Bio: Jessy is a business blogger for LifeInsuranceFinder, the free app for free life insurance comparison.

The post What to Look for in Your Colocation Service Level Agreement appeared first on Colocation America.