BirchStreet, procure-to-pay solutions provider for the hospitality industry, has launched an eMarket for the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA).  AAHOA was founded in 1989 and has about 11,000 members, owning more than 20,000 hotels and purchasing more than $3.5 billion annually in furniture, fixtures and equipment, food, beverages and various other supplies.  The BirchStreet eMarket is a purchasing cooperative that provides AAHOA members with direct access to negotiated supplier programs, resulting in better pricing and greater control and visibility of purchasing processes.  This platform is available to AAHOA members at no cost.

VP of the European Commission, Neelie Kroes, is leading an effort to boost Europe's economy through the adoption of cloud computing.  This effort includes a €10 million European cloud partnership of local public agencies and private companies created in January to bring government agencies' IT systems to the cloud.