Video: Microsoft Global Energy Forum Opening Keynote

As we've shared on the blog, the 2011 Microsoft Global Energy Forum was a great success, with approximately 800 oil and gas industry thought leaders converging in Houston to learn about industry best practices and new technology trends.

During the event's opening keynote, Craig Hodges, Microsoft's general manager of U.S. manufacturing and resources, discussed the results of the third annual Microsoft and Accenture Oil & Gas Collaboration Survey, pointing to the oil and gas industry's uptick in social media and collaboration tools and ways that the cloud can enable better communication throughout an organization.

Shell's Jay Crotts, vice president of IT services, also gave a keynote at the Microsoft Global Energy Forum focusing on how to "Get More Mileage out of a Hybrid Cloud." Crotts explains Shell's experiences and how businesses can adopt a similar hybrid cloud methodology.

Watch the videos below to see highlights from these speeches and check back as we'll be posting additional footage from the event in the weeks to come.