<p> Google App Engine is an exciting development and cloud-hosting platform that lets you build & deploy web (and non-web) applications on Google's scalable high-traffic infrastructure. App Engine supports apps written in Java, Python, Go, or others, and they will execute on servers that use the same technology that powers Google's websites for speed, scalability, and reliability. App Engine applications are easy to build and scale as your traffic and data storage needs grow. With App Engine, there is no need to think about virtual machine images, operating systems, databases, Web servers, or other hardware requirements; you just provide the source: use our simple deployment system to upload your application, and in one minute or less, it's ready to serve your users around the world! </p><br><p> In this informative session, we'll cover Cloud Computing as an industry and where Google App Engine fits into the picture. Specifically, we discuss App Engine as a PaaS solution because of the inherent challenges of building web and other applications. We'll outline the architecture of App Engine, what it's major components are, introduce its features and APIs, discuss the service and how it works (including information on the free quotas), and finally present some information about current users and usage, including integration with Google Apps. </p><br><p> Also be sure to attend the hands-on session happening later in this conference. Hearing someone *talk* about App Engine is one thing, but it's another when you've actually coded it. </p>