Turf War Brewing Among Tech Firms Over Cloud Computing
27 Mars 2009 - 11:48PM
Dow Jones News
Open warfare appears on the verge of breaking out on the Open
Cloud.
On Friday, Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN)
accused a group of big technology companies of conspiring to
unilaterally set the ground rules for cloud computing. Both
companies are hoping to become big players in cloud computing, a
growing field in which computer processing is handled at data
centers and accessed by customers via the Internet.
The target of their umbrage is the Open Cloud Manifesto, a
document drafted by big technology companies that calls for
interoperability between the emerging cloud technologies and
defines practices in the field. The manifesto has the support of
dozens of household-name technology companies, which don't want to
be named until the document is made public.
In a blog post, Steven Martin, a Microsoft developer, says the
software giant was shown a copy of the manifesto and asked to sign
it without modifications or offering input, something he says goes
against the spirit of the document.
"We were admittedly disappointed by the lack of openness in the
development of the cloud manifesto," Martin wrote. Martin says the
standards for cloud computing should be defined through a process
"that is open to public collaboration and scrutiny."
The brewing row between the camps could crimp adoption of cloud
computing if potential customers, especially the big corporations
whose data the cloud providers want to host, sense a standards war
is in the offing. That, in turn, could disrupt what is widely seen
as a potential driver of revenue growth for tech companies as they
emerge from the recession.
Earlier this week, IT research firm Gartner forecast revenue
from cloud services would grow 21.3% to $56.3 billion in 2009 and
would reach $150 billion in 2013.
The manifesto says the full benefits of cloud computing,
including pay-per-usage pricing, could be hampered if cloud
companies don't share information, according to a blog posting by
Reuven Cohen, founder of Toronto-based cloud computing technology
provider Enomaly Inc., which was involved in drafting the
document.
"The manifesto...speaks to the fundamental principles that the
Internet was founded upon - an open platform available to all,"
Cohen said in the post. The manifesto is expected to be unveiled
Monday, the blog said.
Cohen did not respond to an email seeking comment.
Analysts say adoption of a set of standards will help spur the
growth of the cloud. Although some companies are experimenting with
cloud computing, it is far from mainstream.
"We'd like to see more interoperability," said Stephen O'Grady,
an analyst at IT research firm Red Monk. "At the moment moving
between platforms isn't that easy."
So far, however, the move toward unity has been fractious.
"The best way to illustrate openness and customer flexibility is
by what you actually provide and deliver for them," Amazon.com, one
of the pioneers in cloud computing, said in a statement.
-By Jessica Hodgson, Dow Jones Newswires; 415-439-6455;
jessica.hodgson@dowjones.com
(Scott Morrison contributed to this report.)