Two of the sessions at the upcoming HostingCon 2014 feature panel discussions around two different facets of one of the most important issues facing the hosting and cloud industry today — globalization.

Global Hosting Issues and Trends – Monday, June 16, 2:15 – 3:00 p.m.

This panel discussion, comprised of service providers representing a combination of regional and international companies and a variety of global markets, will address international issues facing the hosting business. Panelists will discuss how matters of culture and appetites for specific technologies or traits vary across markets. How do geography and jurisdiction impact requirements for data privacy and data sovereignty? They will also touch on challenges faced by global organizations expanding across international borders, and their intersection with existing regional players serving local markets. This session will be particularly valuable for service providers considering doing business internationally and for vendors looking to sell to (or through) hosts in multiple markets.

The panel will include Liam Eagle of 451 Research, George Karidis of SoftLayer, Chan Kee Siak of the Exabytes Group of Companies, Yvan Knapp of Hostpoint AG, Steve Wright of LINX, Antonio Monayo and Miguel Ferreira of Lunacloud.

The U.S. Role in the Global Internet: Can the U.S. Afford to Go It Alone? – Tuesday, June 17, 10:00 – 10:45 a.m.

One big issue facing the global Internet itself is its governance process. This second panel discussion will examine the role of the U.S. in the global Internet.

The Internet was created from the bottom up and now the Internet governance process is at a critical point. NTIA’s conditional offer to the global multi-stakeholder community to give up IANA function if important qualifications are met, could lead to a stronger Internet and a healthier global economy. However, care must be taken to avoid replacing this governance structure with one favoring a top-down regulatory approach. Leaving oversight to governmental entities or quasi-governmental entities who dictate rules, regulations and technical standards to the community would be a mistake.

Anything that abandons the multi-stakeholder model of Internet governance could lead to a fractured global Internet, a curbing of economic growth, and a real risk of curbing free speech. The success of the multi-stakeholder model of Internet governance is a critical dialogue of which enterprise, government, and the Internet user should be a part.

Panel participants include David Snead of W. David Snead, P.C., Alex de Joode of LeaseWeb, Michele Neylon of Blacknight Internet Solutions Ltd., and Perry Robinson of Rackspace.